AutoPlantUMLEdit

Auto-generate UML diagrams from natural language, one-click export to editable PPT/EMF with individually editable shapes in PowerPoint.

Core Capabilities

• Natural Language → PlantUML: Generate PlantUML syntax from user requirements
• One-click Export: SVG → EMF → PPT, supports SVG/PNG/EMF/PPT formats
• Fully Editable: EMF/PPT can be ungrouped in PowerPoint for independent shape editing

Trigger Conditions

Activate when user expresses:

• "Generate a... sequence/class/flowchart diagram"
• "Draw me a... architecture diagram"
• "Create a... state diagram"
• "I want to see... UML diagram"

Usage Flow

1. Generate PlantUML syntax based on user requirements
2. Save as {name}.puml file
3. Run script to generate output

Script Commands

python svg2emf.py <input.puml> [-f ppt|svg|png|emf] [-o <output>]

Parameters:

Examples:

# Generate PPT (default)
python svg2emf.py sequence.puml

# Export SVG
python svg2emf.py sequence.puml -f svg

# Export PNG
python svg2emf.py sequence.puml -f png

# Export EMF (editable)
python svg2emf.py sequence.puml -f emf

# Specify output path
python svg2emf.py sequence.puml -o my_diagram.pptx

PlantUML Syntax Reference

Sequence Diagram

@startuml
participant Alice as A
participant Bob as B
A -> B : message
B --> A : response
@enduml

Class Diagram

@startuml
class User {
  +name: String
  +login()
}
class Order {
  +items: List
  +calculate()
}
User "1" -- "*" Order : places
@enduml

Activity Diagram (Flowchart)

@startuml
start
:Login system;
if (Password correct?) then (Yes)
  :Go to home;
else (No)
  :Show error;
  stop
endif
stop
@enduml

State Diagram

@startuml
[*] --> Waiting
Waiting --> Processing: Start
Processing --> Completed: Success
Processing --> Failed: Error
Completed --> [*]
Failed --> [*]
@enduml

Use Case Diagram

@startuml
left to right direction
actor User as U
rectangle System {
  U -- (Login)
  U -- (Place Order)
  U -- (Query Order)
}
@enduml

Output Format Guide

Recommended Workflow:

1. Generate .pptx format
2. Select the image in PowerPoint
3. Right-click → Group → Ungroup (may need to ungroup multiple times to fully separate all elements)
4. Edit each element independently

⚠️ Important Notes

After generating PPT, you MUST tell the user the following:

"PPT generated! To edit each shape: Select the image → Right-click → Group → Ungroup. Note: You may need to ungroup multiple times (Ctrl+Shift+G) to fully separate all elements and ensure each shape can be edited independently."

Notes

1. Avoid Chinese characters, spaces, and special characters in .puml filenames
2. PlantUML syntax requires matching @startuml and @enduml
3. Output files are saved in the current working directory
4. Inkscape and JDK must be installed and configured in PATH (see dependency section below)
5. Use system Python to run the script: Ensure dependencies are installed via pip install -r requirements.txt

⚠️ Swimlane/Participant Names Must Be in English

Due to PlantUML encoding limitations, swimlane names and participant names must be in English. Activity descriptions and messages should use the user's language.

@startuml ecommerce_flow

|Customer|
start
:Browse Products;
:Place Order;
|OrderService|
:Process Order;

@enduml

Rules:

• Swimlane/Participant names: Must be in English (e.g., Customer, OrderService)
• Activity descriptions/messages: Use user's language (if user speaks Chinese, use Chinese "浏览商品"; if English, use "Browse Products")
• State names: Use English (e.g., Active, Pending, Completed)

Reason: PlantUML has an encoding bug when handling non-English swimlane/participant names, producing SVGs with corrupted HTML entity references. This is a PlantUML limitation that cannot be resolved via configuration.

Dependency Instructions

External Dependencies Check

Before using this skill, verify the following dependencies are installed:

1. Inkscape (Vector Conversion)

Inkscape is used to convert SVG to EMF format, it's the core dependency.

Check if installed:

# Run in command line
inkscape --version

If not installed, follow these steps:

1. Visit Inkscape download page: https://inkscape.org/release/
2. Download Windows installer (.exe or .msi)
3. Run the installer, make sure to check "Add Inkscape to PATH" during installation
4. After installation, reopen command line window and verify:

inkscape --version

Version requirement: Inkscape 1.0 or higher

Important: If not added to PATH during installation, you can add manually:

• Add C:\Program Files\Inkscape\bin to system PATH environment variable

2. OpenJDK (Run PlantUML)

Check if installed:

java --version

If not installed, follow these steps:

1. Visit Adoptium download page: https://adoptium.net/zh-CN/temurin/releases?version=8
2. Download Windows x64 JDK 8 (.msi or .exe)
3. Run the installer
4. Configure environment variables:

5. Verify installation:

java --version

Python Dependencies

Install via pip:

pip install -r requirements.txt

requirements.txt contents:

• pillow
• python-pptx

PlantUML Jar Download

Important: If scripts/plantuml.jar does not exist, the AI model should download it automatically.

Download command:

# Navigate to AutoPlantUMLEdit skill directory first
curl -L -o "scripts/plantuml.jar" "https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml/releases/download/v1.2026.2/plantuml-1.2026.2.jar"

Or using PowerShell:

# Navigate to AutoPlantUMLEdit skill directory first
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml/releases/download/v1.2026.2/plantuml-1.2026.2.jar" -OutFile "scripts/plantuml.jar"

Verify after download:

java -jar scripts/plantuml.jar -version