Diagram Code with Assembly
Learn how to leverage Assembly’s AI capabilities to generate visual representations of your codebase, architecture, and workflows
Visualizing code and architecture through diagrams is crucial for understanding complex systems, communicating ideas, and planning development. Assembly can significantly streamline this process by analyzing your code and generating various types of diagrams. This guide will walk you through how to use Assembly to create different types of code diagrams.
Getting Started
Before diving into code diagramming with Assembly, ensure you have:
- Access to Assembly
- Your codebase or architecture details ready
- Familiarity with basic diagram types (e.g., UML, flowcharts)
If you’re new to Assembly, check out our Quickstart Guide to set up your environment.
Types of Code Diagrams
Assembly can help you create various types of diagrams:
Class Diagrams
Visualize the structure of your classes and their relationships
Sequence Diagrams
Illustrate the flow of operations and interactions between objects
Entity-Relationship Diagrams
Represent the structure of databases and relationships between entities
Flowcharts
Depict the steps in a process or algorithm
Architecture Diagrams
Visualize the high-level structure of your application or system
Diagramming Workflow with Assembly
1. Code Analysis
Start by asking Assembly to analyze your code or system description:
Import Code
Use Assembly’s codebase search or file upload feature to import your code.
Request Analysis
Ask Assembly to analyze the imported code:
“I’ve imported the ‘src’ directory of our project. Can you analyze the code and provide an overview of the main classes and their relationships?”
Clarify Requirements
Specify the type of diagram you need:
“Based on your analysis, I’d like to create a class diagram. What key classes and relationships should we include?“
2. Diagram Generation
Use Assembly to generate the diagram using Mermaid syntax:
Example of a generated Mermaid class diagram:
3. Diagram Refinement
Iterate on the generated diagram to improve its clarity and accuracy:
Review and Feedback
Analyze the generated diagram and provide feedback:
“The class diagram looks good, but can we add the ‘Address’ class and its relationship to ‘User’?”
Request Changes
Ask Assembly to make specific changes:
“Please update the diagram to include the ‘Address’ class with a one-to-many relationship to ‘User’.”
Styling and Layout
Refine the diagram’s appearance:
“Can you adjust the layout to group related classes together and add colors to distinguish between different types of classes?“
4. Documentation
Use Assembly to help document the diagram:
Best Practices for Code Diagramming with Assembly
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Start with Clear Objectives: Define what you want to visualize before asking Assembly to generate a diagram.
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Provide Context: Give Assembly as much context as possible about your system or the specific part you want to diagram.
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Iterate and Refine: Use an iterative approach, starting with a basic diagram and then refining it based on feedback and additional requirements.
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Balance Detail and Clarity: Ask Assembly to focus on the most important elements to avoid cluttered diagrams.
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Consistent Styling: Maintain consistent styling across your diagrams. Ask Assembly to use a uniform style for similar diagram types.
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Version Control: Consider versioning your diagrams alongside your code to keep them up-to-date.
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Combine Diagram Types: For complex systems, ask Assembly to create multiple diagram types that complement each other.
Explore More Use Cases
Discover other ways Assembly can enhance your development workflow
Learn About Fragments
Dive deeper into using fragments in Assembly, including Mermaid diagrams