F.A.Q.

PlantUML is now working with GraphViz 2.28 and 2.26.3.

The last version of GraphViz (2.30.1) is somehow working with PlantUML, but may have some issues.

	java -jar plantuml.jar -version
	

	@startuml
	version
	@enduml
	

You can also subscribe to the following rss flows:

•  General news about PlantUML
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Or you can use the command line:

	java -jar plantuml.jar -checkversion
	

	java -Dhttp.proxyHost=myproxy.com -Dhttp.proxyPort=8080 -jar plantuml.jar -checkversion
	

	@startuml
	checkversion
	@enduml
	

	@startuml
	checkversion(proxy=myproxy.com,port=8080)
	@enduml
	

• The currently displayed page contains invalid values

• eclipse -clean

Or you should install Eclipse in a ordinary folder, like c:\eclipse.

You should install the "official" Graphviz version of dot (which install in /usr/local/bin) that has a more complete set of fonts.

	export LANG = ja_JP.UTF-8

Since the new architecture, it should simply work, because Java knows how to draw East Asian characters.

• Comment lines with png:quartz in /opt/local/lib/graphviz/config6 file
• Or use -forcegd or -forcecairo in PlantUML command line to force the use of GD or Cairo library.

Long answer:

The @startuml/@startditaa/@startjcckit is usefull to determine the type of diagram (uml, ditaa, jcckit...), and because you can optionally put a filename after the @startXXX. This also allows to have several diagrams inside the same file.

Earlier versions of PlantUML were not supporting ditaa or jcckit. When you use -pipe flag, since the diagram is generated to standard output, there could be only one diagram in the standard input. And there is no need to specify a filename. For all those reasons, @startuml was not needed when using -pipe flag at that time.

Latter, it has been decided to normalize this, and to impose @startuml everywhere, even with -pipe flag, because it was confusing for users. Unfortunatly, since some existing scripts were already using the fact that @startuml is not needed in -pipe flag, it has been decided to keep this as a deprecated option, just to allow older scripts to run. We indeed do pay attention of ascending compatibility.

For newer scripts, you should not rely on this, and use @startuml/@enduml with the -pipe flag.

• LGPL license
• Apache license
• Eclipse Public license

Those versions miss few features (DITAA for example), but is 100% able to generate UML diagrams.

You can print the license of these versions using the command line option:

	java -jar plantuml.jar -license

	@startuml
	license
	@enduml

Images (whatever their format : PNG, SVG...) generated by the execution of PlantUML are owned by the author of their corresponding sources code (that is, their textual description in PlantUML language).

Images generated by the execution of PlantUML are not considered as covered work. You can do whatever you want with them.

The generated images can then be used without any reference to the GPL/LGPL/ASL/EPL license. It is not even necessary to stipulate that they have been generated with PlantUML, although this will be appreciate by PlantUML team.

There is an exception : if the textual description in PlantUML language is also covered by some license (like the GPL/LGPL/ASL/EPL), then the generated images are logically covered by this license.

The only constraint is that you have to mention somewhere in your own license or in your documentation that you are using PlantUML and that PlantUML is distributed under LGPL.

You can then even sell your software and earn money, without any other contraints (although donation will be appreciate in that case :-)

So you can use PlantUML comments into your own code : those comments are owned by yourself, and are not considered as covered work, and are not covered by the GPL/LGPL/APL/EPL license.

Only the current implementation (that is, PlantUML program) is licensed under GPL, LGPL, ASL or EPL. Note that the documentation (examples, notice) published in the PlantUML website is copyrighted. But you can still write your own documentation.

Variable Name: PATH, Add to Value: ;C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin
Variable Name: CLASSPATH, Add to Value: ;C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\lib

If they do not exist, create new User Variables:

Variable Name: PATH, Add to Value: .;C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin.;
Variable Name: CLASSPATH, Add to Value: .;C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\lib.;

Someone will try to answer your question there.