Fun with sequence diagrams

December 3, 2008 / Make your own napkin sketch sequence diagrams.

Steve Hanov’s Message Sequence Chart generator is awesome:†

[message sequence for package sent by mail]
Sending a parcel

Here’s the syntax that produced it:

Sender->Postal Service: send parcel
Postal Service->USPS: send parcel
USPS->Mailbox: delivery notice
Mailbox->Recipient: delivery notice
Recipient->Recipient: scrutinise
Recipient-->Mailbox: leave parcel
Mailbox-->USPS: leave parcel
USPS->USPS: evaluate
USPS->Mailbox: delivery notice
Mailbox->Recipient: delivery notice
note over Recipient: find time
Recipient-->USPS: pick-up
USPS->Recipient: hand off parcel
Recipient-->Sender: THX!

An API allows for embedding directly in web pages, or calling the service from the command line via Ruby, Python or Java. It can also be integrated with Trac and Confluence.

† Via Ben Buchanan

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2 responses

  1. W. Ifey

    Is this about the sumo delivery?

    December 11th, 2008 at 2:24 pm #

  2. Adrian Cooke

    I was thinking of international mail, so… let’s hope not!

    December 11th, 2008 at 4:21 pm #

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