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acc-diagram-knowledge

Diagram knowledge base. Provides Mermaid syntax, C4 model, diagram types, and best practices for technical diagrams.

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SKILL.md

Diagram Knowledge Base

Quick reference for technical diagrams, Mermaid syntax, and C4 model.

Diagram Types Overview

Type Use Case When to Use
C4 Context System boundaries External actors, systems
C4 Container Deployable units Apps, databases, services
C4 Component Internal structure Classes, modules in container
Sequence Interactions Request flows, protocols
Class Structure Domain model, relationships
ER Data Database schema
Flowchart Process Algorithms, decisions
State Lifecycle Entity states, transitions

Mermaid Basics

Flowchart

mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Action 1]
    B -->|No| D[Action 2]
    C --> E[End]
    D --> E

Syntax:

flowchart TD|TB|BT|LR|RL
    id[Rectangle]
    id(Rounded)
    id{Diamond}
    id([Stadium])
    id[[Subroutine]]
    id[(Database)]
    id((Circle))

Sequence Diagram

mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    participant C as Client
    participant A as API
    participant D as Database

    C->>A: POST /users
    A->>D: INSERT user
    D-->>A: user_id
    A-->>C: 201 Created

Syntax:

->>   Solid arrow (sync)
-->>  Dashed arrow (async/response)
-)    Open arrow
--)   Dashed open arrow
Note right of A: Note text
loop Loop name
    actions
end
alt Condition
    actions
else Other
    actions
end

Class Diagram

mermaid
classDiagram
    class Order {
        -OrderId id
        -OrderStatus status
        +confirm() void
        +cancel() void
    }
    class OrderItem {
        -ProductId productId
        -int quantity
    }
    Order "1" *-- "*" OrderItem : contains

Relationships:

<|-- Inheritance
*--  Composition
o--  Aggregation
-->  Association
--   Link
..>  Dependency
..|> Implementation

State Diagram

mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Pending
    Pending --> Confirmed : confirm()
    Pending --> Cancelled : cancel()
    Confirmed --> Shipped : ship()
    Confirmed --> Cancelled : cancel()
    Shipped --> Delivered : deliver()
    Delivered --> [*]
    Cancelled --> [*]

ER Diagram

mermaid
erDiagram
    USER ||--o{ ORDER : places
    ORDER ||--|{ ORDER_ITEM : contains
    ORDER_ITEM }o--|| PRODUCT : references

    USER {
        uuid id PK
        string email UK
        string name
    }
    ORDER {
        uuid id PK
        uuid user_id FK
        string status
    }

Cardinality:

||--|{  One to many
}|--|{  Many to many
||--||  One to one
||--o{  One to zero-or-many

C4 Model

Level 1: Context Diagram

Shows system and external actors.

mermaid
flowchart TB
    subgraph boundary[System Boundary]
        S[("🖥️ E-Commerce System")]
    end

    U[("👤 Customer")]
    PS[("💳 Payment Service")]
    ES[("📧 Email Service")]

    U -->|"Browse, Order"| S
    S -->|"Process payment"| PS
    S -->|"Send notifications"| ES

Level 2: Container Diagram

Shows deployable units.

mermaid
flowchart TB
    subgraph boundary[E-Commerce System]
        WA[("🌐 Web App\nReact")]
        API[("⚙️ API\nPHP/Symfony")]
        DB[("🗄️ Database\nPostgreSQL")]
        CACHE[("💾 Cache\nRedis")]
        MQ[("📬 Queue\nRabbitMQ")]
    end

    WA -->|"REST/JSON"| API
    API -->|"SQL"| DB
    API -->|"Cache"| CACHE
    API -->|"Publish"| MQ

Level 3: Component Diagram

Shows internal structure.

mermaid
flowchart TB
    subgraph api[API Container]
        direction TB
        subgraph presentation[Presentation]
            AC[Action]
            RS[Responder]
        end
        subgraph application[Application]
            UC[UseCase]
            SV[Service]
        end
        subgraph domain[Domain]
            EN[Entity]
            VO[ValueObject]
            RP[Repository Interface]
        end
        subgraph infra[Infrastructure]
            RI[Repository Impl]
            AD[Adapter]
        end
    end

    AC --> UC
    UC --> EN
    UC --> RP
    RI -.-> RP

Best Practices

Diagram Guidelines

Principle Description Example
7±2 Rule Max 5-9 elements Aggregate related items
Clear labels Descriptive names "User Service" not "S1"
Consistent style Same shapes = same type Rectangles for services
Flow direction Top-down or left-right Pick one per diagram
Context first Start high-level C4 Context → Container

Naming Conventions

markdown
✅ Good:
- "Payment Service" (descriptive)
- "PostgreSQL Database" (specific)
- "POST /orders" (action-based)

❌ Bad:
- "Service A" (meaningless)
- "DB" (ambiguous)
- "Process" (vague)

Layout Tips

markdown
# Top-down flow (recommended for hierarchies)
flowchart TD

# Left-right (recommended for timelines)
flowchart LR

# Subgraphs for grouping
subgraph name[Label]
    content
end

# Styling
style id fill:#f9f,stroke:#333
classDef className fill:#f9f
class id1,id2 className

Common Antipatterns

Antipattern Problem Fix
Spaghetti Too many crossing lines Reorder, use subgraphs
Kitchen sink Everything in one diagram Split by level/aspect
Mystery meat Cryptic labels Use full names
Outdated Doesn't match code Automate from code
No legend Unknown symbols Add legend/key
Invisible boundaries Unclear scope Add subgraphs

Tool Comparison

Tool Type Best For Pros Cons
Mermaid Text-based Documentation-as-code Git-friendly, embeds in MD, live preview Limited styling, complex layouts hard
PlantUML Text-based UML diagrams Full UML support, more diagram types Requires Java, slower rendering
Draw.io GUI Quick prototypes, business diagrams Free, intuitive, many templates Binary files, merge conflicts
Excalidraw GUI Sketches, whiteboarding Hand-drawn style, collaborative Less precise, limited exports
Lucidchart GUI Enterprise, presentations Professional output, integrations Paid, not text-based

Tool Selection Guide

Scenario Recommended Tool
Code documentation (README, docs/) Mermaid
Strict UML compliance required PlantUML
Quick whiteboard session Excalidraw
Stakeholder presentations Draw.io or Lucidchart
CI/CD pipeline diagrams Mermaid (auto-generate)
Living documentation (auto-update) Mermaid + code generation

Tool Features Matrix

Feature Mermaid PlantUML Draw.io Excalidraw
Version control friendly ⚠️ JSON
GitHub/GitLab rendering
No install required
Offline support ⚠️
C4 model support Manual Manual
Export to PNG/SVG
Real-time collaboration

Diagram Selection Guide

What are you documenting?
│
├─ System overview → C4 Context
│
├─ Deployment units → C4 Container
│
├─ Internal structure → C4 Component / Class
│
├─ Data flow
│  ├─ Request/Response → Sequence
│  └─ Data processing → Flowchart
│
├─ Data structure
│  ├─ Domain model → Class
│  └─ Database → ER
│
└─ Behavior
   ├─ State machine → State
   └─ Algorithm → Flowchart

PHP-Specific Diagrams

DDD Layers

mermaid
flowchart TB
    subgraph presentation[Presentation Layer]
        direction LR
        A[Action]
        R[Responder]
    end

    subgraph application[Application Layer]
        direction LR
        UC[UseCase]
        DTO[DTO]
    end

    subgraph domain[Domain Layer]
        direction LR
        E[Entity]
        VO[Value Object]
        DS[Domain Service]
        RI[Repository Interface]
    end

    subgraph infrastructure[Infrastructure Layer]
        direction LR
        RImpl[Repository]
        Adapter[Adapter]
    end

    presentation --> application
    application --> domain
    infrastructure -.-> domain

CQRS Pattern

mermaid
flowchart LR
    subgraph commands[Write Side]
        CMD[Command] --> CH[CommandHandler]
        CH --> AR[Aggregate]
        AR --> EV[Event]
    end

    subgraph queries[Read Side]
        Q[Query] --> QH[QueryHandler]
        QH --> RM[ReadModel]
    end

    EV -.-> RM

References

For detailed information, load these reference files:

  • references/mermaid-syntax.md — Complete Mermaid syntax reference
  • references/c4-model.md — C4 model detailed guide
  • references/sequence-patterns.md — Common sequence diagram patterns
  • references/diagram-tools.md — Tools and automation

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