O'Hara Group

Sequence Diagrams for Confluence

Service status

Description

A Confluence macro for creating sequence diagrams from plain-text instructions.

Based on Andrew Brampton's excellent js-sequence-diagrams, this app is a macro wrapper enabling sequence diagrams to be easily embedded into a Confluence page.

Need to attach sequence diagrams to Jira issues? Check out Sequence Diagrams for Jira

Usage

  1. Start by creating/editing a page in Confluence
  2. Insert the macro either
    • via the Macro Browser (under "visuals", or search for "Sequence Diagram")
    • or by simply typing
      {sequence-diagram
  3. Choose a theme for the diagram (either "simple" or "hand")
  4. Specify your diagram insructions in the macro body as per the notation examples

Example Syntax

	title: Diagram title
	participant A
	participant B
	A->B: Normal line
	B-->A: Dashed line
	A->>B: Open arrow
	B-->>A: Dashed open arrow
	note left of A: Note to the left of A
	note right of B: Note to the right of B
	note over A: Note over A
	note over A,B: Note over both A and B
		

Notes

Supported Java vendors (Server/Data Center version)

The app has been verified to support the following Java vendors:

Migrating between Server, Data Center and Cloud versions

Versions of Sequence Diagrams for Confluence are available for all Atlassian Confluence platforms (Server, Data Center and Cloud).

The features available in the app are the same, regardless of which platform you use.

Additionally, because data used by the macro is stored within the page content itself, migrating between platforms (e.g. moving from Server to Cloud, from Server to Data Center, or from Cloud back to self-hosted/on-premise) requires no additional steps.

For example, pages moved to the Cloud using the Confluence Cloud Migration Assistant should display the same as they did in your Server or Data Center instance, or vice-versa.

Limitations

Export to PDF/Word

The rendered diagram is a vector graphic (SVN) generated dynamically in the browser using Javascript.

For this reason, it is not possible to include diagrams when exporting with Export to PDF or Export to Word, as these static export formats are generated on the Confluence server.

Previews (limitation applies to Cloud version only)

Sequence diagrams cannot be displayed when the page is in preview mode, and will only display once the page has been saved.

Common Mistakes

Still having trouble?

Sometimes it helps to start with a very simple diagram first, such as

A->B: test

Make sure that is working first, before gradually adding more actors, messages, notes etc.

Security & Privacy Statement

Sequence Diagrams for Confluence is a paid app for Atlassian Confluence Server & Data Center (on premise installations) and Atlassian Confluence Cloud (cloud hosted).

Server & Data Center Version

The server version is implemented as a Java JAR, using the Atlassian SDK.

When installed, the app runs entirely within the Confluence server process.

Neither the app provider or any other party is able to view the content of your Confluence pages.

Cloud Version

The cloud version runs on the Heroku cloud platform. Heroku's physical infrastructure is hosted and managed within Amazon's secure data centers and utilizes the Amazon Web Service (AWS) technology. The Amazon servers are located in Northern Virginia in the United States.

Status information about the Heroku cloud platform can be found here.

Both Heroku and Amazon have published a security statement you can find here:

Encryption

The app runs on Heroku's Common Runtime, under the URL https://confluence-sequence-diagrams.herokuapp.com.

All communication between the Confluence Cloud servers and the Sequence Diagrams for Confluence servers is encrypted using TLS.

Heroku's Common Runtime supports TLS version 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2.

Transported content

No page content or personally identifiable end-user information is transported between the Confluence Cloud servers and the Sequence Diagrams for Confluence servers.

When a page containing the Sequence Diagrams for Confluence macro is rendered, Confluence sends a HTTPS request to the app servers. This request contains only a JSON Web Token (JWT) that identifies 'context' information including:

This context information is not stored, logged or used for any other purpose than what this app requires.

Neither the app provider or any other party is able to view any content of your Confluence pages or users.

Effective as of May 18, 2016.