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Launching PlantUML GUI

1. Direct Launch by Double-Clicking:

On some operating systems, like Windows and Ubuntu, you can directly double-click on the plantuml.jar file icon to launch the PlantUML GUI. If this method doesn't work or you prefer using the terminal, follow the next steps.

2. Navigate to the Directory: Open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on macOS and Linux) and navigate to the directory where you've downloaded the plantuml.jar file.

cd path/to/directory/with/plantuml.jar

3. Launch the GUI: To launch the PlantUML GUI without specifying a source directory, enter the following command:

java -jar plantuml.jar -gui

This will open the PlantUML GUI, and you can then select a directory through the interface that will be periodically scanned by PlantUML.

4. Specify Source Directory (Optional): If you want to specify a source directory right away, use the following command with the path to your source directory:

java -jar plantuml.jar -gui /path/to/source/directory

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Using the GUI

The PlantUML GUI actively monitors files in the specified directory, focusing on those with extensions listed in the "file extensions" text field. The directory being observed is indicated in the window title.

By default, the monitored extensions include: txt, tex, java, htm, html, c, h, cpp, apt, pu, puml, hpp, hh, md. These can be modified as required.

If you wish to change the directory being monitored, simply click the "Change directory" button.

• Listing Files: Upon launching, the GUI lists all images generated by PlantUML from the monitored directory.

• Viewing Diagrams: To view a specific diagram, double-click its title within the GUI. Should you modify the source file of this diagram, the displayed image will refresh to showcase the changes.

• Auto-Update: Any edits made to monitored files within the directory trigger an automatic refresh of the corresponding image.

• Minimize/Iconify: If you need to work without distractions, minimize the GUI window as you work on your diagrams.

By leveraging these features, you can seamlessly utilize the PlantUML GUI to both monitor and visualize your UML diagrams.