Developer(s) | yWorks GmbH |
---|---|
Stable release | 3.23.1 (March 28, 2023 [1] [2] ) [±] |
Written in | Java |
Operating system | Cross-platform |
Standard(s) | GraphML |
Type | Diagramming software |
License | Freeware |
Website | www |
yEd is a general-purpose diagramming program with a multi-document interface.
It is a cross-platform application written in Java that runs on Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and other platforms that support the Java Virtual Machine.
It is released under a proprietary software license, that allows using a single copy gratis. [3]
An online version of yEd, yEd Live, also exists, and there is a Confluence version of yEd, Graphity for Confluence.
yEd can be used to draw many different types of diagrams, [4] including flowcharts, network diagrams, UMLs, BPMN, mind maps, organization charts, and entity-relationship diagrams. yEd also allows the use of custom vector and raster graphics as diagram elements.
yEd loads and saves diagrams from/to GraphML, an XML-based format. It can also print very large diagrams that span multiple pages.
yEd can automatically arrange diagram elements [5] using a variety of graph layout algorithms, including force-based layout, hierarchical layout (for flowcharts), orthogonal layout (for UML class diagrams), and tree layout (for organization charts).
yEd can import data in various formats to generate diagrams out of it. Import formats include the Microsoft Excel .xls format for spreadsheet data, the Gedcom format for genealogical data, and also arbitrary XML-based file formats, which are transformed by means of XSLT stylesheets. Predefined XSLT stylesheets provided by yEd can process the Apache Ant build script format used to define dependency information in software build processes and the OWL file format for the description of ontologies. [6] Other XML-based data is processed in a generic way.
yEd can export diagrams to various raster and vector formats, including GIF, JPEG, PNG, EMF, BMP, PDF, EPS, and SVG. It can also export to SWF (Shockwave Flash) file format and HTML image maps.
The structural information of a diagram can be exported as GML (Graph Modeling Language) and TGF (Trivial Graph Format).
yEd is a product of yWorks GmbH, a German software company.
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XSLT is a language originally designed for transforming XML documents into other XML documents, or other formats such as HTML for web pages, plain text or XSL Formatting Objects, which may subsequently be converted to other formats, such as PDF, PostScript and PNG. Support for JSON and plain-text transformation was added in later updates to the XSLT 1.0 specification.
A raster graphics editor is a computer program that allows users to create and edit images interactively on the computer screen and save them in one of many raster graphics file formats such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF.
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X3D is a set of royalty-free ISO/IEC standards for declaratively representing 3D computer graphics. X3D includes multiple graphics file formats, programming-language API definitions, and run-time specifications for both delivery and integration of interactive network-capable 3D data. X3D version 4.0 has been approved by Web3D Consortium, and is under final review by ISO/IEC as a revised International Standard (IS).
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DOT is a graph description language, developed as a part of the Graphviz project. DOT graphs are typically stored as files with the .gv
or .dot
filename extension — .gv
is preferred, to avoid confusion with the .dot
extension used by versions of Microsoft Word before 2007. dot
is also the name of the main program to process DOT files in the Graphviz package.
A number of vector graphics editors exist for various platforms. Potential users of these editors will make a comparison of vector graphics editors based on factors such as the availability for the user's platform, the software license, the feature set, the merits of the user interface (UI) and the focus of the program. Some programs are more suitable for artistic work while others are better for technical drawings. Another important factor is the application's support of various vector and bitmap image formats for import and export.
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UMLet is an open-source Java-based UML tool designed for teaching the Unified Modeling Language and for quickly creating UML diagrams. It is a drawing tool rather than a modelling tool as there is no underlying dictionary or directory of reusable design objects. UMLet is distributed under the GNU General Public License.
MagicDraw is a proprietary visual UML, SysML, BPMN, and UPDM modeling tool with team collaboration support.
diagrams.net is a cross-platform graph drawing software developed in HTML5 and JavaScript. Its interface can be used to create diagrams such as flowcharts, wireframes, UML diagrams, organizational charts, and network diagrams. Parts of its source code are provided under the Apache 2 open-source license.
XQuery is a query and functional programming language that queries and transforms collections of structured and unstructured data, usually in the form of XML, text and with vendor-specific extensions for other data formats. The language is developed by the XML Query working group of the W3C. The work is closely coordinated with the development of XSLT by the XSL Working Group; the two groups share responsibility for XPath, which is a subset of XQuery.
SmartDraw is a web-based diagramming tool used by teams to collaborate on and make flowcharts, organization charts, mind maps, project charts, and other business visuals.
Software Ideas Modeler is a CASE and an UML tool. The modeler supports all 14 diagram types specified in UML 2.5. It also supports among others the following diagrams and standards:
LibreOfficeDraw is a free and open source vector graphics editor. It is one of the applications included in the LibreOffice office suite, developed by The Document Foundation.
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