English

Drawlib Quickstart Guide

Illustration as Code & Illustrated Documentation as Code in Pure Python

Drawlib unifies declarative pure-Python illustrations and Markdown technical writing into a single Git-native source of truth—compiling documentation portals (site), searchable API references (catalog), multi-chapter whitepapers (doc), interactive 16:9 presentations (slide), standalone image/animation suites (images), vector PDFs, and editable Microsoft Office deliverables (.docx & .pptx).

00_cover_1
Figure 0.1: Drawlib Single Source of Truth — Declarative Python & Markdown to Multi-Target Deliverables

Document Overview & Roadmap

This 16-chapter handbook guides software engineers, technical writers, and AI coding agents from Drawlib fundamentals to multi-target publishing:

Document Metadata Value
Drawlib Version 0.3.7
Visual Theme GoogleStyles & GoogleColors (style = "google")
Languages ([i18n]) English (en) & Japanese (ja)
Official Website https://www.drawlib.com/
Source Repository https://github.com/yuichi110/drawlib
License Apache License 2.0

1. Why Drawlib?

Modern software systems evolve continuously through pull requests, automated CI/CD pipelines, and AI-assisted refactoring—yet engineering diagrams and technical documents remain trapped in brittle, disconnected workflows.

Drawlib bridges this gap by unifying declarative pure-Python illustrations and multi-format technical publishing inside a single Git repository, enabling humans and AI coding agents to author, diff, verify, and publish visual documentation as code.

01_about_1
Figure 1.1: Fragmented Legacy Diagramming vs. Drawlib Unified Git Workflow
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.smartarts import CardList, Panel
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=148, height=66)

left_panel = Panel(
    "Fragmented Legacy Workflow",
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
    header_style=Styles.MutedNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.0),
    icon=phosphor.warning,
    icon_style=Styles.DangerBold,
    header_height=9.0,
)
left_panel.draw((5.0, 5.0), width=65.0, height=56.0)

legacy_cards = CardList(
    style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    description_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
    badge_style=Styles.MutedNeutral,
    badge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    icon_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    spacing=2.2,
    show_arrows=True,
    arrow_style=Styles.MutedBold,
)
legacy_cards.add(
    "Manual GUI Editing",
    "Opaque binary/XML files outside code review",
    badge_text="1",
    icon=phosphor.wrench,
)
legacy_cards.add(
    "Copy-Paste PNG Chores",
    "Re-export screenshots into Wikis, Docs & Slides",
    badge_text="2",
    icon=phosphor.images,
)
legacy_cards.add(
    "Silent Architecture Drift",
    "Unreviewable PR diffs & stale production docs",
    badge_text="3",
    icon=phosphor.warning,
    style=Styles.DangerNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    icon_style=Styles.DangerBold,
)
legacy_cards.draw((8.5, 8.0), width=58.0, height=41.0)

line((71.2, 33.0), (76.8, 33.0), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

right_panel = Panel(
    "Drawlib Unified Git Workflow",
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
    header_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.0),
    icon=phosphor.check_circle,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=9.0,
)
right_panel.draw((78.0, 5.0), width=65.0, height=56.0)

drawlib_cards = CardList(
    style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    description_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
    badge_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
    badge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    icon_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    spacing=2.2,
    show_arrows=True,
    arrow_style=Styles.DarkBold,
)
drawlib_cards.add(
    "Git-Native Python & Markdown",
    "Readable PR diffs in a single source of truth",
    badge_text="1",
    icon=phosphor.git_branch,
)
drawlib_cards.add(
    "Drawlib Compiler & AI Grid Loop",
    "Deterministic coordinates + -g visual verification",
    badge_text="2",
    icon=phosphor.cpu,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    description_style=Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.0),
    badge_style=Styles.White,
    badge_text_style=Styles.PrimaryBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
)
drawlib_cards.add(
    "Multi-Target Publishing",
    "HTML, Catalog, PDF, DOCX, 16:9 Slide & PPTX",
    badge_text="3",
    icon=phosphor.globe,
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.6),
)
drawlib_cards.draw((81.5, 8.0), width=58.0, height=41.0)

save()

1.1 Why Existing Visual Tooling Falls Short

Engineering teams typically piece together three categories of visual tools, each introducing structural friction when maintaining production documentation at scale:

Capability GUI Suites (draw.io / Visio) Text DSLs (Mermaid / PlantUML) Plotting Libs (Matplotlib) Drawlib (v0.3.7)
Git PR Diffability Poor (opaque binary / noisy XML) High (concise text) Medium (verbose boilerplate) High (declarative Python)
Layout Control Manual pixel dragging only Black-box auto-layout only Manual axis coordinates Exact Cartesian + 5 Graph Solvers
Visual Scope Diagrams & wireframes Basic flow / sequence / ER Numeric charts only Icons + SmartArts + Charts + Diagrams + Anim
Publishing Targets Manual image export Embedded web blocks only Standalone image files HTML, Catalog, PDF, .docx, Slide & .pptx
AI Self-Correction Unusable by coding agents Blind to rendered overlaps High boilerplate error rate Deterministic -g Grid Multimodal Loop

1.2 The Three Pillars of Drawlib

Drawlib v0.3.7 is engineered around three tightly integrated pillars that turn visual communication into a reproducible software engineering discipline.

01_about_2
Figure 1.2: Drawlib Architecture — From Primitives & Visual Engines to Multi-Target Publishing
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.smartarts import ChevronProcess, Panel
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=148, height=66)

stages = ChevronProcess(
    style=Styles.Neutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
    description_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
    spacing=2.0,
    flat_left_end=True,
)
stages.add("1. Primitives & Icons")
stages.add(
    "2. High-Level Engines",
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
)
stages.add("3. Multi-Format Publishing", style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral)
stages.draw((6.0, 49.0), width=136.0, height=11.5)

p1 = Panel(
    "Foundation Layer",
    style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    header_style=Styles.Neutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    icon=phosphor.cube,
    icon_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    header_height=7.8,
)
p1.draw((6.0, 18.0), width=43.0, height=28.0)
text(
    (10.0, 28.0),
    "• 43 Geometric Shapes\n• Curved & Manhattan Lines\n• CJK & Google Fonts\n• 34 Vector Icon Suites",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2, halign="left", text_line_spacing=1.45),
)

p2 = Panel(
    "Declarative Visuals",
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    header_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    icon=phosphor.stack,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=7.8,
)
p2.draw((52.5, 18.0), width=43.0, height=28.0)
text(
    (56.5, 28.0),
    "• 18 Structured SmartArts\n• 10 Quantitative Charts\n• 6 Domain Diagrams\n• 5 Graph Layout Solvers",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2, halign="left", text_line_spacing=1.45),
)

p3 = Panel(
    "Unified Deliverables",
    style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    header_style=Styles.Neutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    icon=phosphor.export,
    icon_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    header_height=7.8,
)
p3.draw((99.0, 18.0), width=43.0, height=28.0)
text(
    (103.0, 28.0),
    "• Static Site & Catalog\n• Linear HTML & GitHub MD\n• Headless Vector PDF\n• Editable .docx & .pptx",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2, halign="left", text_line_spacing=1.45),
)

rectangle((74.0, 9.5), width=136.0, height=9.5, style=Styles.MutedDashed.patch(shape_r=1.8))
phosphor.grid_four((13.0, 9.5), width=5.0, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text(
    (18.5, 9.5),
    "Pillar 3 — Autonomous AI Multimodal Loop: Deterministic (x, y) Geometry + CLI Grid Inspection (drawlib show -g)",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left"),
)

save()

1.2.1 Pillar 1: Illustration as Code

Every visual asset in Drawlib is a pure-Python program backed by strict Pydantic type validation and reusable theme presets (GoogleStyles, DefaultStyles, MonochromeStyles):

1.2.2 Pillar 2: Illustrated Documentation as Code

Drawlib goes beyond standalone image generation by treating Markdown prose and embedded ```drawlib blocks as a single compilation unit:

1.2.3 Pillar 3: Autonomous AI Multimodal Loop

Drawlib is purpose-built from the ground up for collaboration between software engineers and multimodal AI coding agents:

2. Installation & Zero-Config Toolchain

Drawlib v0.3.7 is packaged as a self-contained pure-Python toolchain for Python 3.11+ (3.11, 3.12, and 3.13) across Linux, macOS, and Windows—requiring zero external Graphviz binaries, LaTeX distributions, or Node.js bundlers.

Whether you are adding visual documentation to an existing Python package with uv add drawlib or authoring architecture specs inside a Go, Rust, TypeScript, or Java repository via zero-install uvx drawlib, the identical CLI and asset cache work out of the box.

02_install_1
Figure 2.1: Two Execution Workflows — Project Dependency (uv add) vs. Zero-Install Polyglot Runner (uvx)
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.architecture import ArchitectureDiagram, Node, NodeGroup, PhosphorIcon
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=148, height=62)

d = ArchitectureDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    node_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    node_card_style=Styles.Neutral,
)

g_py = d.add(
    NodeGroup(
        title="1. Python Project Repo (uv add)",
        width=50.0,
        height=23.0,
        style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="left"),
    ),
    xy=(3.0, 31.0),
)
g_py.add(
    Node(
        "pyproject.toml + .venv\nuv run drawlib ...",
        width=44.0,
        height=12.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.PACKAGE,
        icon_size=5.0,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    ),
    xy=(25.0, 8.8),
)

g_uvx = d.add(
    NodeGroup(
        title="2. Polyglot / Docs Repo (uvx)",
        width=50.0,
        height=23.0,
        style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="left"),
    ),
    xy=(3.0, 4.0),
)
g_uvx.add(
    Node(
        "Go / Rust / TS / Java\nuvx drawlib ... (Zero Config)",
        width=44.0,
        height=12.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.TERMINAL_WINDOW,
        icon_size=5.0,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    ),
    xy=(25.0, 8.8),
)

cli_node = d.add(
    Node(
        "Drawlib v0.3.7\nCLI & Compiler",
        width=31.0,
        height=20.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.CPU,
        icon_size=5.8,
        style=Styles.WhiteBold,
        text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.2),
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.2),
    ),
    xy=(78.5, 29.0),
)

cache_node = d.add(
    Node(
        "Auto Asset Cache\n(Fonts / Icons / Chromium)",
        width=39.0,
        height=15.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.DATABASE,
        icon_size=5.0,
        card_style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(122.5, 42.5),
)

out_node = d.add(
    Node(
        "Multi-Target Outputs\n(HTML / PDF / DOCX / PPTX)",
        width=39.0,
        height=15.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.EXPORT,
        icon_size=5.0,
        card_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(122.5, 15.5),
)

j_in_top = d.junction((58.0, 42.5))
j_in_mid = d.junction((58.0, 29.0))
j_in_bot = d.junction((58.0, 15.5))
d.connect(g_py, j_in_top, arrow="-", routing="direct", padding=(0.8, 0.0))
d.connect(g_uvx, j_in_bot, arrow="-", routing="direct", padding=(0.8, 0.0))
d.connect(j_in_top, j_in_mid, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(j_in_bot, j_in_mid, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(j_in_mid, cli_node, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 0.8))

j_out_mid = d.junction((98.5, 29.0))
j_out_top = d.junction((98.5, 42.5))
j_out_bot = d.junction((98.5, 15.5))
d.connect(cli_node, j_out_mid, arrow="-", routing="direct", padding=(0.8, 0.0))
d.connect(j_out_mid, j_out_top, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(j_out_mid, j_out_bot, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(j_out_top, cache_node, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 0.8))
d.connect(j_out_bot, out_node, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 0.8))

d.draw(xy=(2.0, 2.0))
save()

2.1 System Requirements & Execution Modes

Drawlib targets modern CPython releases and pairs naturally with Astral's uv package manager for deterministic lockfiles and instant CLI execution:

Requirement Supported Specification Notes
Python Runtime Python 3.11+ (3.11, 3.12, 3.13) Verified across Linux (x86_64 / aarch64), macOS, and Windows
Recommended Runner uv (uv add / uv run / uvx) Instant virtual environments and zero-install polyglot execution
Standard Fallback pip (venv + pip install drawlib) Standard PyPI wheel installation without optional extra flags

2.1.1 Workflow 1: Python Project Dependency (uv add drawlib)

For Python services, data science repositories, or dedicated documentation repos where you want drawlib pinned inside pyproject.toml and uv.lock:

# Initialize a new uv project (or run inside an existing Python repository)
uv init my_project
uv add drawlib
uv run drawlib --version

# Standard pip + venv fallback when uv is unavailable
python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install drawlib
.venv/bin/drawlib --version

Pinning drawlib in pyproject.toml gives IDEs (Pyright, Pylance, Ruff) full autocomplete and static type checking across drawlib.shapes, drawlib.smartarts, drawlib.charts, and drawlib.diagrams, while guaranteeing reproducible CI builds via uv sync --frozen.

2.1.2 Workflow 2: Zero-Install Polyglot Runner (uvx drawlib)

For Go, Rust, TypeScript, Java, C++, or pure Markdown repositories, you do not need to pollute the repository root with a pyproject.toml or .venv/ folder. Prefix any CLI command with uvx to run Drawlib inside an isolated, automatically cached tool environment:

# Verify Drawlib immediately with zero local Python configuration
uvx drawlib --version

# Scaffold and build multi-locale documentation inside any Go / Rust / TS repo
uvx drawlib init project site docs -l en,ja -s google
uvx drawlib build html docs_src/ -o docs_html/

2.2 Built-In Batteries & Asset Caching

Unlike fragmented documentation stacks that require separate plugins for diagrams, Word exports, slide decks, and PDF printing, drawlib v0.3.7 ships with every rendering and publishing dependency built in—no drawlib[pdf] or drawlib[office] extras required.

02_install_2
Figure 2.2: Drawlib v0.3.7 Zero-Config Runtime Stack & Automated Cache Architecture
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.smartarts import KpiCards
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=148, height=66)

rectangle((74.0, 56.5), width=136.0, height=8.6, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.package((13.5, 56.5), width=5.0, style=Styles.WhiteBold)
text(
    (18.5, 56.5),
    "drawlib v0.3.7 — Single PyPI Install, All Batteries Included (Python 3.11 / 3.12 / 3.13)",
    style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.5, halign="left"),
)

stack = KpiCards(
    style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    metric_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=13.0),
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2),
    description_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
    accent_style=Styles.Neutral,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    accent_position="left_pill",
    metric_layout="left_column",
    metric_width_ratio=0.23,
    spacing=3.5,
)
stack.add(
    "Core",
    "Declarative Python API",
    "Shapes, 18 SmartArts, 10 Charts,\n6 Diagrams & 5 Graph Solvers",
    icon=phosphor.code,
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
)
stack.add(
    "Pillow",
    "Raster & Animation Engine",
    "Crisp PNG/WebP output, Dimage\ntransforms & APNG/GIF frames",
    icon=phosphor.images,
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
)
stack.add(
    "Cache",
    "Google/CJK Fonts & Icons",
    "Auto-cached Noto CJK fonts, 34 icon\nsuites & SQLite .drawlib/cache.db",
    icon=phosphor.database,
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
)
stack.add(
    "Export",
    "Chromium & Office Exporters",
    "Auto-downloaded Playwright Chromium\n+ python-docx & python-pptx",
    icon=phosphor.file_pdf,
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
)
stack.draw((6.0, 5.5), width=136.0, height=43.0, columns=2)

save()

Every pip install drawlib or uv add drawlib installation provisions four integrated subsystems:

For offline environments, air-gapped runners, or minimal Docker CI images (such as python:3.12-slim), pre-warm the asset cache ahead of time:

# Inspect local font, icon, map, and browser cache status
uv run drawlib cache list

# Pre-download all fonts (including CJK), 34 icon suites, maps & headless Chromium
uv run drawlib cache download --all

# Pre-download only headless Chromium for PDF / PPTX builds
uv run drawlib cache download --browser

# On minimal Linux CI containers missing OS shared libs (libnss3, libgbm1, etc.)
uv run playwright install-deps chromium

2.3 Quick-Test Project Scaffolding

Never hand-craft bare .py files or ad-hoc folders from scratch—always start with drawlib init project so drawlib.toml, styles.py, utils.py, _assets/, and modular build*.sh scripts are configured cleanly:

# 1. Confirm CLI version
uv run drawlib --version

# 2. Scaffold a bilingual (en + ja) linear document project with the Google theme
uv run drawlib init project doc my_docs -l en,ja -s google

# 3. Compile HTML, vector PDFs, GitHub Markdown, and extracted images
./my_docs_src/build.sh

Running drawlib init project doc my_docs -l en,ja -s google creates my_docs_src/ containing drawlib.toml ([project] + [i18n]), styles.py (GoogleStyles), ja/styles.py (FontJapanese override), utils.py, _assets/, starter chapters under en/ and ja/, and ready-to-run build scripts (build.sh, build_html.sh, build_pdf.sh, build_docx.sh, and serve.sh).

3. Cartesian Canvas & Coordinate Anchors

Every Drawlib illustration is composed on a deterministic 2D Cartesian coordinate plane where the origin (0, 0) sits strictly at the bottom-left corner, X increases horizontally to the right (0 -> width), and Y increases vertically upward (0 -> height).

Mastering three foundational rules—bottom-left Cartesian axes, the 720pt typography formula, and component coordinate anchors—lets engineers and AI coding agents place shapes, icons, charts, and SmartArts with single-shot precision and zero visual collisions.

03_canvas_1
Figure 3.1: Drawlib Bottom-Left (0, 0) Cartesian Canvas, Safe Margin Zone, and Plotted Coordinates
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import circle, rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=148, height=72)

# Illustrated virtual canvas frame [26..126] x [16..64] and 6-unit inset safe margin zone
rectangle((76.0, 40.0), width=100.0, height=48.0, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_line_width=1.2))
rectangle(
    (76.0, 40.0),
    width=88.0,
    height=36.0,
    style=Styles.PrimaryDashed.patch(shape_fill_color=Colors.White, shape_r=1.4),
)
text(
    (34.5, 55.2),
    "Safe Margin Zone (>= 4–6u inset)",
    style=Styles.MutedBold.patch(text_size=10.2, halign="left", valign="top"),
)

# Subtle center crosshair guides (drawn behind center badge)
line((32.0, 40.0), (120.0, 40.0), style=Styles.MutedDotted)
line((76.0, 22.0), (76.0, 50.5), style=Styles.MutedDotted)

# Cartesian X-axis (rightward) and Y-axis (upward)
line((26.0, 16.0), (136.0, 16.0), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
text((138.0, 16.0), "+X", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5, halign="left", valign="center"))
text((76.0, 7.2), "X-Axis: Increases Rightward (0 -> width)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0))

line((26.0, 16.0), (26.0, 67.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
text((23.2, 66.8), "+Y", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5, halign="right", valign="center"))
text(
    (9.5, 40.0),
    "Y-Axis: Increases Upward (0 -> height)",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0, angle=90),
)

# Corner markers with offset labels (zero overlap with axes or borders)
circle((26.0, 16.0), radius=1.25, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
text((24.0, 12.2), "Origin (0, 0)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="right", valign="top"))

circle((126.0, 16.0), radius=0.95, style=Styles.DarkFlat)
text((126.0, 12.2), "(W, 0)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="center", valign="top"))

circle((26.0, 64.0), radius=0.95, style=Styles.DarkFlat)
text((29.2, 64.8), "(0, H)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left", valign="bottom"))

circle((126.0, 64.0), radius=0.95, style=Styles.DarkFlat)
text((128.5, 64.0), "(W, H)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left", valign="center"))

# Focal center anchor badge and two sample plotted points
rectangle(
    (76.0, 40.0),
    width=34.0,
    height=9.8,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.0),
    text="Center (W/2, H/2)",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.8),
)

circle((45.0, 28.0), radius=1.05, style=Styles.DarkFlat)
text((47.6, 28.0), "P1 (25, 20)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.4, halign="left", valign="center"))

circle((108.0, 50.5), radius=1.05, style=Styles.DarkFlat)
text((105.4, 50.5), "P2 (95, 48)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.4, halign="right", valign="center"))

save()

3.1 Cartesian Coordinates vs. Browser DOM / SVG

Frontend engineers accustomed to HTML5 <canvas>, CSS absolute positioning, or raw <svg> must note one crucial geometric distinction so Y coordinates are never inverted:

Coordinate Property Drawlib Cartesian Canvas Browser DOM / HTML <svg>
Origin (0, 0) Bottom-Left corner Top-Left corner
Horizontal +X Direction Left to Right (0 -> width) Left to Right (0 -> width)
Vertical +Y Direction Bottom to Top (0 -> height) Top to Bottom (0 -> height)
Top Title Placement High Y near height - 6 Small Y near 16px
Safe Outer Margin Keep content inside [5, W - 5] × [5, H - 5] CSS padding / viewBox

Because +Y points upward just like mathematical plots and architectural elevation drawings, higher Y always means visually higher on the page—page titles sit near height - 6, central architecture tiers sit around height / 2, and footnotes or legends sit near y = 6..10. Always maintain 4–6 virtual units of clear outer margin around all four canvas edges so borders, rounded corners, and drop shadows never clip.

3.2 Canvas Lifecycle: setup(), Drawing Calls, and save()

Every Drawlib script and embedded Markdown block follows a clean three-step execution lifecycle:

  1. setup(width=..., height=..., dpi=..., background_color=..., grid=...): Initializes canvas geometry in abstract virtual units (width and height, defaulting to 100 × 100) and configures raster output density via dpi (default 100). Because coordinates use resolution-independent virtual units, increasing dpi=100 to dpi=200 doubles output pixel dimensions (1400 × 520 px -> 2800 × 1040 px) without changing a single (x, y) number. Project-wide theme palettes and fonts (from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles) load automatically from styles.py (style = "google" in drawlib.toml).
  2. Declarative Drawing Calls: Invoke Z-ordered primitives, icons, SmartArts, charts, or domain diagrams from back (containers and connector lines) to front (service cards and callouts).
  3. save(): Commits and renders the canvas. Always end every standalone .py script and every embedded ```drawlib Markdown block with save()—in standalone scripts save() flushes the image file to disk (<script_name>.png or an explicit path), and in Markdown blocks ending with save() ensures every snippet is 100% self-contained and directly runnable outside the document builder. (If a single .py script generates multiple sequential files, call clear() after each save(...) before the next setup(...).)
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles

# 1. Abstract 136x50 virtual units at crisp 150 DPI (2040x750 output pixels)
setup(width=136, height=50, dpi=150)

# 2. Back-to-front drawing calls (neutral baseline + 1 focal PrimaryFlat node)
line((44, 25), (54, 25), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
line((82, 25), (92, 25), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

rectangle((26, 25), width=36, height=18, style=Styles.Neutral, text="Client App")
rectangle(
    (68, 25),
    width=28,
    height=18,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    text="API Core",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold,
)
rectangle((110, 25), width=36, height=18, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral, text="PostgreSQL")

# 3. Mandatory lifecycle commit
save()

3.3 The 720pt Typography Formula & Canvas Sizing

Internally, Drawlib normalizes figure typography against a fixed 720pt reference width. Regardless of dpi, the visual font size of any label when an image is displayed at Display Width pixels in HTML, PDF, or slides is governed by one exact formula:

Rendered Font Size (px) = text_size × (Display Width (px) / 720)

Understanding this linear scaling relationship prevents microscopic, unreadable diagram labels:

Target Context Typical setup(width, height) Display Width Recommended text_size Resulting Visual Size
Doc / Site Hero & Flow 140 × 60 (120..150 wide) ~840px 10.5–12.0 (headers 12.0–14.0) ~12.5px–16.5px (matches 16px prose)
Dense Multi-Tier Schema 148 × 72 ~840px 10.0–11.5 (headers 12.0–13.5) ~11.7px–15.8px
16:9 Full-Width Slide 160 × 80 ~1760px 11.0–13.0 (headers 14.0–16.0) ~27px–39px (matches 26px slide text)

3.4 Text Alignment & Component Coordinate Anchors

When placing standalone labels with text(xy, label, style=...), the anchor point xy is controlled via .patch(halign=..., valign=...) on preset Styles.* tokens (never construct raw Style(...) instances directly):

Beyond text(), Drawlib components follow three predictable coordinate anchor conventions summarized below:

03_canvas_2
Figure 3.2: Text Alignment (halign / valign) and the Three Component Anchor Conventions
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import circle, rectangle
from drawlib.smartarts import Panel
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=148, height=68)

# Left Panel: halign & valign anchor demonstration (zero dot-to-text overlap)
p_left = Panel(
    "Text Alignment (halign & valign)",
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
    header_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
    icon=phosphor.text_t,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=8.5,
)
p_left.draw((5.0, 5.0), width=66.0, height=58.0)

# Row 1: halign="left", valign="center"
rectangle((38.0, 45.0), width=59.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
line((13.0, 41.2), (13.0, 48.8), style=Styles.MutedDashed)
circle((13.0, 45.0), radius=1.05, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
text(
    (16.0, 45.0),
    'halign="left", valign="center"',
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left", valign="center"),
)

# Row 2: halign="center", valign="bottom"
rectangle((38.0, 30.0), width=59.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
line((16.0, 26.5), (60.0, 26.5), style=Styles.MutedDashed)
circle((38.0, 26.5), radius=1.05, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
text(
    (38.0, 28.5),
    'halign="center", valign="bottom"',
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="center", valign="bottom"),
)

# Row 3: halign="right", valign="top"
rectangle((38.0, 15.0), width=59.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
line((22.0, 18.5), (63.0, 18.5), style=Styles.MutedDashed)
circle((63.0, 18.5), radius=1.05, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
text(
    (60.2, 16.5),
    'halign="right", valign="top"',
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="right", valign="top"),
)

# Right Panel: Component Anchor Mental Model
p_right = Panel(
    "Component Anchor Mental Model",
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
    header_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
    icon=phosphor.crosshair,
    icon_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    header_height=8.5,
)
p_right.draw((77.0, 5.0), width=66.0, height=58.0)

# Archetype 1: Center (cx, cy) — 1 Focal PrimaryFlat shape
rectangle((110.0, 45.0), width=59.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
rectangle((90.5, 45.0), width=14.5, height=7.8, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.2))
circle((90.5, 45.0), radius=1.05, style=Styles.WhiteFlat)
text((100.8, 47.0), "Center (cx, cy)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="left"))
text((100.8, 42.6), "Shapes, Icons, Images, text()", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0, halign="left"))

# Archetype 2: Bottom-Left (x0, y0)
rectangle((110.0, 30.0), width=59.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
rectangle((90.5, 30.0), width=14.5, height=7.8, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.2))
circle((83.25, 26.1), radius=1.05, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
text((100.8, 32.0), "Bottom-Left (x0, y0)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="left"))
text((100.8, 27.6), "Charts, Diagrams, SmartArts", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0, halign="left"))

# Archetype 3: Top-Left (x0, y_top)
rectangle((110.0, 15.0), width=59.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
rectangle((90.5, 15.0), width=14.5, height=7.8, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.2))
circle((83.25, 18.9), radius=1.05, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
text((100.8, 17.0), "Top-Left (x0, y_top)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="left"))
text((100.8, 12.6), "Table, TreeNode, SourceCode", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0, halign="left"))

save()

Keep this anchor mental model handy whenever combining primitives with composite SmartArts or Charts:

4. Drawing Primitives: Shapes, Lines & Math

While high-level engines (ArchitectureDiagram, SmartArts, and Charts) automate full multi-node layouts, drawlib.shapes, drawlib.lines, and drawlib.math give you surgical vector control over custom badges, callouts, container geometry, and interpolated connector routes.

04_shapes_and_lines_1
Figure 4.1: Representative Primitives Across Drawlib's 43 Geometric Shapes
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.shapes import (
    bubblespeech,
    chevron,
    circle,
    cloud,
    cylinder,
    document,
    rectangle,
    regularpolygon,
)
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=144, height=68)

xs = [21.0, 55.0, 89.0, 123.0]
ys = [49.5, 18.5]
slot_style = Styles.White.patch(
    shape_r=2.0,
    shape_line_color=Colors.Gray3,
    shape_line_width=1.0,
)

for ry in ys:
    for cx in xs:
        rectangle((cx, ry), width=31.0, height=26.5, style=slot_style)

label_style = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0)
body_dark = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8)

# Row 1: Basic, Ring Cutout, Polygon, Block Arrow
rectangle(
    (xs[0], 52.8),
    width=23.0,
    height=12.0,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.5),
    text="Focal Card",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.8),
)
text((xs[0], 40.2), "rectangle (shape_r)", style=label_style)

circle(
    (xs[1], 52.8),
    radius=6.8,
    hole_ratio=0.48,
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
)
text((xs[1], 40.2), "circle (hole_ratio)", style=label_style)

regularpolygon(
    (xs[2], 52.8),
    6,
    7.2,
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=0.9),
    text="6-gon",
    text_style=body_dark,
)
text((xs[2], 40.2), "regularpolygon", style=label_style)

chevron(
    (xs[3], 52.8),
    width=20.5,
    height=11.0,
    corner_angle=48,
    style=Styles.Neutral,
    text="Stage 1",
    text_style=body_dark,
)
text((xs[3], 40.2), "chevron", style=label_style)

# Row 2: 3D Container, Cloud, Speech Callout, Stacked Document
cylinder(
    (xs[0], 22.0),
    width=18.5,
    height=13.0,
    disks=1,
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
    text="Storage",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2, xy_abs_shift=(0, -1.5)),
)
text((xs[0], 9.2), "cylinder", style=label_style)

cloud(
    (xs[1], 22.0),
    width=23.5,
    height=13.5,
    style=Styles.Neutral,
    text="VPC Edge",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
)
text((xs[1], 9.2), "cloud", style=label_style)

bubblespeech(
    (xs[2] - 10.5, 19.2),
    width=21.0,
    height=9.5,
    tail_edge="bottom",
    tail_start_ratio=0.32,
    tail_vertex_xy=(85.0, 14.5),
    tail_end_ratio=0.55,
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
    text="SLA < 5ms",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
)
text((xs[2], 9.2), "bubblespeech", style=label_style)

document(
    (xs[3], 22.0),
    width=19.5,
    height=13.0,
    stacked=2,
    style=Styles.Neutral,
    text="RFC Spec",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2, xy_abs_shift=(0, 0.8)),
)
text((xs[3], 9.2), "document", style=label_style)

save()

4.1 The 43 Shapes of drawlib.shapes

drawlib.shapes organizes 43 pure-Python vector primitives into 6 domain families. Every shape function enforces a keyword-only *, style: Style contract so geometry and visual tokens never mix.

Family Count Functions in drawlib.shapes Typical Engineering Use Cases
Basic Shapes 6 rectangle, circle, ellipse, arc, fan, wedge Service cards (rectangle + shape_r), nodes, donut/ring gauges (circle with hole_ratio or wedge with width), radial sectors
Polygons & Custom Paths 9 triangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid, regularpolygon, star, plaque, polygon, shape Flowchart decisions (rhombus) & I/O (parallelogram), pentagons/hexagons/octagons (regularpolygon(xy, n, r)), arbitrary cutouts (polygon + holes)
Arrows & Chevrons 6 arrow, arrow_polyline, arrow_arc, arrow_l, arrow_u, chevron Prominent phase banners (chevron), 1-way or 2-way block arrows (arrow(..., head="<->")), orthogonal L/U turn blocks
Containers & Cylinders 6 cylinder, cube, document, funnel, cloud, brace Persistent databases (cylinder with disks=2), 3D nodes (cube), wave/folded specs (document), cloud boundaries, curly brace groupings
Badges & Callouts 8 bubblespeech, ribbon, shield, tag, pin, checkmark, forbidden, explosion Inline speech callouts (bubblespeech), security/IAM badges (shield), release tags (tag, ribbon), geo markers (pin), pass/block indicators
Symbols & Flowchart Operators 8 clock, face, gear, heart, lightning, math_symbol, moon, sun Cron/latency timers (clock), worker daemons (gear), cross/plus/arithmetic operators (math_symbol), event triggers (lightning)

When building standard software flowcharts, standard ISO symbols map directly to these primitives (rhombus for branching decisions, parallelogram for data I/O, document for artifacts, cylinder for storage, and rectangle with shape_r for process steps)—or can be automated end-to-end with drawlib.diagrams.flow.FlowDiagram.

4.2 Center Anchors (cx, cy), Inline Text, Corner Radius & Rotation

Unlike top-left DOM boxes or bottom-left chart frames, planar shapes in drawlib.shapes anchor at their exact geometric center xy = (cx, cy) (with explicit-vertex exceptions arrow(xy1, xy2, ...), arrow_polyline(xys, ...), polygon(xys, ...), and bubblespeech(xy, ...) whose body box starts at bottom-left (x0, y0)). This center-first convention makes aligning circles, hexagons, cylinders, and cards along a shared row y = 20 effortless without subtracting half-widths.

Three ergonomic features keep primitive code compact and declarative:

from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.shapes import circle, rectangle, regularpolygon
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=120, height=40)

# Center-anchored at y=20 with inline text, corner radius, and rotation
rectangle(
    (25, 20),
    width=30,
    height=16,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.5),
    text="Ingress",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
)
regularpolygon(
    (65, 20),
    6,
    10.0,
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(angle=15, shape_r=1.0),
    text="Router",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, angle=0),
)
circle(
    (100, 20),
    radius=9.5,
    hole_ratio=0.5,
    style=Styles.Neutral,
    text="50%",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)

save()

4.3 Vector Connectors (drawlib.lines) & Geometry Helpers (drawlib.math)

To wire shapes together cleanly, drawlib.lines provides 1D stroke connectors while drawlib.math supplies pure-Python vector and interpolation math so you never have to hardcode fragile trigonometry.

04_shapes_and_lines_2
Figure 4.2: Vector Connectors (line, lines_curved, line_curved, lines_bezier) and Math Waypoint Helpers
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.lines import line, line_curved, lines_bezier, lines_curved
from drawlib.math import get_intermediate_points, rotate_point
from drawlib.shapes import circle, rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=144, height=68)

hdr = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left")
note = Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0)
node_light = Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.8)
node_sec = Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.8)
lbl_dark = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2)

# 4 spacious neutral quadrant panels
rectangle((37.5, 49.5), width=64.0, height=26.5, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
rectangle((106.5, 49.5), width=64.0, height=26.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
rectangle((37.5, 18.5), width=64.0, height=26.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
rectangle((106.5, 18.5), width=64.0, height=26.5, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))

# Panel 1: Straight "<->" + get_intermediate_points()
text((9.0, 59.0), '1. line("<->") + get_intermediate_points()', style=hdr)
rectangle(
    (16.0, 48.0),
    width=12.5,
    height=8.2,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    text="Src",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
)
rectangle((59.0, 48.0), width=12.5, height=8.2, style=node_light, text="Dst", text_style=lbl_dark)
line((22.5, 48.0), (52.5, 48.0), arrow_head="<->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
for pt in get_intermediate_points((22.5, 48.0), (52.5, 48.0), num=3):
    circle(pt, radius=1.3, style=Styles.AccentFlat)
text((37.5, 39.8), "num=3 interpolated waypoints", style=note)

# Panel 2: Rounded orthogonal routing with lines_curved(r=3.5)
text((78.0, 59.0), '2. lines_curved(xys, r=3.5, arrow_head="->")', style=hdr)
rectangle((85.5, 51.8), width=14.0, height=7.8, style=node_light, text="Ingress", text_style=lbl_dark)
rectangle((127.5, 42.2), width=14.0, height=7.8, style=node_sec, text="Worker", text_style=lbl_dark)
route = [(92.5, 51.8), (106.5, 51.8), (106.5, 42.2), (120.5, 42.2)]
lines_curved(route, r=3.5, arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
text((91.5, 41.2), "r=3.5 corner fillet", style=note)

# Panel 3: Bidirectional arc splines with line_curved(bend=...)
text((9.0, 28.0), "3. line_curved(bend=-0.22) Request / Reply", style=hdr)
rectangle((16.0, 16.0), width=13.0, height=8.2, style=node_light, text="Client", text_style=lbl_dark)
rectangle((59.0, 16.0), width=13.0, height=8.2, style=node_sec, text="Cache", text_style=lbl_dark)
line_curved((22.8, 18.2), (52.2, 18.2), bend=-0.22, arrow_head="->", style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
line_curved((52.2, 13.8), (22.8, 13.8), bend=-0.22, arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
text((37.5, 16.0), "bend = -0.22", style=note)

# Panel 4: Cubic S-curve (lines_bezier) + radial satellite (rotate_point)
text((78.0, 28.0), "4. lines_bezier() + rotate_point()", style=hdr)
rectangle((85.5, 20.8), width=13.5, height=7.6, style=node_light, text="Stream", text_style=lbl_dark)
hub = (125.5, 16.0)
circle(hub, radius=4.8, style=Styles.White, text="Hub", text_style=lbl_dark)
for deg in [35, 145, 270]:
    sat = rotate_point((hub[0] + 7.2, hub[1]), deg, center=hub)
    circle(sat, radius=1.2, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
lines_bezier(
    (92.5, 20.8),
    [((107.0, 20.8), (106.0, 16.0), (120.4, 16.0))],
    arrow_head="->",
    style=Styles.DarkBold,
)
text((92.0, 10.2), "Cubic Bezier S-curve", style=note)

save()

5. Styling System, Design Tokens & Universal Fonts

Drawlib decouples coordinate geometry from visual presentation through immutable Style and Color models, semantic design tokens (Styles.* and Colors.*), and an on-demand multilingual font engine (drawlib.fonts) that renders Latin, monospace, and CJK scripts identically across every machine.

05_colors_and_styles_1
Figure 5.1: GoogleStyles Token Matrix — Neutral Surfaces, Outline/Role Tokens, Focal Solids, and Stroke Variants
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=144, height=74)

row_hdr = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2, halign="left")
dark_lbl = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0)
white_lbl = Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.0)
xs = [45.5, 72.2, 98.9, 125.6]
sw_w, sw_h = 24.2, 10.8

# Row 1: Neutral Foundations (>= 50% of every diagram)
text((6.0, 61.0), "1. Neutral Base\n   (>= 50% Rule)", style=row_hdr)
r1 = [
    ("Neutral", Styles.Neutral),
    ("PrimaryNeutral", Styles.PrimaryNeutral),
    ("SecondaryNeutral", Styles.SecondaryNeutral),
    ("White", Styles.White),
]
for cx, (name, st) in zip(xs, r1):
    rectangle((cx, 61.0), width=sw_w, height=sw_h, style=st.patch(shape_r=1.8), text=name, text_style=dark_lbl)

# Row 2: Outline & Role Tokens
text((6.0, 44.5), "2. Outline & Role\n   (*Outline / *)", style=row_hdr)
r2 = [
    ("PrimaryOutline", Styles.PrimaryOutline, Styles.PrimaryBold.patch(text_size=10.0)),
    ("SecondaryOutline", Styles.SecondaryOutline, Styles.SecondaryBold.patch(text_size=10.0)),
    ("AccentOutline", Styles.AccentOutline, Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0)),
    ("Primary", Styles.Primary, white_lbl),
]
for cx, (name, st, ts) in zip(xs, r2):
    rectangle((cx, 44.5), width=sw_w, height=sw_h, style=st.patch(shape_r=1.8), text=name, text_style=ts)

# Row 3: Focal Solid Tokens (*Flat + WhiteBold)
text((6.0, 28.0), "3. Focal Solids\n   (*Flat + White)", style=row_hdr)
r3 = [
    ("PrimaryFlat", Styles.PrimaryFlat),
    ("AccentFlat", Styles.AccentFlat),
    ("SuccessFlat", Styles.SuccessFlat),
    ("DangerFlat", Styles.DangerFlat),
]
for cx, (name, st) in zip(xs, r3):
    rectangle((cx, 28.0), width=sw_w, height=sw_h, style=st.patch(shape_r=1.8), text=name, text_style=white_lbl)

# Row 4: Connector & Boundary Line Styles
text((6.0, 11.5), "4. Stroke Styles\n   (Bold / Dashed)", style=row_hdr)
r4 = [
    ("DarkBold", Styles.DarkBold),
    ("PrimaryBold", Styles.PrimaryBold),
    ("SecondaryDashed", Styles.SecondaryDashedBold),
    ("MutedDotted", Styles.MutedDottedBold),
]
for cx, (name, st) in zip(xs, r4):
    line((cx - 10.5, 14.2), (cx + 10.5, 14.2), arrow_head="->", style=st)
    text((cx, 8.2), name, style=dark_lbl)

save()

5.1 Dynamic Theme Injection: drawlib.styles vs. preset_styles

In every script and Markdown drawlib block, always import PascalCase Colors and Styles from drawlib.styles:

from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles

Never import lowercase styles or colors (which shadows the drawlib.styles module), and avoid hardcoding concrete catalogs like GoogleStyles inside diagram files. Instead, drawlib.styles acts as a dynamic runtime facade populated by your project's root styles.py—and optionally overridden per language by <lang>/styles.py (such as ja/styles.py for Japanese typography):

Because every theme exposes the exact same semantic token names, switching styles.py from GoogleStyles() to MonochromeStyles() restyles hundreds of diagrams without changing a single line of diagram code.

5.2 Semantic Token Families & The 50%+ Neutral Discipline

Professional architecture diagrams rely on visual hierarchy rather than rainbow fills. Every built-in theme organizes tokens into semantic roles and orthogonal variant suffixes:

Token Family / Suffix Examples Visual Behavior & Contrast Rule
Neutral Foundations Neutral, PrimaryNeutral, SecondaryNeutral, White Calm light/tinted card fills with subtle borders. Ground >= 50% of shapes and containers in these tokens. Always pass text_style=Styles.DarkBold when labeling Styles.White.
Semantic Roles Primary, Secondary, Accent, Warning, Success, Danger, Muted Blue (Primary), Purple/Indigo (Secondary), Orange (Accent), Green (Success), Red (Danger), and Gray (Muted), plus numbered tone scales (Primary1 light tint through Primary6 deep shade).
Outline / Wireframe (*Outline / *Solid) PrimaryOutline, SecondaryOutline, AccentOutline Transparent interior with a solid colored border (1.5 width), ideal for logical zones, VPC frames, and lightweight badges.
Focal Solids (*Flat) PrimaryFlat, AccentFlat, SuccessFlat, DangerFlat Borderless saturated fills (shape_line_width=0). Reserve strictly for 1–2 focal elements per diagram and pair with Styles.WhiteBold.
Weight & Pattern Suffixes *Bold, *Thin, *Dashed, *Dotted Adjust stroke width (Bold=2.5, Thin=0.75, plus standalone Styles.Light) and dash pattern (MutedDashed, SecondaryDashedBold, PrimaryDotted).

5.3 Immutable .patch(), .patch_font() & Universal Fonts

Every Style and Color instance is strictly immutable. To customize corner rounding, stroke thickness, alignment, font size, or opacity, call .patch(...) on an existing Styles.* preset rather than constructing a bare Style(...) from scratch. Deriving from Styles.* preserves coordinated font families, icon weights, arrow fills, and theme-switching compatibility:

from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.fonts import FontFile, FontJapanese, FontMonoSpace
from drawlib.preset_styles import GoogleStyles
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles

# Locale-level font override pattern used in ja/styles.py:
JaStyles = GoogleStyles().patch_font(
    regular=FontJapanese.SANSSERIF_REGULAR,
    bold=FontJapanese.SANSSERIF_BOLD,
    thin=FontJapanese.SANSSERIF_THIN,
)
# Custom local .ttf/.otf files also work via FontFile("_assets/brand.ttf")
_ = FontFile

setup(width=120, height=36)

card_style = Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(
    shape_r=2.8,
    shape_line_width=2.0,
    alpha=0.95,
)
mono_label = Styles.DarkBold.patch(
    text_font=FontMonoSpace.ROBOTO_MONO_BOLD,
    text_size=11.0,
    halign="center",
    valign="center",
)
glass_tint = Colors.Primary.patch(alpha=0.15)
_ = (JaStyles, glass_tint)

rectangle((60, 18), width=56, height=18, style=card_style, text="api.internal:8443", text_style=mono_label)
save()

drawlib.fonts ships universal and script-specific font families that download automatically on first use and cache locally (manageable offline via uv run drawlib cache download --all):

05_colors_and_styles_2
Figure 5.2: Immutable .patch() Style Progression and Cached Multilingual Font Specimens
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.fonts import FontJapanese, FontMonoSpace, FontRoboto, FontSerif
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=144, height=66)

sec_hdr = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="left")
xs = [26.0, 72.0, 118.0]

# Top Band: .patch() transformation pipeline
text((8.5, 59.5), "A. Immutable Style.patch() Transformation Chain", style=sec_hdr)

rectangle(
    (xs[0], 46.5),
    width=35.0,
    height=15.0,
    style=Styles.Neutral,
    text="Styles.Neutral\n(Sharp Base)",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
)
line((44.5, 46.5), (53.5, 46.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

rectangle(
    (xs[1], 46.5),
    width=35.0,
    height=15.0,
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=3.0),
    text=".patch(shape_r=3.0)\n(Rounded Card)",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
)
line((90.5, 46.5), (99.5, 46.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

rectangle(
    (xs[2], 46.5),
    width=35.0,
    height=15.0,
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(
        shape_r=3.0,
        shape_line_style="dashed",
        shape_line_width=2.0,
    ),
    text='+ line_style="dashed"\n(Zone Boundary)',
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
)

# Bottom Band: Typography specimens
text((8.5, 29.0), "B. Universal & Multilingual Font Specimens (drawlib.fonts)", style=sec_hdr)

rectangle((xs[0], 15.5), width=35.0, height=16.0, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=2.2))
text((xs[0], 18.8), "FontSerif", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_font=FontSerif.MERRIWEATHER_BOLD, text_size=11.0))
text((xs[0], 12.2), "Merriweather & Roboto", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_font=FontRoboto.ROBOTO_REGULAR, text_size=10.0))

rectangle((xs[1], 15.5), width=35.0, height=16.0, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
text((xs[1], 18.8), "FontMonoSpace", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_font=FontMonoSpace.ROBOTO_MONO_BOLD, text_size=10.8))
text((xs[1], 12.2), "10.0.4.12:8443", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_font=FontMonoSpace.ROBOTO_MONO_REGULAR, text_size=10.0))

rectangle((xs[2], 15.5), width=35.0, height=16.0, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.2))
text((xs[2], 18.8), "FontJapanese", style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_font=FontJapanese.SANSSERIF_BOLD, text_size=11.0))
text((xs[2], 12.2), "日本語・CJK Sans", style=Styles.White.patch(text_font=FontJapanese.SANSSERIF_REGULAR, text_size=10.2))

save()

6. 34 Icon Suites & Media Assets

Architecture blueprints and technical guides immediately gain clarity when services carry recognizable UI glyphs, official cloud icons, and crisp raster illustrations. Drawlib bundles 34 on-demand cached icon suites in drawlib.icons alongside non-destructive raster processing and sub-canvas composition in drawlib.images.

06_icons_and_images_1
Figure 6.1: Representative Icons Across Drawlib's 34 Built-In UI, Cloud, Domain Brand, and Original 2D Suites
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import (
    ai,
    aws,
    azure,
    cnative,
    data,
    gcp,
    original_ai,
    original_cnative,
    original_data,
    original_security,
    phosphor,
)
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=144, height=68)

hdr = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left")
lbl = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0)
xs_l = [15.5, 30.2, 44.8, 59.5]
xs_r = [84.5, 99.2, 113.8, 128.5]

# 4 neutral category cards
rectangle((37.5, 49.5), width=64.0, height=26.5, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
rectangle((106.5, 49.5), width=64.0, height=26.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
rectangle((37.5, 18.5), width=64.0, height=26.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
rectangle((106.5, 18.5), width=64.0, height=26.5, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))

# 1. Phosphor UI Vector Glyphs
text((9.0, 59.0), "1. UI Vector Glyphs (phosphor)", style=hdr)
phosphor.cpu((xs_l[0], 50.2), width=7.2, style=Styles.Dark)
phosphor.database((xs_l[1], 50.2), width=7.2, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
phosphor.shield_check((xs_l[2], 50.2), width=7.2, style=Styles.Success.patch(icon_style="fill"))
phosphor.git_branch((xs_l[3], 50.2), width=7.2, style=Styles.SecondaryBold)
for cx, name in zip(xs_l, ["cpu", "database", "shield", "git_branch"]):
    text((cx, 41.0), name, style=lbl)

# 2. Official Cloud Provider Suites (gcp, aws, azure)
text((78.0, 59.0), "2. Cloud Suites (gcp, aws, azure)", style=hdr)
gcp.cloud_run((xs_r[0], 50.2), width=7.8, style=Styles.Primary)
gcp.bigquery((xs_r[1], 50.2), width=7.8, style=Styles.Primary)
aws.aws_lambda((xs_r[2], 50.2), width=7.8, style=Styles.Primary)
azure.cosmos_db((xs_r[3], 50.2), width=7.8, style=Styles.Primary)
for cx, name in zip(xs_r, ["Cloud Run", "BigQuery", "Lambda", "Cosmos DB"]):
    text((cx, 41.0), name, style=lbl)

# 3. 15 Multi-Brand Domain Suites (ai .. workspace)
text((9.0, 28.0), "3. 15 Domain Suites (ai, cnative, data...)", style=hdr)
ai.gemini((xs_l[0], 19.2), width=7.8, style=Styles.Primary)
cnative.kubernetes((xs_l[1], 19.2), width=7.8, style=Styles.Primary)
cnative.docker((xs_l[2], 19.2), width=7.8, style=Styles.Primary)
data.postgresql((xs_l[3], 19.2), width=7.8, style=Styles.Primary)
for cx, name in zip(xs_l, ["gemini", "k8s", "docker", "postgres"]):
    text((cx, 10.0), name, style=lbl)

# 4. 15 original_* 2D Twin Suites with style= tinting & border
text((78.0, 28.0), "4. 15 original_* Suites (style= Tinted)", style=hdr)
tinted = Styles.Secondary.patch(
    image_tint_color=Colors.White,
    image_border_color=Colors.Secondary,
    image_border_width=1.0,
)
original_ai.ai_agent((xs_r[0], 19.2), width=7.8, style=tinted)
original_data.data_lakehouse((xs_r[1], 19.2), width=7.8, style=tinted)
original_security.zero_trust((xs_r[2], 19.2), width=7.8, style=tinted)
original_cnative.argo((xs_r[3], 19.2), width=7.8, style=tinted)
for cx, name in zip(xs_r, ["ai_agent", "lakehouse", "zero_trust", "argo"]):
    text((cx, 10.0), name, style=lbl)

save()

6.1 Overview of Drawlib's 34 Built-In Icon Suites

Every icon function in drawlib.icons follows the universal center-anchored xy = (cx, cy) contract with a 1:1 square width= and a mandatory keyword-only *, style: Style parameter. Binary icon packs download automatically on first reference and cache locally (uv run drawlib cache download --all pre-fetches all 34 suites for offline CI).

Tier Suites (34 Total) Rendering & style= Customization
1. General UI Vector Icons (1) phosphor (1,500+ icons, plus low-level font_icon) Crisp TrueType vector glyphs supporting 5 weights via style.icon_style ("thin", "light", "regular", "bold", "fill"—or Styles.*Bold / *Flat) and direct coloring via style.icon_color.
2. Cloud Provider Suites (3) gcp, aws, azure Official 512x512 RGBA service icons for Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure architectures.
3. Multi-Brand Domain Suites (15) ai, business, client, cloud, cnative, code, data, devops, facility, itservice, network, security, server, social, workspace Curated multi-color vendor logos across AI/LLMs, CI/CD & DevOps, containers/Kubernetes (cnative), databases/streaming (data), frontend/mobile (client), hardware (server, facility), networking, and security.
4. original_* 2D Twin Suites (15) original_ai through original_workspace Unified flat 2D brand twins plus vendor-neutral concept icons (original_ai.ai_agent, original_data.data_lakehouse, original_security.zero_trust). Accepts style= background tinting (image_tint_color), framing (image_border_*), alpha, and angle (and monochrome recoloring via Dimage.colorize()).

6.2 Standalone Icon Calls vs. High-Level Enum Tokens

Drawlib provides two ergonomic ways to place icons depending on whether you are composing a custom canvas or declaring a structured diagram:

  1. Direct Canvas Calls (drawlib.icons.<suite>.<name>): Call phosphor.cpu((25, 20), width=8.0, style=Styles.PrimaryBold) (or Styles.Accent.patch(icon_style="fill")) and gcp.cloud_run((60, 20), width=9.0, style=Styles.Primary) to place an icon at exact canvas coordinates (cx, cy).
  2. Typed Enum Tokens (PhosphorIcon, GcpIcon, AwsIcon, CnativeIcon, etc.): High-level diagram builders (drawlib.diagrams.architecture, drawlib.diagrams.sequence, and icon-aware SmartArts) export strongly typed StrEnum tokens so nodes automatically align icons alongside labels without manual coordinate math.
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.architecture import ArchitectureDiagram, GcpIcon, Node, PhosphorIcon
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=120, height=40)

# 1. Standalone direct icon call at exact center (cx, cy)
phosphor.sparkle((16, 20), width=7.5, style=Styles.Accent.patch(icon_style="fill"))

# 2. Enum tokens inside high-level ArchitectureDiagram nodes
arch = ArchitectureDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    node_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    node_card_style=Styles.Neutral,
)
gw = arch.add(Node("Edge Gateway", width=34, height=16, icon=PhosphorIcon.SHIELD_CHECK), xy=(52, 20))
svc = arch.add(
    Node(
        "Cloud Run API",
        width=34,
        height=16,
        icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_RUN,
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
    ),
    xy=(98, 20),
)
arch.connect(gw, svc, arrow="->")
arch.draw()

save()

6.3 Raster Assets (image), Dimage Pipelines & Nested Sub-Canvases

For screenshots, product photos, mascots, and composite sub-diagrams, drawlib.images provides three composable tools:

06_icons_and_images_2
Figure 6.2: Non-Destructive Dimage("_assets/linux.png") Transformation Pipeline and Styled Card Embedding
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.images import Dimage, get_dimage_from_code, image
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=144, height=62)

base = Dimage("_assets/linux.png")
xs = [20.5, 54.8, 89.2, 123.5]
card_w, card_h, cy = 28.5, 50.0, 31.0

title_st = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5)
code_st = Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0)

# Stage 1: Original raster asset
rectangle((xs[0], cy), width=card_w, height=card_h, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
text((xs[0], 51.0), "1. Original", style=title_st)
image((xs[0], 31.8), width=14.5, image=base)
text((xs[0], 12.0), "Dimage(\n'_assets/linux.png')", style=code_st)

# Stage 2: Bottom-left Cartesian crop + mirror + rotated placement
rectangle((xs[1], cy), width=card_w, height=card_h, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
text((xs[1], 51.0), "2. Crop & Tilt", style=title_st)
cropped = base.crop(110, 340, 455, 440).mirror()
image(
    (xs[1], 31.8),
    width=14.5,
    image=cropped,
    style=Styles.Primary.patch(
        angle=10,
        image_border_width=1.2,
        image_border_color=Colors.Primary,
    ),
)
text((xs[1], 12.0), ".crop().mirror()\n+ angle=10", style=code_st)

# Stage 3: Grayscale / filter chain
rectangle((xs[2], cy), width=card_w, height=card_h, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
text((xs[2], 51.0), "3. Filtered", style=title_st)
image((xs[2], 31.8), width=14.5, image=base.grayscale())
text((xs[2], 12.0), ".grayscale()\n(.sepia / .blur)", style=code_st)

# Stage 4: Embedded inside a styled card with get_dimage_from_code() badge
rectangle((xs[3], cy), width=card_w, height=card_h, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
text((xs[3], 51.0), "4. Card Embed", style=title_st)
rectangle(
    (xs[3], 43.8),
    width=22.5,
    height=5.6,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.4),
    text="Linux Node",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
)
framed = base.resize(270, 320).fill(Colors.White)
image(
    (xs[3], 29.2),
    width=12.2,
    image=framed,
    style=Styles.Primary.patch(
        image_border_width=1.5,
        image_border_color=Colors.Primary,
    ),
)
sub_badge = get_dimage_from_code("""
from drawlib.canvas import setup
from drawlib.shapes import checkmark, circle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
setup(width=36, height=36)
circle((18, 18), radius=15, style=Styles.SuccessFlat)
checkmark((18, 18), width=15, style=Styles.WhiteFlat)
""").make_transparent(color="auto", tolerance=15)
image((xs[3] + 6.5, 22.8), width=5.6, image=sub_badge)
text((xs[3], 12.0), ".fill() + sub-canvas\nget_dimage_from_code", style=code_st)

# Pipeline arrows between cards
for i in range(3):
    line((xs[i] + 14.8, cy), (xs[i + 1] - 14.8, cy), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

save()

7. SmartArts: 18 Structured Visual Components

Instead of calculating manual rectangle coordinates and text offsets for common engineering visuals, drawlib.smartarts provides 18 high-level components that automate geometry, alignment, borders, and typography out of the box. Every SmartArt shares the same GoogleStyles design tokens and Cartesian canvas, letting you compose KPI executive headers, pipelines, SLA tables, and repository trees inside a single figure.

07_smartarts_1
Figure 7.1: Executive Release Dashboard Combining KpiCards and ChevronProcess
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.smartarts import ChevronProcess, KpiCards
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=148, height=66)

text(
    (74.0, 60.5),
    "v0.3.7 Release Readiness & Publishing Pipeline",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.5),
)

kpi = KpiCards(
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    metric_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=15.5),
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    description_style=Styles.Muted.patch(text_size=10.0),
    accent_style=Styles.SecondaryFlat,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    accent_position="top_bar",
    metric_layout="top_stack",
    spacing=3.5,
)
kpi.add(
    "99.99%",
    "Availability SLA",
    "Active-active multi-region",
    icon=phosphor.shield_check,
)
kpi.add(
    "11.4 ms",
    "Edge P99 Latency",
    "v0.3.7 zero-copy router",
    icon=phosphor.lightning,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    metric_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=15.5),
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
    description_style=Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.0),
    accent_style=Styles.WhiteFlat,
    icon_style=Styles.WhiteBold,
)
kpi.add(
    "4.2x",
    "Build Throughput",
    "Incremental SQLite cache",
    icon=phosphor.cpu,
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    accent_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
)
kpi.draw(xy=(6.0, 29.0), width=136.0, height=26.0, columns=3)

pipeline = ChevronProcess(
    style=Styles.Neutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8),
    description_style=Styles.Muted.patch(text_size=10.0),
    corner_angle=60.0,
    spacing=2.0,
    flat_left_end=True,
)
pipeline.add("1. Author", description="Python + Markdown")
pipeline.add("2. Grid Review", description="drawlib show -g")
pipeline.add(
    "3. Build Docs",
    description="HTML / PDF / Office",
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.8),
    description_style=Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.0),
)
pipeline.add(
    "4. Publish",
    description="CI / Static Portal",
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
)
pipeline.draw(xy=(6.0, 7.0), width=136.0, height=16.5)

save()

7.1 Complete Catalog of 18 SmartArts & Coordinate Anchors

Because Drawlib uses a bottom-left (0, 0) Cartesian canvas where +Y points upward, knowing each SmartArt's default .draw(xy=...) coordinate anchor guarantees one-shot placement without trial-and-error shifts:

7.1.1 Processes, Cycles & Timelines

Component Item / Helper Models Default .draw(xy=...) Anchor Primary Engineering Use Cases
ChevronProcess ChevronItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") CI/CD pipelines, ETL workflows, phased rollouts (flat_left_end=True)
Cycle CycleItem, CycleCenter Center (align="center") PDCA feedback loops, OAuth token refresh cycles, SRE incident loops
Roadmap RoadmapItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Quarterly release milestones, migration timelines, postmortem chronicles

7.1.2 Cards, Grids & Summaries

Component Item / Helper Models Default .draw(xy=...) Anchor Primary Engineering Use Cases
KpiCards (KpiCard) KpiCardItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Executive SLA metrics, latency targets, benchmark summary headers
CardList CardListItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Vertical or horizontal feature cards with optional -> step connectors
BoxList BoxListItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Contiguous service strips, protocol frame headers, compact status blocks
GridLayout GridItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Multi-row/column spanning architecture matrices (row=0 at bottom)
Pyramid PyramidItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Testing pyramids, storage/cache hierarchies, defense-in-depth layers
Panel — Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Titled container frames ("filled", "underline", "floating", "window")

7.1.3 Tables, Text & Code Blocks

Component Item / Helper Models Default .draw(xy=...) Anchor Primary Engineering Use Cases
Table — Top-Left (align="top_left") Service SLA matrices, feature comparisons, quota schedules (draw_flexible)
BulletPoints BulletPointItem Top-Left (fixed (x, y)) Architecture takeaways, design review checklists, slide callouts
SourceCode SourceCodeStyles, sourcecode Top-Left (align="top_left") Vector syntax-highlighted Python/YAML/JSON snippets inside diagrams

7.1.4 Hierarchies & Mind Maps

Component Item / Helper Models Default .draw(xy=...) Anchor Primary Engineering Use Cases
TreeNode — Top-Left (fixed (x, y)) Monorepo directory layouts, package hierarchies, CLI command trees
MindMapNode — Center (fixed (cx, cy)) 4-way radial system taxonomies, domain decompositions, org charts

7.1.5 Geographic & Temporal

Component Item / Helper Models Default .draw(xy=...) Anchor Primary Engineering Use Cases
GeoMap — Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Multi-region cloud deployments (World, Countries, Cities, lonlat_to_xy)
MonthCalendar CalendarItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") 7-column monthly or multi-week release schedules ("YYYY-MM-DD")
WeekCalendar CalendarItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") N-day hourly sprint and maintenance windows ("YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM")
DayCalendar CalendarItem Bottom-Left (align="bottom_left") Single-day incident timelines and minute-level change runbooks

Tip — Aligning Top-Left and Bottom-Left Components Side by Side: To align a Table or TreeNode of height H with a Bottom-Left box sitting at (x0, y_bottom), pass xy=(x0, y_bottom + H) as the Top-Left anchor (or pass align="bottom_left" directly on Table and SourceCode).

7.2 Top-Left Composition: Pairing Table and TreeNode

Table and TreeNode both default to Top-Left (x0, y_top) coordinates, making them natural partners for side-by-side specification figures:

07_smartarts_2
Figure 7.2: Side-by-Side Top-Left Composition Pairing a Styled Table and Project TreeNode
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.smartarts import Table, TreeNode
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=148, height=64)

text(
    (43.0, 56.5),
    "Archetype Output Matrix (Table)",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
)
text(
    (114.5, 56.5),
    "Scaffolded Project Tree (TreeNode)",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
)

table = Table(
    cell_style=Styles.White,
    text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2),
    header_cell_style=Styles.DarkFlat,
    header_text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    border_style=Styles.MutedThin,
)
table.set_style_cell_evenodd(
    even_color=Colors.Gray1,
    even_text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2),
    odd_color=Colors.White,
    odd_text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2),
)
table.set_style_cell_header(
    background_color=Colors.Gray8,
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)
table.set_style_cell(
    background_color=Colors.Primary,
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
    rows=[1],
    columns=[2],
)
table.set_style_border(
    top=Styles.DarkBold.patch(line_width=1.4),
    top2=Styles.DarkBold.patch(line_width=1.0),
    bottom=Styles.DarkBold.patch(line_width=1.4),
    between_rows=Styles.MutedThin.patch(line_width=0.6),
)

matrix = [
    ["Archetype", "Primary Output", "Office / Print"],
    ["doc", "Chapter HTML", "PDF + DOCX"],
    ["site", "Multi-Page Docs", "llms.txt + SEO"],
    ["catalog", "Searchable Ref", "JSON Index"],
    ["slide", "16:9 Web Deck", "PDF + PPTX"],
]
table.draw_flexible(
    xy=(7.0, 51.5),
    column_widths=[20.0, 28.0, 24.0],
    row_heights=[8.6, 8.6, 8.6, 8.6, 8.6],
    data=matrix,
    align="top_left",
)

rectangle(
    (114.5, 30.0),
    width=53.0,
    height=43.0,
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
)

TreeNode.register_drawing_item(
    name="ch07_dir",
    location="before",
    padding_width=4.4,
    function=phosphor.folder,
    style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    args={"width": 3.2},
)
TreeNode.register_drawing_item(
    name="ch07_py",
    location="before",
    padding_width=4.4,
    function=phosphor.file_py,
    style=Styles.SecondaryBold,
    args={"width": 3.2},
)
TreeNode.register_drawing_item(
    name="ch07_md",
    location="before",
    padding_width=4.4,
    function=phosphor.file_text,
    style=Styles.DarkBold,
    args={"width": 3.2},
)

root = TreeNode(
    "quickstart/",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
    line_style=Styles.Muted.patch(line_width=1.1),
    line_horizontal_margin=2.8,
    line_horizontal_length=2.8,
    line_vertical_margin=5.4,
    children=[
        TreeNode(
            "en/",
            text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
            children=[
                TreeNode("00_cover.md", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0)).set_drawing_item("ch07_md"),
                TreeNode("07_smartarts.md", text_style=Styles.PrimaryBold.patch(text_size=10.0)).set_drawing_item("ch07_md"),
            ],
        ).set_drawing_item("ch07_dir"),
        TreeNode(
            "ja/",
            text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
            children=[
                TreeNode("07_smartarts.md", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0)).set_drawing_item("ch07_md"),
            ],
        ).set_drawing_item("ch07_dir"),
    ],
).set_drawing_item("ch07_dir")
root.add("styles.py", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0)).set_drawing_item("ch07_py")

root.draw(xy=(91.5, 47.0))

save()

7.3 Step-by-Step Slide & Animation Builds with show=False

Every stateful SmartArt follows a four-phase lifecycle (Instantiate -> Register via .add() -> Mutate .items / .children -> Render via .draw()). Each registered item or node exposes a boolean show: bool = True flag (ChevronItem, KpiCardItem, CardListItem, BoxListItem, CycleItem, GridItem, PyramidItem, RoadmapItem, BulletPointItem, CalendarItem, TreeNode, and MindMapNode).

Setting item.show = False (or passing show=False in .add(...)) hides that specific step while preserving the exact bounding widths, column positions, orbit angles, and vertical row spacing of all sibling items. This makes progressive slide builds and multi-frame drawlib.anim animations effortless—earlier steps never jump or stretch as later steps appear:

from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.smartarts import ChevronProcess
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=120, height=32)

flow = ChevronProcess(
    style=Styles.Neutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    description_style=Styles.Muted.patch(text_size=10.0),
    flat_left_end=True,
)
flow.add("1. Ingest", description="Parquet Stream")
flow.add(
    "2. Validate",
    description="Schema Check",
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    description_style=Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.0),
)
# Hidden in Frame 1, yet Steps 1 & 2 keep their exact 4-column widths!
step3 = flow.add("3. Enrich", description="Vector Join", show=False)
step4 = flow.add("4. Serve", description="Low-Latency API", show=False)

flow.draw(xy=(8.0, 8.0), width=104.0, height=16.0)
save()

Query any SmartArt's full constructor reference on demand via uv run drawlib rules show lib-smartarts-overview (or component manuals such as lib-smartarts-calendar, lib-smartarts-geomap, and lib-smartarts-source-code).

8. Quantitative Charts: 10 Pure-Python Chart Types

Technical whitepapers, benchmark reports, and architecture reviews rarely stop at box-and-arrow diagrams—they need rigorous quantitative evidence. drawlib.charts provides 10 pure-Python chart types built natively on Drawlib's rendering engine, all anchored at Bottom-Left (x0, y0) (align="bottom_left") so charts sit alongside SmartArts, icons, and architecture callouts on a single unified canvas.

08_charts_1
Figure 8.1: Side-by-Side Quantitative Dashboard — Grouped BarChart Throughput and LineChart Tail Latency
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.charts.bar import BarChart
from drawlib.charts.line import LineChart
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles

setup(width=152, height=62)

card_bg = Styles.White.patch(shape_r=2.0, shape_line_color=Colors.Gray3)
rectangle((40.0, 31.0), width=68.0, height=50.0, style=card_bg)
rectangle((112.0, 31.0), width=68.0, height=50.0, style=card_bg)

bar = BarChart(
    axis_line_style=Styles.MutedDashed,
    categories=["Doc", "Site", "Catalog", "Slide"],
    width=62.0,
    height=38.0,
    bar_mode="group",
    bar_width_ratio=0.68,
    bar_r=0.8,
    axis_text_style=Styles.Muted.patch(text_size=10.0),
    grid_style=Styles.MutedThin,
    value_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    value_format="{:.0f}",
    title="Build Throughput (Pages / sec)",
    title_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
)
bar.add_series("v0.3.0 Baseline", [18.0, 24.0, 21.0, 29.0], style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral)
bar.add_series("v0.3.7 Cached", [42.0, 56.0, 49.0, 64.0], style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
bar.configure_y_axis(min_value=0.0, max_value=80.0, tick_step=20.0)
bar.draw(xy=(9.0, 14.0))
bar.draw_legend(
    xy=(15.0, 10.0),
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    orientation="horizontal",
    item_gap=4.5,
)

line = LineChart(
    axis_line_style=Styles.MutedDashed,
    categories=["10p", "25p", "50p", "100p", "200p"],
    width=62.0,
    height=38.0,
    smooth=False,
    show_points=True,
    point_size=0.75,
    axis_text_style=Styles.Muted.patch(text_size=10.0),
    grid_style=Styles.MutedThin,
    title="Incremental Render Latency (ms)",
    title_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
)
line.add_series(
    "Cold",
    [14.0, 22.0, 34.0, 52.0, 72.0],
    style=Styles.Muted6Flat,
    line_width=1.9,
    line_style="dashed",
    point_shape="square",
)
line.add_series(
    "v0.3.7",
    [6.0, 8.0, 11.0, 15.0, 21.0],
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    line_width=2.4,
    point_shape="circle",
)
line.add_series(
    "SLO (60ms)",
    [60.0, 60.0, 60.0, 60.0, 60.0],
    style=Styles.Danger,
    line_width=1.5,
    line_style="dotted",
    point_shape="none",
)
line.configure_y_axis(min_value=0.0, max_value=80.0, tick_step=20.0, format="{:.0f}", unit="ms")
line.draw(xy=(81.0, 14.0))
line.draw_legend(
    xy=(84.5, 10.0),
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    orientation="horizontal",
    item_gap=3.5,
)

save()

8.1 Why drawlib.charts Beats Matplotlib in Technical Documentation

Embedding external Matplotlib scripts into multi-language engineering docs introduces mismatched fonts, brittle rcParams boilerplate, and isolated image files that cannot interact with surrounding diagrams. drawlib.charts solves all four friction points natively:

8.2 Complete Catalog of All 10 Chart Types

All 10 chart classes across the 9 drawlib.charts.* submodules default to Bottom-Left (x0, y0) (align="bottom_left", with optional align="center" and scale: float = 1.0):

# Chart Class Submodule Default .draw(xy=...) Anchor Core Modes & Capabilities
1 BarChart drawlib.charts.bar Bottom-Left (x0, y0) "vertical" / "horizontal", "group" / "stack", bar_r, value labels, "log" scale
2 BoxChart drawlib.charts.box Bottom-Left (x0, y0) Raw sample lists or BoxStats, "iqr" / "percentile" whiskers, show_points strip jitter
3 LineChart drawlib.charts.line Bottom-Left (x0, y0) Multi-series polylines or smooth=True splines, vertex markers, point_shape="none" thresholds
4 AreaChart drawlib.charts.area Bottom-Left (x0, y0) Filled "overlap" or cumulative "stack" trend curves with configurable fill_alpha
5 PieChart drawlib.charts.pie Bottom-Left (x0, y0) Solid pie (hole_ratio=0.0) & donut (hole_ratio=0.5..0.7) with center_text KPI badge
6 RadarChart drawlib.charts.radar Bottom-Left (x0, y0) Multi-spoke "polygon" or "circle" spider capability matrices (levels, min_value..max_value)
7 ScatterChart drawlib.charts.scatter Bottom-Left (x0, y0) 2D (x, y) correlation plots and variable-radius bubble sizing via Point(x, y, radius=...)
8 GanttChart drawlib.charts.gantt Bottom-Left (x0, y0) Project timelines with Section, Task progress bars, Milestone, Marker, and Dependency
9 HeatmapChart drawlib.charts.heatmap Bottom-Left (x0, y0) 2D intensity matrices (min_style..max_style or styles), auto_contrast_text, draw_colorbar
10 HeatmapOverlay drawlib.charts.heatmap Bottom-Left (x0, y0) Spatial density Spot fields (mode="smooth" or "contour") layered over maps or floorplans

8.2.1 Categorical, Statistical & Matrix Charts

8.2.2 Continuous, Radial & Temporal Charts

8.3 Statistical Storytelling with BoxChart & Progressive Animations

Effective quantitative figures follow strict data storytelling discipline: never assign five saturated rainbow colors to five competing series. Ground historical baselines, control groups, and secondary tiers in calm neutral tokens (Styles.Neutral, Styles.PrimaryNeutral, Styles.SecondaryNeutral, or dashed Styles.Muted), and reserve Styles.PrimaryFlat or Styles.AccentFlat exclusively for the target series under evaluation.

While bar charts hide tail spikes behind averages, BoxChart exposes medians, interquartile spreads (Q1–Q3), whiskers, and p99 outliers simultaneously—accepting either raw sample sequences (list[float]) or pre-aggregated telemetry (BoxStats) with automatic high-contrast median strokes:

08_charts_2
Figure 8.2: Tail-Latency Distribution Across Service Tiers Using BoxChart and BoxStats
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.charts.box import BoxChart, BoxStats
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles

setup(width=148, height=62)

rectangle(
    (74.0, 31.0),
    width=136.0,
    height=50.0,
    style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=2.0, shape_line_color=Colors.Gray3),
)

box = BoxChart(
    axis_line_style=Styles.MutedDashed,
    categories=["Edge CDN", "Auth Gateway", "Order Engine", "Vector Search"],
    width=124.0,
    height=38.0,
    box_width_ratio=0.62,
    box_r=0.6,
    show_outliers=True,
    axis_text_style=Styles.Muted.patch(text_size=10.0),
    grid_style=Styles.MutedThin,
    title="Service Tier Response Time Distribution (ms) — Legacy Pool vs. v0.3.7 Async Runtime",
    title_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
)
box.add_series(
    "Legacy Pool (p5–p95 + p99)",
    [
        BoxStats(min=5.0, q1=8.0, median=11.0, q3=15.0, max=24.0, outliers=[34.0]),
        BoxStats(min=12.0, q1=18.0, median=24.0, q3=33.0, max=48.0, outliers=[66.0]),
        BoxStats(min=16.0, q1=24.0, median=32.0, q3=44.0, max=62.0, outliers=[76.0]),
        BoxStats(min=22.0, q1=32.0, median=43.0, q3=56.0, max=70.0, outliers=[78.0]),
    ],
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
)
box.add_series(
    "v0.3.7 Async Runtime (Target)",
    [
        BoxStats(min=3.0, q1=4.5, median=6.0, q3=8.0, max=12.0, outliers=[16.0]),
        BoxStats(min=6.0, q1=9.0, median=12.0, q3=16.0, max=22.0, outliers=[29.0]),
        BoxStats(min=8.0, q1=12.0, median=15.5, q3=20.0, max=28.0, outliers=[36.0]),
        BoxStats(min=11.0, q1=16.0, median=21.0, q3=27.0, max=38.0, outliers=[46.0]),
    ],
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
)
box.configure_y_axis(
    min_value=0.0,
    max_value=85.0,
    tick_step=20.0,
    format="{:.0f}",
    unit="ms",
)
box.draw(xy=(12.0, 14.0))
box.draw_legend(
    xy=(38.0, 9.8),
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    orientation="horizontal",
    item_gap=7.0,
)

save()

When working with small benchmark runs (N = 8..25), pass raw list[float] samples with show_box=True, show_points=True, jitter=0.42 to overlay deterministic strip points on top of each quartile box—or sweep draw_ratio (0.0 to 1.0) on LineChart / BarChart series to render smooth multi-frame drawlib.anim builds:

from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.charts.line import LineChart
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=110, height=56)

trend = LineChart(
    axis_line_style=Styles.MutedDashed,
    categories=["T1", "T2", "T3", "T4", "T5"],
    width=90.0,
    height=38.0,
    smooth=True,
    axis_text_style=Styles.Muted.patch(text_size=10.0),
    grid_style=Styles.MutedThin,
    title="Progressive Rollout Throughput (60% Keyframe)",
    title_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.5),
)
trend.add_series("Baseline", [40, 42, 41, 43, 42], style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral, line_style="dashed")
# Renders 60% of the curve left-to-right while keeping full T1..T5 axis bounds fixed!
focal = trend.add_series("v0.3.7 Canary", [42, 58, 74, 89, 96], style=Styles.PrimaryFlat, draw_ratio=0.6)

trend.configure_y_axis(min_value=0, max_value=100, tick_step=25, unit="k rps")
trend.draw(xy=(10.0, 10.0))
save()

Inspect detailed axis, legend, colorbar, and constructor options for any chart family via uv run drawlib rules show lib-charts-overview (or lib-charts-bar, lib-charts-box, lib-charts-line, lib-charts-pie, lib-charts-gantt, and lib-charts-heatmap).

9. Cloud & System Architecture Diagrams

Distributed systems are defined by trust boundaries, network topologies, and service dependencies. drawlib.diagrams.architecture turns cloud infrastructure blueprints into clean, version-controlled Python code—combining hierarchical NodeGroup containers, 33 built-in vendor & vector icon enums (GcpIcon, AwsIcon, AzureIcon, PhosphorIcon), smart boundary edge routing, and spaghetti-free junction() buses.

09_diagrams_cloud_1
Figure 9.1: Production Cloud VPC Topology with External Client, Focal API Gateway, Junction Fan-Out, and Data Tier
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.architecture import (
    ArchitectureDiagram,
    GcpIcon,
    Node,
    NodeGroup,
    PhosphorIcon,
)
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=160, height=74)

d = ArchitectureDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    node_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    node_card_style=Styles.White,
)

# External actor stays OUTSIDE the Cloud Region / VPC boundary
client = d.add(
    Node(
        "Web & Mobile\nClients",
        width=25.0,
        height=18.5,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.DEVICES,
        icon_size=6.0,
        card_style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
    ),
    xy=(14.5, 30.0),
)

# Cloud Region / VPC boundary (Bottom-Left at (41, 2) in diagram coordinates)
vpc = d.add(
    NodeGroup(
        title="Google Cloud Region — Production VPC (us-central1)",
        width=109.0,
        height=62.0,
        style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.4),
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0, halign="left"),
    ),
    xy=(41.0, 2.0),
)

# Focal Ingress Gateway (local center relative to vpc bottom-left)
gateway = vpc.add(
    Node(
        "API Gateway\n(Ingress)",
        width=23.0,
        height=19.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.SHIELD_CHECK,
        icon_size=6.0,
        style=Styles.WhiteBold,
        text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.0),
    ),
    xy=(16.5, 28.0),
)

# Application Services inside VPC (White cards + official GcpIcon)
auth_svc = vpc.add(
    Node(
        "Auth Service\n(Cloud Run)",
        width=24.0,
        height=16.5,
        icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_RUN,
        icon_size=6.2,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(52.5, 40.5),
)
order_svc = vpc.add(
    Node(
        "Order API\n(Cloud Run)",
        width=24.0,
        height=16.5,
        icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_RUN,
        icon_size=6.2,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(52.5, 15.5),
)

# Nested Data Tier NodeGroup (local bottom-left inside vpc)
data_tier = vpc.add(
    NodeGroup(
        title="Data Tier (Private)",
        width=34.0,
        height=52.5,
        style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left"),
    ),
    xy=(71.0, 3.5),
)
sql_db = data_tier.add(
    Node(
        "Cloud SQL\n(Primary DB)",
        width=26.0,
        height=16.5,
        icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_SQL,
        icon_size=6.2,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(17.0, 37.0),
)
cache_db = data_tier.add(
    Node(
        "Memorystore\n(Redis Cache)",
        width=26.0,
        height=16.5,
        icon=GcpIcon.MEMORYSTORE,
        icon_size=6.2,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(17.0, 12.0),
)

# External HTTPS ingress + clean Junction fan-out bus
d.connect(
    client,
    gateway,
    label="HTTPS",
    routing="direct",
    padding=1.0,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0, xy_shift=(-2.0, 2.6)),
)

j_mid = d.junction((75.0, 30.0))
j_top = d.junction((75.0, 42.5))
j_bot = d.junction((75.0, 17.5))
d.connect(gateway, j_mid, arrow="-", routing="direct", padding=(1.0, 0.0))
d.connect(j_mid, j_top, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(j_mid, j_bot, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(j_top, auth_svc, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 1.0))
d.connect(j_bot, order_svc, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 1.0))

d.connect(auth_svc, sql_db, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=1.0)
d.connect(order_svc, cache_db, arrow="<->", routing="direct", padding=1.0)

d.draw(xy=(4.0, 4.0))
save()

9.1 ArchitectureDiagram, Node & Coordinate Semantics

ArchitectureDiagram acts as the top-level container and establishes a three-tier style cascade (Element Override -> Diagram Default -> Built-in Fallback). Its four required keyword-only defaults—node_style, node_text_style, edge_style, and edge_text_style—plus optional node_card_style keep typography and stroke weights uniform across dozens of microservices without repeating style kwargs on every node.

Understanding how d.add(..., xy=...) and group.add(..., xy=...) interpret xy prevents off-by-half-width placement bugs:

Registration Call Anchor Point of xy Coordinate Frame Global Diagram Position Formula
d.add(Node(...), xy=(cx, cy)) Center (cx, cy) Global diagram space (cx, cy)
d.add(NodeGroup(...), xy=(x0, y0)) Bottom-Left (x0, y0) Global diagram space Bottom-Left at (x0, y0)
group.add(Node(...), xy=(lx, ly)) Center (lx, ly) Local to group (0, 0) (x0 + lx, y0 + ly)
group.add(NodeGroup(...), xy=(lx0, ly0)) Bottom-Left (lx0, ly0) Local to group (0, 0) Bottom-Left at (x0 + lx0, y0 + ly0)
d.junction((jx, jy)) Exact Point (jx, jy) Global diagram space (jx, jy)

9.1.1 Pairing Official Cloud & Monochrome Icons with Card Contrast

9.2 Network Boundaries with NodeGroup & External Actor Rule

NodeGroup models hierarchical boundaries—Cloud Regions, VPCs, Availability Zones, Kubernetes Clusters, Public/Private Subnets, and Data Tiers. Groups can either auto-size around their children via padding: float = 5.0 (when width=None, height=None) or lock to explicit width and height dimensions for crisp multi-tier grid alignment.

Architectural Boundary Rule — Keep External Actors Outside the Cloud NodeGroup: Never place end users, mobile apps, browsers, or third-party SaaS webhooks inside your Cloud Region or VPC NodeGroup. Register external actors in global diagram space via d.add(Node(...), xy=...) on the left or top perimeter, and route them across the NodeGroup border into an explicit edge/ingress node (CDN, Load Balancer, or API Gateway).

9.3 Edge Routing, Bidirectional Arrows & junction() Fan-Out Buses

d.connect(start, end, ...) (as well as node.connect(...) and Edge(...)) connects any Node, NodeGroup, or Junction while automatically clipping arrows cleanly at outer bounding boxes:

09_diagrams_cloud_2
Figure 9.2: Clean Connection Patterns — Direct, Orthogonal, Curved Edges, and a Junction Fan-Out Bus
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.architecture import (
    ArchitectureDiagram,
    Node,
    NodeGroup,
    PhosphorIcon,
)
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=160, height=70)

d = ArchitectureDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    node_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    node_card_style=Styles.White,
)

# Left Panel: 3 Edge Routing Modes
left = d.add(
    NodeGroup(
        title="Edge Routing Modes (direct / orthogonal / curved)",
        width=72.0,
        height=58.0,
        style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="left"),
    ),
    xy=(2.0, 2.0),
)
a1 = left.add(Node("Edge LB", width=19.0, height=10.5, card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6)), xy=(13.5, 43.0))
b1 = left.add(Node("Auth Pod", width=19.0, height=10.5, card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6)), xy=(58.5, 43.0))
d.connect(
    a1,
    b1,
    label='direct ("<->")',
    arrow="<->",
    routing="direct",
    padding=1.0,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0, text_bg_fill_color=None, xy_shift=(0.0, 2.8)),
)

a2 = left.add(Node("API Pod", width=19.0, height=10.5, card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6)), xy=(13.5, 28.5))
b2 = left.add(Node("SQL Read", width=19.0, height=10.5, card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6)), xy=(58.5, 22.5))
d.connect(
    a2,
    b2,
    label="orthogonal",
    arrow="->",
    routing="orthogonal",
    padding=1.0,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0, text_bg_fill_color=None, xy_shift=(6.5, 5.8)),
)

a3 = left.add(Node("Producer", width=19.0, height=10.5, card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6)), xy=(13.5, 10.5))
b3 = left.add(Node("Consumer", width=19.0, height=10.5, card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6)), xy=(58.5, 10.5))
e_curved = d.connect(
    a3,
    b3,
    label="curved (async)",
    arrow="->",
    routing="curved",
    style=Styles.SecondaryBold.patch(line_style="dashed"),
    padding=1.0,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0, text_bg_fill_color=None, xy_shift=(2.5, 5.2)),
)
e_curved.via((28.0, 10.4), (33.0, 8.6), (38.0, 7.8), (43.0, 8.6), (48.0, 10.4))

# Right Panel: Junction 1-to-3 Fan-Out Bus
right = d.add(
    NodeGroup(
        title="Spaghetti-Free Bus Fan-Out via junction()",
        width=72.0,
        height=58.0,
        style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8, halign="left"),
    ),
    xy=(78.0, 2.0),
)
router = right.add(
    Node(
        "Event\nRouter",
        width=21.0,
        height=17.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.GIT_BRANCH,
        icon_size=5.6,
        style=Styles.WhiteBold,
        text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(14.5, 26.5),
)
w1 = right.add(
    Node("Billing Worker", width=25.0, height=11.5, card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6)),
    xy=(55.0, 42.5),
)
w2 = right.add(
    Node("Search Indexer", width=25.0, height=11.5, card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6)),
    xy=(55.0, 26.5),
)
w3 = right.add(
    Node("Audit Archive", width=25.0, height=11.5, card_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.6)),
    xy=(55.0, 10.5),
)

jb_mid = d.junction((112.0, 28.5))
jb_top = d.junction((112.0, 44.5))
jb_bot = d.junction((112.0, 12.5))
d.connect(router, jb_mid, arrow="-", routing="direct", padding=(1.0, 0.0))
d.connect(jb_mid, jb_top, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(jb_mid, jb_bot, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(jb_top, w1, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 1.0))
d.connect(jb_mid, w2, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 1.0))
d.connect(jb_bot, w3, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 1.0))

d.draw(xy=(4.0, 4.0))
save()

For standard 1-to-N orthogonal fan-outs or dead-letter stream taps, node.fork(targets, at_x=...) and edge.add_point((x, y)) create and wire Junction waypoints in a single method call:

from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.architecture import ArchitectureDiagram, GcpIcon, Node, PhosphorIcon
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=124, height=54)

d = ArchitectureDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    node_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    node_card_style=Styles.Neutral,
)

lb = d.add(
    Node(
        "Ingress LB",
        width=24.0,
        height=16.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.SHIELD_CHECK,
        icon_size=5.8,
        style=Styles.WhiteBold,
        text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(20.0, 25.0),
)
pod_a = d.add(Node("Worker A", width=24.0, height=15.0, icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_RUN, icon_size=5.8), xy=(84.0, 36.0))
pod_b = d.add(Node("Worker B", width=24.0, height=15.0, icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_RUN, icon_size=5.8), xy=(84.0, 14.0))

# Auto-creates a shared Junction at x=52.0 and fans out cleanly to both pods
lb.fork([pod_a, pod_b], at_x=52.0, padding=1.2)

d.draw(xy=(6.0, 2.0))
save()

Explore all 33 architecture icon enums and advanced waypoint APIs via uv run drawlib rules show lib-diagrams-architecture and uv run drawlib rules show lib-icons-overview.

10. Software Design Diagrams: Sequence, Flow, State, Class & ER

Beyond cloud infrastructure topologies (ArchitectureDiagram), drawlib.diagrams provides five specialized software engineering engines—SequenceDiagram, FlowDiagram, StateDiagram, ClassDiagram, and ERDiagram—that render standard UML 2.x, ISO 5807, and Crow's Foot models directly from declarative Python code.

10_diagrams_software_1
Figure 10.1: OAuth 2.0 & Token Verification RPC Sequence with ParticipantGroup, Activations, and Alt/Else Frame
Source Code 
import math
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.sequence import (
    GcpIcon,
    Participant,
    ParticipantGroup,
    PhosphorIcon,
    SequenceDiagram,
)
from drawlib.styles import Styles

d = SequenceDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    node_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
    node_card_style=Styles.Neutral,
    autonumber=True,
    col_width=36.0,
    step_y=5.6,
    margin=4.0,
)

client = d.add(
    Participant(
        "Client App",
        width=24.0,
        height=12.5,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.DEVICES,
        icon_size=5.0,
        card_style=Styles.Neutral,
    )
)

platform = d.add(
    ParticipantGroup(
        title="Core Auth & API Platform",
        padding=4.0,
        style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left", valign="bottom"),
    )
)
gateway = platform.add(
    Participant(
        "API Gateway",
        width=26.0,
        height=12.5,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.CLOUD_CHECK,
        icon_size=5.0,
        style=Styles.WhiteBold,
        text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    )
)
auth = platform.add(
    Participant(
        "Auth Service",
        width=26.0,
        height=12.5,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.SHIELD_CHECK,
        icon_size=5.0,
        card_style=Styles.White,
    )
)
store = platform.add(
    Participant(
        "Session Cache",
        width=26.0,
        height=12.5,
        icon=GcpIcon.MEMORYSTORE,
        icon_size=5.0,
        card_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
    )
)

client.request(gateway, "POST /v1/orders (Bearer JWT)")
gateway.activate()
gateway.request(auth, "VerifySignature(jwt)")
auth.activate()
auth.request(store, "GET session:jti")
store.reply(auth, "Session Claims")

with d.alt("") as alt_blk:
    alt_blk.style = Styles.MutedDashed
    alt_blk.text_style = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0)
    auth.reply(gateway, "200 Verified Claims", style=Styles.SuccessBold)
    gateway.request(store, "XADD audit_stream", is_async=True, style=Styles.SecondaryBold)
    gateway.reply(client, "200 OK (Order Accepted)", style=Styles.SuccessBold)
    d.note("Cached 300s", over=[gateway, auth], style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(text_size=10.0))

d.space(2.0)
with d.else_("") as else_blk:
    else_blk.style = Styles.MutedDashed
    else_blk.text_style = Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0)
    auth.reply(
        gateway,
        "401 Invalid Token",
        style=Styles.DangerBold,
        text_style=Styles.DangerBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    )
    gateway.reply(
        client,
        "401 Unauthorized",
        style=Styles.DangerBold,
        text_style=Styles.DangerBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    )

auth.deactivate()
gateway.deactivate()

w, h = d.get_size()
setup(width=math.ceil(w) + 8, height=math.ceil(h) + 8)
d.draw(xy=(4.0, 4.0))
save()

10.1 Overview of the Five Software Modeling Engines

Each diagram engine in drawlib.diagrams shares a consistent builder lifecycle: configure base styles on the diagram constructor, register domain elements via .add(), connect them semantically, query .get_size() when exact bounding dimensions are needed, and render onto the canvas with .draw(xy=(x0, y0)) (bottom-left anchored by default).

Module Primary Class Core Elements Coordinate Strategy Primary Use Cases
drawlib.diagrams.sequence SequenceDiagram Participant, ParticipantGroup, Message, Note, Block Auto-advances col_width (X) and step_y (Y) RPC/REST call timelines, OAuth handshakes, async messaging
drawlib.diagrams.flow FlowDiagram Start, End, Process, Decision, Data, Lane, Junction Center xy=(cx, cy) across shared global/swimlane space CI/CD gates, business workflows, cross-team swimlanes
drawlib.diagrams.state StateDiagram State, InitialState, FinalState, ChoiceState, ForkJoinState Center xy=(cx, cy) with curved/orthogonal transitions Protocol FSMs, worker lifecycles, concurrent statecharts
drawlib.diagrams.class_diagram ClassDiagram ClassNode, AttributeInfo, MethodInfo, ClassRelationship Center xy=(cx, cy) with auto-sized 3-compartment boxes OOP domain models, interface contracts, package hierarchies
drawlib.diagrams.er ERDiagram Entity, ColumnInfo, Relationship Center xy=(cx, cy) with row-accurate start_column / end_column Relational SQL schemas, PK/FK constraints, Crow's Foot models

10.2 API Interactions with SequenceDiagram

SequenceDiagram (from drawlib.diagrams.sequence import SequenceDiagram, Participant, ParticipantGroup) eliminates manual vertical coordinate math for chronological protocols:

10.3 Workflows & State Lifecycles: FlowDiagram & StateDiagram

FlowDiagram models operational decisions and swimlanes, while StateDiagram models event-driven object lifecycles and finite state machines:

10_diagrams_software_2
Figure 10.2: Side-by-Side Software Modeling — CI/CD Canary FlowDiagram (Left) and Worker Lifecycle StateDiagram (Right)
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.flow import Data, Decision, End, FlowDiagram, Process, Start
from drawlib.diagrams.state import ChoiceState, FinalState, InitialState, State, StateDiagram
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=160, height=78)

# Left Panel: FlowDiagram
rectangle((41, 39), width=74, height=68, style=Styles.MutedDashed.patch(shape_r=2.2))
phosphor.git_branch((9.5, 68.0), width=4.2, style=Styles.DarkBold)
text(
    (13.5, 68.0),
    "FlowDiagram: Canary Release Gate",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2, halign="left"),
)

flow = FlowDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.Neutral,
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
)
f_start = flow.add(
    Start("Git Merge", width=23, height=9.0, style=Styles.Neutral, text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2)),
    xy=(22, 54),
)
f_canary = flow.add(
    Process(
        "Deploy Canary",
        width=26,
        height=10.0,
        style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
        text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
    ),
    xy=(58, 54),
)
f_check = flow.add(
    Decision(
        "SLO Pass?",
        width=25,
        height=13.0,
        style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    ),
    xy=(58, 35),
)
f_alert = flow.add(
    Data(
        "Rollback & Page",
        width=26,
        height=10.0,
        style=Styles.DangerNeutral,
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    ),
    xy=(22, 35),
)
f_prod = flow.add(
    End(
        "Promote 100%",
        width=25,
        height=9.5,
        style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
    ),
    xy=(58, 14),
)

f_start.connect(f_canary, padding=0.6)
f_canary.connect(f_check, start_side="bottom", end_side="top", padding=0.6)
f_check.connect(
    f_alert,
    label="No",
    start_side="left",
    end_side="right",
    style=Styles.DangerBold,
    text_style=Styles.DangerBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    padding=0.6,
)
f_check.connect(f_prod, label="Yes", start_side="bottom", end_side="top", padding=0.6)
flow.draw()

# Right Panel: StateDiagram
rectangle((119, 39), width=74, height=68, style=Styles.MutedDashed.patch(shape_r=2.2))
phosphor.arrows_clockwise((87.5, 68.0), width=4.2, style=Styles.DarkBold)
text(
    (91.5, 68.0),
    "StateDiagram: Worker Lifecycle",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2, halign="left"),
)

sd = StateDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.Neutral.patch(text_size=10.2),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)
s_init = sd.add(InitialState(), xy=(89, 53))
s_warm = sd.add(
    State("Warming", entry="loadModel()", width=28, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(text_size=10.2)),
    xy=(114, 53),
)
s_active = sd.add(
    State(
        "Active",
        do="serveGrpc()",
        exit="drainPool()",
        width=28,
        style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(text_size=10.2),
    ),
    xy=(114, 29),
)
s_choice = sd.add(ChoiceState(), xy=(146, 29))
s_final = sd.add(FinalState(), xy=(114, 11))

sd.connect(s_init, s_warm, start_side="right", end_side="left", routing="direct", padding=0.8)
sd.connect(
    s_warm,
    s_active,
    label="  ready",
    start_side="bottom",
    end_side="top",
    routing="direct",
    text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0, halign="left"),
    padding=0.8,
)
sd.connect(
    s_active,
    s_choice,
    event="err",
    start_side="right",
    end_side="left",
    routing="direct",
    style=Styles.WarningBold,
    padding=0.8,
)
sd.connect(
    s_choice,
    s_warm,
    label="  [retry]",
    start_side="top",
    end_side="right",
    routing="orthogonal",
    text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0, halign="left"),
    padding=0.8,
)
sd.connect(
    s_choice,
    s_final,
    label="  [fatal]",
    start_side="bottom",
    end_side="right",
    routing="orthogonal",
    style=Styles.DangerBold,
    text_style=Styles.DangerBold.patch(text_size=10.0, halign="left"),
    padding=0.8,
)
sd.connect(
    s_active,
    s_final,
    label="  stop",
    start_side="bottom",
    end_side="top",
    routing="direct",
    text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0, halign="left"),
    padding=0.8,
)
sd.draw()

save()

10.4 Object-Oriented Models with ClassDiagram

ClassDiagram (drawlib.diagrams.class_diagram) builds three-compartment UML 2.0 class boxes (ClassNode) whose heights expand automatically to fit their stereotypes (stereotype="interface" or is_abstract=True), attributes, and methods:

from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.class_diagram import ClassDiagram, ClassNode
from drawlib.fonts import FontRoboto, FontSourceCode
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=140, height=64)

cd = ClassDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.Neutral.patch(text_font=FontSourceCode.ROBOTO_MONO, text_size=10.0),
    header_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(text_font=FontRoboto.ROBOTO_BOLD, text_size=10.8),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

repo = cd.add(
    ClassNode("PaymentGateway", stereotype="interface", width=44, header_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral)
    .add_method("authorize", "amount: Decimal", "AuthReceipt"),
    xy=(32, 42),
)
stripe_gw = cd.add(
    ClassNode("StripeGateway", width=44)
    .add_attribute("api_client", "HttpClient", visibility="-")
    .add_method("authorize", "amount: Decimal", "AuthReceipt"),
    xy=(32, 16),
)
invoice = cd.add(
    ClassNode(
        "Invoice",
        width=40,
        header_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(
            text_color=Styles.WhiteBold.text_color,
            text_font=FontRoboto.ROBOTO_BOLD,
            text_size=10.8,
        ),
    )
    .add_attribute("id", "UUID", visibility="+")
    .add_attribute("status", "InvoiceState", visibility="#")
    .add_method("capture", "gw: PaymentGateway", "bool"),
    xy=(106, 29),
)

cd.connect(stripe_gw, repo, "realization", start_side="top", end_side="bottom")
cd.connect(invoice, repo, "dependency", label="<<uses>>", start_side="left", end_side="right")

cd.draw(xy=(4.0, 4.0))
save("class_model.png")

10.5 Relational Schemas with ERDiagram

ERDiagram (drawlib.diagrams.er) renders Information Engineering (Crow's Foot) database schemas where each Entity formats its columns into three aligned sub-columns (PK/FK key badges, column name, and SQL type with (NN) non-null markers):

from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.er import Entity, ERDiagram
from drawlib.fonts import FontRoboto, FontSourceCode
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=136, height=52)

erd = ERDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.Neutral.patch(text_font=FontSourceCode.ROBOTO_MONO, text_size=10.0),
    header_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(text_font=FontRoboto.ROBOTO_BOLD, text_size=10.8),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

tenants = erd.add(
    Entity("tenants", width=40)
    .add_column("id", "UUID", pk=True, nullable=False)
    .add_column("slug", "VARCHAR(64)", nullable=False)
    .add_column("created_at", "TIMESTAMPTZ", nullable=False),
    xy=(30, 26),
)
api_keys = erd.add(
    Entity(
        "api_keys",
        width=42,
        header_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(
            text_color=Styles.WhiteBold.text_color,
            text_font=FontRoboto.ROBOTO_BOLD,
            text_size=10.8,
        ),
    )
    .add_column("id", "UUID", pk=True, nullable=False)
    .add_column("tenant_id", "UUID", fk=True, nullable=False)
    .add_column("key_hash", "CHAR(64)", nullable=False)
    .add_column("revoked_at", "TIMESTAMPTZ", nullable=True),
    xy=(102, 26),
)

tenants.connect(
    api_keys,
    cardinality="1:*",
    start_column="id",
    end_column="tenant_id",
    start_side="right",
    end_side="left",
)

erd.draw(xy=(4.0, 4.0))
save("er_schema.png")

11. Automatic Graph Layout Solvers

When diagrams grow beyond a handful of hand-placed nodes, manually maintaining (x, y) coordinates becomes tedious—yet opaque black-box graph renderers strip away control over iconography, typography, and design tokens. drawlib.graph bridges both worlds as a pure deterministic coordinate calculator: declare nodes, clusters, and edges topologically, call layout = g.get_layout(...), and render the solved geometry using any Drawlib visual component.

11_auto_layout_graphs_1
Figure 11.1: Data Lineage & Feature Pipeline DAG Solved with LayerGraph.get_layout() and Rendered onto Styled Cards
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.graph import LayerGraph
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import lines
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=158, height=78)

# Step 1: Declare DAG topology & compute deterministic coordinates
g = LayerGraph(direction="LR", default_node_width=34.0, default_node_height=14.5)
g.node("ingest", layer=0)
g.tier("processing", ["transform", "validate"], layer=1)
g.cluster("etl_stage", ["transform", "validate"], padding=5.0, header_height=4.5)
g.tier("serving", ["feature", "warehouse"], layer=2)

g.edge("ingest", "transform")
g.edge("ingest", "validate")
g.edge("transform", "feature")
g.edge("transform", "warehouse")
g.edge("validate", "warehouse")

layout = g.get_layout(margin=13.0)

# Step 2: Render cluster boundary, orthogonal routed edges, and styled cards
stage = layout["etl_stage"]
rectangle(stage.xy, width=stage.width, height=stage.height, style=Styles.MutedDashed.patch(shape_r=2.2))
text(
    (stage.left + 2.5, stage.top - 2.8),
    "Processing Stage",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(halign="left", text_size=10.2),
)

for edge in layout.edges:
    lines(edge.points, arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

cards = [
    ("ingest", "Event Ingest", "Kafka / PubSub", Styles.Neutral, Styles.DarkBold, Styles.Dark, phosphor.cloud_arrow_up),
    ("transform", "Stream Engine", "Stateful Flink", Styles.PrimaryFlat, Styles.WhiteBold, Styles.White, phosphor.lightning),
    ("validate", "Schema Gate", "Contract Check", Styles.PrimaryNeutral, Styles.DarkBold, Styles.Dark, phosphor.shield_check),
    ("feature", "Feature Store", "Low-Latency KV", Styles.SecondaryNeutral, Styles.DarkBold, Styles.Dark, phosphor.cpu),
    ("warehouse", "Analytics DWH", "Columnar SQL", Styles.Neutral, Styles.DarkBold, Styles.Dark, phosphor.database),
]

for nid, title, sub, card_st, title_st, sub_st, icon_fn in cards:
    n = layout[nid]
    rectangle(n.xy, width=n.width, height=n.height, style=card_st.patch(shape_r=1.8))
    icon_fn((n.x - 11.5, n.y), width=4.8, style=title_st)
    text((n.x + 2.2, n.y + 2.4), title, style=title_st.patch(text_size=10.6))
    text((n.x + 2.2, n.y - 2.8), sub, style=sub_st.patch(text_size=10.0))

save()

11.1 The Two-Step Layout Architecture (get_layout)

Unlike black-box layout engines, drawlib.graph has no .draw() method and stores zero visual styles. Instead, every graph follows a clean two-step separation between geometry calculation and visual rendering:

  1. Declare Topology & Solve (layout = g.get_layout(...)): Register nodes (g.node("id", width=..., height=...)), directed edges (g.edge("src", "dst")), and optional grouping containers (g.cluster("id", nodes=[...], padding=..., header_height=...)). Calling g.get_layout(width=..., height=..., margin=10.0) returns an immutable-style GraphLayout dictionary (layout["id"]).
  2. Render with Full Visual Control: Map the solved coordinates onto ArchitectureDiagram, FlowDiagram, SmartArts, or primitive shapes, icons, and lines:
    • Center Coordinates (.xy and .local_xy): Every NodeLayout and ClusterLayout exposes .xy ((cx, cy) global center) for rectangle(), circle(), FlowDiagram nodes, and standalone ArchitectureDiagram nodes, plus .local_xy (center relative to its parent cluster's bottom-left corner) for nodes nested inside an ArchitectureDiagram NodeGroup.
    • Bottom-Left Corners (.bottom_left and .local_bottom_left): Ready to pass directly to bottom-left anchored components such as top-level NodeGroup(..., xy=cl.bottom_left), nested parent_grp.add(NodeGroup(...), xy=cl.local_bottom_left), SmartArts, and Charts.
    • Routed Edge Polylines (edge.points, edge.src_port, edge.dst_port, edge.mid_xy): Each EdgeLayout in layout.edges provides boundary-clipped port coordinates and intermediate Manhattan waypoints ready for lines(edge.points, arrow_head="->").
    • Inspecting & Freezing Coordinates (print(layout) & layout.offset()): When transitioning from an automatic layout to fine-tuned manual code, call print(layout) (str(layout)) to dump a human-readable coordinate table of every solved cluster, node .xy / .bottom_left, and edge path for copy-pasting into explicit Python code, or chain layout.offset("node_id", dx=0.0, dy=-5.0) to nudge individual nodes while automatically recalculating attached edge ports.

11.2 Choosing Among the Five Graph Solvers

drawlib.graph provides five specialized layout engines inheriting from BaseGraph, each tailored to a distinct structural topology:

Solver Class Core Layout Algorithm Topology Helpers Ideal Architectural Use Cases
ArchitectureGraph 2-level macro/micro container packing + 5-zone compass placement g.group(), g.cluster(..., parent=..., pos="left"|"center"|..., order=...) Multi-zone cloud VPCs, nested subnets, microservice ecosystems (ArchitectureDiagram)
LayerGraph Sugiyama hierarchical DAG (cycle breaking, longest-path ranks, barycenter crossing minimization) g.tier(name, nodes, layer=...), g.cluster(), direction="LR"|"TB" ETL/data lineage pipelines, CI/CD stages, build & package dependency DAGs
TreeGraph Reingold-Tilford / Buchheim compact symmetrical subtree layout g.child(parent, child_id), root=..., direction="TB"|"LR" Engineering org charts, ASTs, fault trees, strict single-parent taxonomies
RadialGraph Concentric BFS rings + subtree-weighted angular sector allocation g.spoke(parent, spoke_id, ring=...), hub=..., layout.ring_radii Event meshes, Pub/Sub hub-and-spoke topologies, API platform ecosystems
GridGraph 2D (row, col) matrix slot placement + corridor channel routing g.cell(id, row=..., col=...), g.cluster_row(), g.cluster_column(), edge_routing="smart" Tiered service catalogs, state matrices, uniform multi-column architectures

11.3 Hierarchical Trees & Concentric Hub-and-Spoke Topologies

For strict hierarchies and central message brokers, TreeGraph and RadialGraph eliminate manual trigonometry and subtree width balancing:

11_auto_layout_graphs_2
Figure 11.2: Automatic Non-Linear Layouts — Balanced Rooted TreeGraph (Left) and Concentric RadialGraph Event Mesh (Right)
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.graph import RadialGraph, TreeGraph
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line, lines
from drawlib.shapes import circle, rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=160, height=78)

# Left Panel: TreeGraph (Rooted Taxonomy)
rectangle((41, 39), width=74, height=68, style=Styles.MutedDashed.patch(shape_r=2.2))
phosphor.tree_structure((9.5, 68.0), width=4.2, style=Styles.DarkBold)
text(
    (13.5, 68.0),
    "TreeGraph: Service Taxonomy",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2, halign="left"),
)

tg = TreeGraph(root="root", direction="TB", sibling_sep=3.2, default_node_width=16.5, default_node_height=9.0)
tg.node("root", width=22.5, height=9.5)
tg.child("root", "compute", width=19.5, height=9.0)
tg.child("root", "data", width=19.5, height=9.0)
tg.child("compute", "k8s", width=16.5, height=9.0)
tg.child("compute", "jobs", width=16.5, height=9.0)
tg.child("data", "sql", width=16.5, height=9.0)

t_layout = tg.get_layout(width=60.0, height=52.0, margin=4.0)
ox1, oy1 = 11.0, 7.0

for e in t_layout.edges:
    pts = [(px + ox1, py + oy1) for px, py in e.points]
    lines(pts, arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

tree_nodes = [
    ("root", "Cloud Platform", Styles.PrimaryFlat, Styles.WhiteBold),
    ("compute", "Compute Tier", Styles.PrimaryNeutral, Styles.DarkBold),
    ("data", "Storage Tier", Styles.SecondaryNeutral, Styles.DarkBold),
    ("k8s", "GKE Pods", Styles.Neutral, Styles.DarkBold),
    ("jobs", "Batch Jobs", Styles.Neutral, Styles.DarkBold),
    ("sql", "Cloud SQL", Styles.Neutral, Styles.DarkBold),
]
for nid, label, st, txt_st in tree_nodes:
    n = t_layout[nid]
    rectangle(
        (n.x + ox1, n.y + oy1),
        width=n.width,
        height=n.height,
        style=st.patch(shape_r=1.6),
        text=label,
        text_style=txt_st.patch(text_size=10.0),
    )

# Right Panel: RadialGraph (Hub-and-Spoke Mesh)
rectangle((119, 39), width=74, height=68, style=Styles.MutedDashed.patch(shape_r=2.2))
phosphor.share_network((87.5, 68.0), width=4.2, style=Styles.DarkBold)
text(
    (91.5, 68.0),
    "RadialGraph: Hub & Spoke Mesh",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2, halign="left"),
)

rg = RadialGraph(
    hub="hub",
    center=(35.0, 26.5),
    radius_step=22.0,
    start_angle=18.0,
    default_node_width=17.5,
    default_node_height=8.5,
)
rg.node("hub", width=15.0, height=15.0)
for sid in ["auth", "orders", "billing", "notify", "search"]:
    rg.spoke("hub", sid)

r_layout = rg.get_layout(width=70.0, height=54.0, margin=4.0)
ox2, oy2 = 84.0, 7.0
hub_n = r_layout["hub"]
hub_xy = (hub_n.x + ox2, hub_n.y + oy2)

for r in r_layout.ring_radii.values():
    circle(hub_xy, radius=r, style=Styles.MutedDashed)

for e in r_layout.edges:
    sp = (e.src_port[0] + ox2, e.src_port[1] + oy2)
    dp = (e.dst_port[0] + ox2, e.dst_port[1] + oy2)
    line(sp, dp, arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

circle(
    hub_xy,
    radius=hub_n.width / 2,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    text="Event\nMesh",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

spokes = [
    ("auth", "Auth API", Styles.PrimaryNeutral),
    ("orders", "Orders", Styles.Neutral),
    ("billing", "Billing", Styles.SecondaryNeutral),
    ("notify", "Notify", Styles.Neutral),
    ("search", "Search", Styles.PrimaryNeutral),
]
for sid, label, st in spokes:
    n = r_layout[sid]
    rectangle(
        (n.x + ox2, n.y + oy2),
        width=n.width,
        height=n.height,
        style=st.patch(shape_r=1.6),
        text=label,
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    )

save()

11.4 Clustered Cloud Topologies & Matrix Grids

When building multi-zone cloud architectures or tabular service catalogs, ArchitectureGraph and GridGraph compute nested container boxes alongside node placements:

from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.architecture import ArchitectureDiagram, GcpIcon, Node, NodeGroup, PhosphorIcon
from drawlib.graph import ArchitectureGraph
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=168, height=78)

# Step 1: Solve nested VPC & subnet coordinates with ArchitectureGraph
g = ArchitectureGraph(direction="LR", container_sep=14.0, default_node_width=24.0, default_node_height=14.0)
g.cluster("edge", ["client"], pos="left", padding=5.0)
g.group("vpc", pos="center", padding=5.0)
g.cluster("app_tier", ["api", "worker"], parent="vpc", order=1, padding=5.0)
g.cluster("data_tier", ["db"], parent="vpc", order=2, padding=5.0)

g.edge("client", "api")
g.edge("api", "worker")
g.edge("worker", "db")

layout = g.get_layout(margin=8.0)

# Step 2: Render using .bottom_left, .local_bottom_left, and .local_xy
d = ArchitectureDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    node_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
    node_card_style=Styles.Neutral,
)

edge_grp = d.add(NodeGroup(title="External", padding=5.0, style=Styles.MutedDashed), xy=layout["edge"].bottom_left)
vpc_grp = d.add(NodeGroup(title="Production VPC", padding=5.0, style=Styles.MutedDashed), xy=layout["vpc"].bottom_left)
app_grp = vpc_grp.add(NodeGroup(title="Compute", padding=5.0, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral), xy=layout["app_tier"].local_bottom_left)
data_grp = vpc_grp.add(NodeGroup(title="Storage", padding=5.0, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral), xy=layout["data_tier"].local_bottom_left)

client = edge_grp.add(Node("Client", width=24, height=14, icon=PhosphorIcon.DEVICES), xy=layout["client"].local_xy)
api = app_grp.add(
    Node(
        "API Gateway",
        width=24,
        height=14,
        icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_API_GATEWAY,
        style=Styles.WhiteBold,
        text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    ),
    xy=layout["api"].local_xy,
)
worker = app_grp.add(Node("Worker", width=24, height=14, icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_RUN), xy=layout["worker"].local_xy)
db = data_grp.add(Node("Cloud SQL", width=24, height=14, icon=GcpIcon.CLOUD_SQL), xy=layout["db"].local_xy)

d.connect(client, api, label="HTTPS")
d.connect(api, worker)
d.connect(worker, db)

d.draw()
save("arch_graph_vpc.png")

12. Multi-Frame Animations & 16:9 Slide Decks

Static diagrams capture architecture snapshots, while time-stepped animations and widescreen presentations explain how systems evolve in motion. Drawlib natively compiles multi-frame APNG (.png), Animated WebP (.webp), and dither-free Animated GIF (.gif) assets via drawlib.anim, and transforms Markdown sources into interactive 16:9 HTML decks, vector PDFs, and editable PowerPoint (.pptx) presentations via drawlib.slide.

12_animations_and_slides_1
Figure 12.1: Looping Multi-Frame APNG Pipeline Walkthrough Built with Animation and ChevronProcess
Source Code 
from drawlib.anim import Animation
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.smartarts import ChevronProcess
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=156, height=52)
anim = Animation(fps=1.5, loop=0)

stages = [
    ("1. Commit", "Git Source"),
    ("2. Lint", "Static Audit"),
    ("3. Render", "Grid Check"),
    ("4. Build", "HTML & PDF"),
    ("5. Publish", "Live Docs"),
]

for step in range(len(stages)):
    is_last = step == len(stages) - 1
    with anim.frame(duration=2.5 if is_last else 0.75):
        rectangle((78, 26), width=146, height=42, style=Styles.MutedDashed.patch(shape_r=2.2))
        phosphor.play_circle((10.5, 41.0), width=4.4, style=Styles.DarkBold)
        text(
            (14.5, 41.0),
            "Progressive Release Pipeline (Multi-Frame APNG)",
            style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0, halign="left"),
        )
        rectangle(
            (134.5, 41.0),
            width=25.0,
            height=6.2,
            style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.5),
            text=f"Frame {step + 1} / {len(stages)}",
            text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
        )
        line((10, 20.5), (146, 20.5), style=Styles.MutedDashed)

        proc = ChevronProcess(
            style=Styles.Neutral,
            text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.6),
            description_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
            corner_angle=62.0,
            spacing=1.6,
            flat_left_end=True,
        )
        for i, (title, desc) in enumerate(stages):
            is_active = i == step
            c_style = Styles.PrimaryFlat if is_active else (Styles.PrimaryNeutral if i < step else Styles.Neutral)
            t_style = Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.6) if is_active else Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.6)
            d_style = Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.0) if is_active else Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0)
            proc.add(
                title,
                description=desc,
                style=c_style,
                text_style=t_style,
                description_style=d_style,
                show=(i <= step),
            )
        proc.draw(xy=(10.0, 10.0), width=136.0, height=21.0)

save()

12.1 Multi-Frame Animations with drawlib.anim

Canvas Lifecycle & The Animation API

Import Animation from drawlib.anim, call setup(width=..., height=...) once before the frame loop, and wrap each frame's drawing calls inside with anim.frame(duration=..., clear=True)::

Output Format Extension Encoding & Visual Characteristics Best Target Platforms
APNG .png / .apng Lossless 24-bit RGB + 8-bit alpha; renders natively in browsers and gracefully falls back to a crisp static frame in PDFs HTML docs (site / doc), interactive slides, printable whitepapers
Animated WebP .webp Lossless 24-bit RGB + 8-bit alpha at ~50% smaller file size (minimize_size=True) High-traffic web documentation portals, mobile web apps
Animated GIF .gif v0.3.7 dither-free 256-color global Median Cut quantization (Image.Dither.NONE)—zero grain noise on flat Neutral cards GitHub READMEs, Slack, Notion, Confluence, X/Twitter, legacy viewers

Progressive Component Idioms (show=False, draw_ratio & Interpolation)

Every high-level Drawlib module is engineered for jitter-free frame progression:

from drawlib.anim import Animation
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.charts.bar import BarChart
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=110, height=64)
anim = Animation(fps=10.0, loop=0)

chart = BarChart(
    categories=["Q1", "Q2", "Q3", "Q4"],
    axis_line_style=Styles.MutedDashed,
    axis_text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
    grid_style=Styles.MutedThin,
    width=86,
    height=44,
    title="Quarterly API Throughput (kRPS)",
    title_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.5),
)
chart.configure_y_axis(min_value=0, max_value=120)
series = chart.add_series("Throughput", [42, 68, 94, 112], style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)

steps = 6
for i in range(1, steps + 1):
    t = i / steps
    eased = t * t * (3.0 - 2.0 * t)  # Smoothstep easing (0 -> 1)
    series.draw_ratio = eased
    with anim.frame(duration=2.2 if i == steps else 0.12):
        chart.draw(xy=(12, 8))

save("throughput_growth.gif")

12.2 16:9 Slide Decks & PowerPoint Export (drawlib.slide)

Scaffolding a presentation project with uv run drawlib init project slide pitch -l en,ja -s google turns numbered Markdown files (pitch_src/<lang>/*.md) into a 1920×1080 (16:9) multi-target presentation suite:

::: block xy=(1700, 1010) width=140 height=30
```drawlib file=page.svg
from drawlib.slide import draw_page_number

draw_page_number()
```
:::

::: block xy=(80, 40) width=1760 height=60
# Zero-Trust API Gateway Rollout
:::

::: block xy=(80, 140) width=720 height=820
## Key Rollout Milestones

- **Edge mTLS**: Mutual certificate pinning
- **JWT Cache**: Sub-millisecond Redis lookup
- **Canary Gate**: Automated SLO rollback

---

*Active Deck Position: Slide 3*
:::

::: block xy=(840, 140) width=1000 height=820
```drawlib file=gateway_stage.svg
from drawlib.canvas import clear, save, setup
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.slide import current_slide
from drawlib.styles import Styles

clear()
setup(width=100, height=82)
rectangle(
    (50, 41),
    width=76,
    height=34,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.5),
    text=f"Gateway Topology ({current_slide.text})",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=14.5),
)
save()
```
:::

::: note
Walk through the three milestones on the left, then highlight how `current_slide` binds slide numbering automatically during HTML, PDF, and `.pptx` compilation.
:::
12_animations_and_slides_2
Figure 12.2: 16:9 Slide Deck Compilation Anatomy — Markdown Stage & Notes to HTML, Vector PDF, and Editable .pptx
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.diagrams.architecture import ArchitectureDiagram, Node, NodeGroup, PhosphorIcon
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=158, height=62)

d = ArchitectureDiagram(
    node_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    node_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    edge_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    edge_text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
    node_card_style=Styles.Neutral,
)

src = d.add(
    NodeGroup(
        title="Slide Source (slide_src/<lang>/*.md)",
        width=48.0,
        height=52.0,
        style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
        text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5, halign="left"),
    ),
    xy=(2.0, 3.0),
)
b_stage = src.add(
    Node(
        "::: block & # Title\n(1920x1080 Stage)",
        width=39.0,
        height=12.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.LAYOUT,
        icon_size=4.8,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    ),
    xy=(24.0, 39.5),
)
b_code = src.add(
    Node(
        "Embedded drawlib\n& current_slide",
        width=39.0,
        height=12.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.CODE,
        icon_size=4.8,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    ),
    xy=(24.0, 25.0),
)
b_note = src.add(
    Node(
        "::: note Script\n(Speaker Notes)",
        width=39.0,
        height=12.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.NOTE,
        icon_size=4.8,
        card_style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    ),
    xy=(24.0, 10.5),
)

compiler = d.add(
    Node(
        "Slide Compiler\n& Chromium DOM",
        width=33.0,
        height=20.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.CPU,
        icon_size=5.6,
        style=Styles.WhiteBold,
        text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.0),
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.2),
    ),
    xy=(75.5, 29.0),
)

out_html = d.add(
    Node(
        "16:9 HTML Deck\n(?presenter=1 & SVG)",
        width=41.0,
        height=13.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.PRESENTATION_CHART,
        icon_size=4.8,
        card_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(131.5, 45.5),
)
out_pdf = d.add(
    Node(
        "16:9 Vector PDF\n(slide_<lang>.pdf)",
        width=41.0,
        height=13.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.FILE_PDF,
        icon_size=4.8,
        card_style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(131.5, 29.0),
)
out_pptx = d.add(
    Node(
        "Editable .pptx Deck\n(Shapes & Notes)",
        width=41.0,
        height=13.0,
        icon=PhosphorIcon.SLIDESHOW,
        icon_size=4.8,
        card_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.8),
    ),
    xy=(131.5, 12.5),
)

d.connect(src, compiler, routing="direct", padding=0.8)
j_mid = d.junction((101.5, 29.0))
j_top = d.junction((101.5, 45.5))
j_bot = d.junction((101.5, 12.5))
d.connect(compiler, j_mid, arrow="-", routing="direct", padding=(0.8, 0.0))
d.connect(j_mid, j_top, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(j_mid, j_bot, arrow="-", routing="direct")
d.connect(j_top, out_html, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 0.8))
d.connect(j_mid, out_pdf, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 0.8))
d.connect(j_bot, out_pptx, arrow="->", routing="direct", padding=(0.0, 0.8))

d.draw(xy=(2.0, 2.0))
save()

Scaffolding & Building HTML, PDF, and Editable PowerPoint (.pptx)

Every scaffolded slide project includes ready-to-run build scripts for interactive HTML, 16:9 vector PDF, and native Microsoft PowerPoint export (drawlib build pptx translates ::: block cards, text boxes, lists, tables, and ::: note speaker notes into editable 960×540 pt PowerPoint elements while embedding diagrams at 240 DPI):

# 1. Scaffold a bilingual 16:9 slide deck project
uv run drawlib init project slide pitch -l en,ja -s google

# 2. Compile interactive 16:9 HTML deck + 1920x1080 vector PDF + standalone assets
./pitch_src/build.sh

# 3. Export native editable PowerPoint decks (pitch_en.pptx & pitch_ja.pptx)
./pitch_src/build_pptx.sh
# Equivalent CLI command:
uv run drawlib build pptx pitch_src/ -o pitch.pptx -s pitch_src/styles.py -u pitch_src/utils.py

13. Documentation as Code & The 5 Project Archetypes

Writing standalone diagrams is only half the story. In real engineering organizations, architecture visuals live inside multi-chapter design documents, searchable API portals, RFC whitepapers, and executive slide decks that must stay synchronized across languages and output formats.

Drawlib elevates Illustration as Code into Illustrated Documentation as Code: a unified project compiler where pure-Python diagrams and Markdown prose live side-by-side in Git and compile deterministically into static HTML websites, A4 vector PDFs, editable Microsoft Word (.docx) specifications, 16:9 HTML/PDF slide decks, native PowerPoint (.pptx) files, and animated image suites.

13_doc_as_code_and_projects_1
Figure 13.1: Drawlib's Single Source of Truth Compiling into the 5 Project Archetypes (v0.3.7)
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line, lines
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=158, height=74)

text(
    (79.0, 68.2),
    "Drawlib v0.3.7 — Single Source of Truth to the 5 Project Archetypes",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.8),
)

# Left Focal Hub (1 PrimaryFlat hero node)
rectangle((24.0, 34.5), width=34.0, height=55.0, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.2))
phosphor.git_branch((24.0, 55.0), width=5.6, style=Styles.WhiteBold)
text((24.0, 46.2), "Git Source\nof Truth", style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.5))
line((11.0, 39.8), (37.0, 39.8), style=Styles.White)
text(
    (24.0, 23.2),
    "• drawlib.toml\n• styles.py\n• <lang>/styles.py\n• utils.py\n• _assets/\n• build.sh",
    style=Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.2),
)

# Orthogonal fan-out spine to the 3 rows
line((41.0, 34.5), (47.5, 34.5), style=Styles.DarkBold)
lines([(47.5, 34.5), (47.5, 53.5), (53.0, 53.5)], arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
line((47.5, 34.5), (53.0, 34.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
lines([(47.5, 34.5), (47.5, 15.5), (53.0, 15.5)], arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

# Row 1: images & doc (Neutral-grounded cards)
rectangle((76.5, 53.5), width=47.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.images((58.0, 57.5), width=4.6, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text((79.5, 57.5), "1. images — Asset Suites", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0))
text((76.5, 49.3), "*.py -> PNG / WebP / GIF / PDF / SVG", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

rectangle((128.5, 53.5), width=47.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.file_pdf((110.0, 57.5), width=4.6, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text((131.5, 57.5), "2. doc — Whitepapers", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0))
text((128.5, 49.3), "<lang>/*.md -> HTML / A4 PDF / DOCX", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

# Row 2: site & catalog
rectangle((76.5, 34.5), width=47.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.globe((58.0, 38.5), width=4.6, style=Styles.SecondaryBold)
text((79.5, 38.5), "3. site — Docs Portals", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0))
text((76.5, 30.3), "navbar.md -> Multi-Page HTML / PDF", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

rectangle((128.5, 34.5), width=47.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.brackets_curly((110.0, 38.5), width=4.6, style=Styles.SecondaryBold)
text((131.5, 38.5), "4. catalog — API Refs", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0))
text((128.5, 30.3), "# H1 & ## GET -> Split UI + / Filter", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

# Row 3: slide (Full-span widescreen card)
rectangle((102.5, 15.5), width=99.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.presentation_chart((61.0, 19.5), width=4.8, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text((104.5, 19.5), "5. slide — 16:9 Widescreen Presentation Decks", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2))
text(
    (102.5, 11.3),
    "1920x1080 ::: block & ::: note -> Interactive HTML / 16:9 PDF / Editable PPTX",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2),
)

save()

13.1 The Project-First Rule (drawlib init project)

When starting any visual or documentation task—even a single architecture figure—always follow Drawlib's Project-First Rule: scaffold a structured <target>_src/ workspace with drawlib init project rather than scattering ad-hoc standalone .py scripts or hand-crafting folders.

Scaffolding a project up front establishes five engineering guarantees out of the box:

Use drawlib init project <type> [target] -l <langs> -s <style> to initialize any of the five archetypes (and delete starter sample*.py files once you add your own diagrams):

# Inspect all 5 starter project templates
uv run drawlib init project list

# 1. Standalone Python diagram & animation repository (images_src/)
uv run drawlib init project images diagrams -l en -s google

# 2. Bilingual linear technical whitepaper -> HTML + A4 PDF + MS Word (.docx)
uv run drawlib init project doc whitepaper -l en,ja -s google

# 3. Multi-page documentation portal with sidebar navigation (docs_src/)
uv run drawlib init project site docs -l en,ja -s default

# 4. Searchable API / CLI / schema reference dictionary (catalog_src/)
uv run drawlib init project catalog api_ref -l en,ja -s google

# 5. Bilingual 16:9 presentation slide deck -> HTML + PDF + PowerPoint (.pptx)
uv run drawlib init project slide pitch -l en,ja -s google

13.2 Embedded Markdown Diagrams & 720pt Typography Parity

Inside doc, site, catalog, and slide Markdown files (<target>_src/<lang>/**/*.md), Python illustrations are embedded directly inline using fenced drawlib blocks. During compilation, Drawlib executes each block in an isolated canvas state, caches the rendered output in .drawlib/cache.db, and replaces the fence with responsive figure markup.

```drawlib align=center code=fold file=gateway_flow.png caption="Figure 13.3: Regional API Gateway Topology"
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles

setup(width=136, height=44)

rectangle((28, 22), width=32, height=18, style=Styles.Neutral, text="Client App")
rectangle(
    (68, 22),
    width=32,
    height=18,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat,
    text="API Gateway",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold,
)
rectangle((108, 22), width=32, height=18, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral, text="Auth Service")

line((44, 22), (52, 22), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
line((84, 22), (92, 22), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
save()
```

Every embedded drawlib fence supports four header attributes that govern file naming, layout, and code disclosure:

Fence Attribute Supported Values Recommended Usage
file= <stem>.png / .webp / .svg Mandatory. Assigns a deterministic filename (file=arch.png for shared diagrams, or file=arch_ja.png for localized CJK diagrams) so drawlib show <md> <file> can target it by name.
caption= "Figure X.Y: ..." Mandatory on docs. Renders an accessible <figcaption> in HTML/PDF and figure caption paragraph in .docx.
align= center | left | right Controls horizontal figure alignment inside the document column (align=center standard).
code= hide | fold | show code=hide (default) emits only the figure for clean whitepapers; code=fold renders the figure first with a collapsible <details> code drawer (mandatory for Top Hero diagrams at Lines 5–15); code=show displays syntax-highlighted Python above the figure for API tutorials.

Why Omitting Pixel width= Caps Preserves 720pt Typography

Drawlib's rendering engine normalizes every canvas (setup(width=W, height=H)) to a physical width of 10 inches = 720 points regardless of whether W=100 or W=160. When that image is displayed inside an HTML column of width $W_{\text{HTML}}$ (typically ~880px–960px), an in-diagram text_size (in points) appears on screen at:

$$\text{Rendered CSS Font Size (px)} = \text{text_size} \times \frac{W_{\text{HTML}}}{720}$$

13.3 Comparing the 5 Project Archetypes

Drawlib v0.3.7 provides five purpose-built project archetypes. All four Markdown-driven archetypes (doc, site, catalog, slide) use the exact same <target>_src/<lang>/ locale directory convention so teams can add new languages at any time without moving existing files.

Archetype Source Layout Navigation & Structure Compiled Deliverables Primary Engineering Use Cases
images images_src/*.py Flat or nested Python scripts; AST duplicate output check .png (incl. APNG), .webp, .gif, .pdf, .svg Architecture asset libraries, README figures, CI-generated charts, multi-frame protocol animations
doc doc_src/<lang>/*.md (00_cover.md, 01_*...) Lexicographical chapter merge + --generate-index TOC (no navbar.md) Single-page HTML book, A4 vector PDF, editable Word .docx, GitHub MD Engineering RFCs, architecture whitepapers, onboarding manuals, printable specs & stakeholder redlining
site docs_src/<lang>/**/*.md + <lang>/navbar.md Persistent multi-section sidebar (navbar.md), dark mode, search Multi-page HTML portal, per-page PDF, GitHub MD, llms.txt Product documentation portals, developer guides, multi-team architecture wikis
catalog catalog_src/<lang>/*.md (auto-indexed) Sticky 2-column split/outline UI from # H1 & ## H2 + instant / live filter Interactive 2-column HTML dictionary, GitHub MD, llms.txt REST/gRPC API references, CLI flag manuals, event/metric catalogs, database schema dictionaries
slide slide_src/<lang>/*.md (01_title.md...) 1920×1080 ::: block stage + ::: note speaker script + Presenter View 16:9 interactive HTML deck, 16:9 vector PDF, editable PowerPoint .pptx Technical keynotes, architecture review decks, sprint demos, customer executive briefings

Key capabilities distinguishing each archetype in daily workflows:

  1. images (Standalone Diagrams & Animations): Each *.py script calling save() automatically emits <script_stem>.png (or .webp/.gif for Animation() loops). Before running any script, drawlib build image parses all files via Python's ast module and aborts immediately if two scripts would collide on the same output filename. When writing multiple files inside one script, call clear() before each subsequent setup().
  2. doc (Linear Multi-Chapter Books, PDF & Word .docx): Merges numbered chapters (00_cover.md, 01_overview.md, ...) in sorted order, injecting CSS/Word page breaks (--page-break) and a localized Table of Contents (--generate-index) right after 00_cover.md. Alongside ./doc_src/build.sh (HTML + A4 PDF), run ./doc_src/build_docx.sh (drawlib build docx) whenever stakeholders need a native editable .docx file.
  3. site (Multi-Page Documentation Portals): Driven by <lang>/navbar.md, compiling nested Markdown trees into responsive static portals with light/dark theme switching, localized sidebars, syntax highlighting, and cross-page link rewriting (.md -> .html).
  4. catalog (Searchable Reference Dictionaries): Eliminates manual sidebar maintenance (1 Markdown = 1 HTML Page). Each file's # H1 becomes a collapsible sidebar category, while every ## H2 becomes a scroll-spied #slug entry supporting instant / keyboard live filtering and color-coded semantic prefix badges—including HTTP verbs (## `GET` /v1/users/<id>, ## `POST` /v1/orders), code symbols (## `def` setup(), ## `class` BarChart), and infrastructure entities (## `service` auth-api, ## `table` accounts, ## `cmd` drawlib build).
  5. slide (16:9 Widescreen Decks & Editable .pptx): Separates concise visual slides (::: block xy=(x, y) width=W height=H on a 1920×1080 canvas) from rich presenter scripts (::: note). In addition to dual-screen HTML Presenter View and 16:9 vector PDFs, ./slide_src/build_pptx.sh (drawlib build pptx) measures the live Chromium DOM to emit native editable PowerPoint shapes, text boxes, tables, speaker notes, and 240 DPI diagrams.
13_doc_as_code_and_projects_2
Figure 13.2: Multi-Locale Project Directory Anatomy (TreeNode Source Layout Compiling into docs/ Deliverables)
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.smartarts import CardList, Panel, TreeNode
from drawlib.styles import Colors, Styles

setup(width=158, height=74)

# Left Panel: Source of Truth Directory Tree
src_panel = Panel(
    "Source of Truth (docs_src/)",
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
    header_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.0),
    icon=phosphor.folder,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=8.8,
)
src_panel.draw((6.0, 6.0), width=76.0, height=62.0)

TreeNode.register_drawing_item(
    name="dir_item",
    location="before",
    padding_width=4.4,
    function=phosphor.folder,
    style=Styles.Primary.patch(icon_color=Colors.Primary),
    args={"width": 3.0},
)
TreeNode.register_drawing_item(
    name="py_item",
    location="before",
    padding_width=4.4,
    function=phosphor.file_py,
    style=Styles.Secondary.patch(icon_color=Colors.Secondary),
    args={"width": 3.0},
)
TreeNode.register_drawing_item(
    name="cfg_item",
    location="before",
    padding_width=4.4,
    function=phosphor.file_code,
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(icon_color=Colors.Dark),
    args={"width": 3.0},
)

root = TreeNode(
    "docs_src/",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
    line_style=Styles.MutedBold.patch(line_width=1.2),
    line_horizontal_margin=2.8,
    line_horizontal_length=2.8,
    line_vertical_margin=4.8,
    children=[
        TreeNode("drawlib.toml  ([project], [i18n], [seo])", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2)).set_drawing_item("cfg_item"),
        TreeNode("styles.py & utils.py  (Shared Theme)", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2)).set_drawing_item("py_item"),
        TreeNode("_assets/  (favicon.png, brand logos)", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2)).set_drawing_item("dir_item"),
        TreeNode(
            "en/  (Default Locale)",
            children=[
                TreeNode("navbar.md & index.md", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0)).set_drawing_item("cfg_item"),
            ],
        ).set_drawing_item("dir_item"),
        TreeNode(
            "ja/  (Japanese Locale)",
            children=[
                TreeNode("styles.py, navbar.md & index.md", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0)).set_drawing_item("py_item"),
            ],
        ).set_drawing_item("dir_item"),
        TreeNode("build.sh & serve.sh", text_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.2)).set_drawing_item("cfg_item"),
    ],
).set_drawing_item("dir_item")
root.draw(xy=(10.5, 54.5))

# Compiler Connector
line((83.2, 37.0), (89.8, 37.0), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

# Right Panel: Compiled Deliverables
out_panel = Panel(
    "Compiled Deliverables (docs/)",
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
    header_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.0),
    icon=phosphor.globe,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=8.8,
)
out_panel.draw((91.0, 6.0), width=61.0, height=62.0)

outputs = CardList(
    style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.8),
    description_style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
    badge_shape="none",
    icon_style=Styles.DarkBold,
    spacing=2.2,
)
outputs.add(
    "docs/ (or docs_html/)",
    "en/, ja/, shared images/, switcher",
    icon=phosphor.globe,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.8),
    description_style=Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.0),
    icon_style=Styles.WhiteBold,
)
outputs.add(
    "PDF & Office Deliverables",
    "*_<lang>.pdf, .docx & .pptx",
    icon=phosphor.file_pdf,
)
outputs.add(
    "SEO & AI Agent Index",
    "sitemap.xml, robots.txt & llms.txt",
    icon=phosphor.brackets_curly,
)
outputs.add(
    "Incremental Cache (.drawlib/)",
    "SHA-256 SQLite cache.db (<1ms hit)",
    icon=phosphor.database,
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.6),
)
outputs.draw((94.5, 9.0), width=54.0, height=46.5)

save()

13.4 Configuring drawlib.toml: [project], [i18n], and [seo]

Every Markdown-based Drawlib project (doc, site, catalog, slide) is governed by drawlib.toml at the root of <target>_src/. Centralizing metadata in drawlib.toml eliminates fragile CLI flag duplication across shell scripts and CI workflows:

[project]
name = "platform_docs"
type = "site"                 # "images" | "doc" | "site" | "catalog" | "slide"
title = "Cloud Platform Architecture"
description = "Unified architecture portal and API guide."
style = "google"              # "default" | "google" | "monochrome"

[i18n]
default_lang = "en"
langs = ["en", "ja"]          # Always present on doc/site/catalog/slide (even ["en"])

[i18n.labels]
en = "English"
ja = "日本語"

[i18n.descriptions]
en = "Cloud Platform architecture documentation and operational runbooks."
ja = "クラウドプラットフォームのアーキテクチャ設計書および運用ガイド。"

[seo]
site_url = "https://docs.example.com"
og_image = "_assets/ogp.png"
twitter_card = "summary_large_image"
sitemap = true
robots = true
llms_txt = true

Multi-Language Skeleton Parity ([i18n]) & AI Discoverability ([seo])

When langs contains two or more locales (such as ["en", "ja"]), Drawlib runs four mechanical pre-flight parity checks before rendering any page, catching translation drift at build time rather than in production:

14. CLI Toolchain & Autonomous AI Agent Workflows

Drawlib is engineered from the ground up for both human developers and multimodal AI coding assistants. Because every diagram, document, and slide deck compiles headlessly through a deterministic Command Line Interface (drawlib), AI agents never have to guess pixel coordinates blindly or rely on manual GUI clicks.

Instead, an AI coding agent reads on-demand API manuals (drawlib rules show), scaffolds a project (drawlib init), renders single-diagram coordinate grids (drawlib show -g), visually inspects its own output multimodally, self-corrects overlaps in a single pass, and validates every link before delivery (drawlib serve --check).

14_cli_and_ai_workflow_1
Figure 14.1: The 3-Stage Autonomous AI Multimodal Self-Correction Loop
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line, lines
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=158, height=70)

text(
    (79.0, 63.8),
    "Autonomous 3-Stage Multimodal AI Self-Correction Loop",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.8),
)

# Step 0: Rules & Authoring (Neutral)
rectangle((22.5, 39.5), width=32.5, height=33.0, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.book_open((22.5, 50.8), width=5.0, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text((22.5, 44.0), "0. Rules & Code", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0))
text(
    (22.5, 31.8),
    "• rules show <topic>\n• Author .md / .py\n• styles.py & utils.py",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

# Stage 1: Static & Anchor Check (PrimaryNeutral)
rectangle((60.2, 39.5), width=32.5, height=33.0, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.list_checks((60.2, 50.8), width=5.0, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text((60.2, 44.0), "Stage 1: Static", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0))
text(
    (60.2, 31.8),
    "• 2+ figs & Hero L5-15\n• text_size >= 10.0\n• Verify anchors",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

# Stage 2: Micro-Geometry Grid Vision (Focal PrimaryFlat Hero)
rectangle((97.8, 39.5), width=32.5, height=33.0, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.grid_four((97.8, 50.8), width=5.0, style=Styles.WhiteBold)
text((97.8, 44.0), "Stage 2: Grid (-g)", style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.0))
text(
    (97.8, 31.8),
    "• drawlib show -g\n• 10/5u grid vision\n• Fix text overlaps",
    style=Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

# Stage 3: Macro-Page Review (SecondaryNeutral)
rectangle((135.5, 39.5), width=32.5, height=33.0, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.browser((135.5, 50.8), width=5.0, style=Styles.SecondaryBold)
text((135.5, 44.0), "Stage 3: Macro", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.0))
text(
    (135.5, 31.8),
    "• build & serve --check\n• 1280x920 browser\n• PDF / DOCX / PPTX",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

# Forward pipeline arrows
line((38.8, 39.5), (43.9, 39.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
line((76.5, 39.5), (81.5, 39.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
line((114.1, 39.5), (119.2, 39.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

# Closed-loop feedback path from Stage 2 back to Step 0
lines([(97.8, 22.8), (97.8, 11.0), (22.5, 11.0), (22.5, 22.2)], arrow_head="->", style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
rectangle((60.2, 11.0), width=64.0, height=7.6, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
text(
    (60.2, 11.0),
    "Self-Correction Loop: Exact 1-Shot Coordinate Fix",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2),
)

save()

14.1 Bootstrapping Projects & AI Agent Rules (drawlib init)

The drawlib init command group handles two foundational setup tasks: scaffolding project workspaces (drawlib init project) and provisioning AI coding assistant instruction files (drawlib init agent).

Running drawlib init agent installs Drawlib's architectural conventions, 720pt typography math, coordinate anchor rules, and 3-stage verification protocol directly into your AI assistant's native rule directory. Drawlib v0.3.7 provides 9 built-in agent targets—and because AGENTS.md is an open multi-tool standard, it also works seamlessly with AGENTS.md-compatible tools (including OpenCode and Kiro):

CLI Target AI Coding Assistant Generated Workspace Path Rule Format & Loading Behavior
antigravity Google Antigravity .agents/rules/drawlib.md YAML frontmatter (trigger: model_decision or always_on)
gemini Gemini CLI GEMINI.md Non-destructive HTML comment marker merge (~/.gemini/GEMINI.md with --global)
claude Claude Code .claude/rules/drawlib.md Modular Markdown rule coexisting cleanly with root CLAUDE.md
cursor Cursor .cursor/rules/drawlib.mdc MDC frontmatter (description, alwaysApply)
codex OpenAI Codex / AGENTS.md AGENTS.md Non-destructive HTML marker merge; shared by Codex, Kiro & AGENTS.md agents
copilot GitHub Copilot .github/instructions/drawlib.instructions.md YAML frontmatter (applyTo: "**/*_src/**, **/*.md, **/*.py")
windsurf Windsurf .windsurf/rules/drawlib.md Cascade workspace rule with YAML trigger frontmatter
cline Cline .clinerules/drawlib.md Individually toggleable rule inside .clinerules/
roo Roo Code .roo/rules/drawlib.md Modular workspace or --global Roo rule file

Pass --detect to inspect existing configuration folders in any repository and generate matching rule files automatically, or -m auto (default) so the rule activates on demand without consuming context tokens on unrelated backend tasks:

# List all supported AI coding agent targets and destination paths
uv run drawlib init agent list

# Auto-detect configured AI assistants in the current repo and install rules
uv run drawlib init agent --detect

# Explicitly generate modular rules for specific assistants (or 'all' for all 7 modular files)
uv run drawlib init agent antigravity claude cursor copilot

# Force always-on loading for dedicated documentation repositories
uv run drawlib init agent antigravity --mode always

# Install user-wide global Drawlib rules into ~/.claude/rules/ or ~/.gemini/config/rules/
uv run drawlib init agent claude --global

14.2 Compilation, Incremental Caching & Dev Server

Once a project is scaffolded, five core CLI command groups drive day-to-day authoring, rapid visual inspection, multi-target publishing, and CI quality gates:

Command Group Key Subcommands & Flags Core Purpose
drawlib build html, pdf, docx, slide, pptx, markdown, image (-s, -u, --no-cache) Compiles <target>_src/ into HTML portals/books/decks, vector PDFs, editable .docx/.pptx Office files, GitHub Markdown, and batch PNG/WebP/GIF images.
drawlib show <file> [target] -s styles.py -u utils.py -g -o preview.png Renders a single .py script or named Markdown block (file=arch.png) headlessly to disk with an optional 10/5-unit coordinate grid (-g).
drawlib serve <html_dir> [-p 8000] [--no-browser] [--check] Launches a zero-dependency local HTTP preview server, or runs --check in CI to verify zero broken <a href> links or missing <img src> assets.
drawlib cache list, clear --images, clear --all, download --all, download --browser Manages .drawlib/cache.db SQLite diagram hashes and pre-downloads fonts, 34 icon suites, GeoJSON maps, and Playwright headless Chromium.
drawlib rules list, show <topic> [--raw | --rebuild], build --all, clear Built-in self-documenting manual (overview, cli, style-guide, review-guide, lib-*) with on-demand reference illustrations for humans and LLMs.

Inside .drawlib/cache.db: SHA-256 Content-Addressed Caching

Re-executing 50 Python diagrams on every prose typo fix would slow down iterative writing. Before running any drawlib block or .py script, Drawlib computes a deterministic SHA-256 digest across four inputs:

  1. The exact Python source code of the diagram block or script.
  2. The full contents of styles.py (-s) and utils.py (-u).
  3. Local static files referenced as string literals (such as "_assets/logo.png").
  4. Target output format (png, webp, svg), relative path, and slide context.

On a cache hit in .drawlib/cache.db, Drawlib restores the compiled binary in under 1 millisecond without invoking Matplotlib. The database automatically writes .drawlib/.gitignore (*), invalidates entries when drawlib or matplotlib versions upgrade, and evicts the oldest 50% of blobs above 1 GiB. If your diagram imports an external custom Python module outside styles.py and utils.py, pass --no-cache or run drawlib cache clear --images:

# 1. Inspect a single named Markdown diagram headlessly with the 10/5-unit grid (-g)
uv run drawlib show doc_src/en/01_overview.md system_arch.png \
    -s doc_src/styles.py -u doc_src/utils.py -g --no-cache -o .drawlib/scratch/arch_grid.png

# 2. Multi-target builds (HTML, A4 PDF with TOC, MS Word .docx, 16:9 Slides & PowerPoint .pptx)
uv run drawlib build html docs_src/ -o docs_html/ -s docs_src/styles.py -u docs_src/utils.py
uv run drawlib build pdf doc_src/ -o manual.pdf --page-break --generate-index -s doc_src/styles.py
uv run drawlib build docx doc_src/ -o manual.docx --page-break --generate-index --dpi 200
uv run drawlib build slide slide_src/ -o slide_html/ -s slide_src/styles.py
uv run drawlib build pptx slide_src/ -o slide.pptx --dpi 240 -s slide_src/styles.py
uv run drawlib build markdown docs_src/ -o docs_markdown/
uv run drawlib build image images_src/ -o images/ -f webp

# 3. CI pre-warming, SQLite image cache reset, broken-link check & on-demand rules lookup
uv run drawlib cache download --all
uv run drawlib cache clear --images
uv run drawlib serve docs_html/ --check
uv run drawlib rules list
uv run drawlib rules show lib-smartarts-overview --raw
14_cli_and_ai_workflow_2
Figure 14.2: Drawlib CLI Command Ecosystem & SHA-256 SQLite Build Cache Pipeline
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=158, height=76)

text(
    (79.0, 70.2),
    "Drawlib CLI Toolchain & SHA-256 Incremental Cache Architecture",
    style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.8),
)

# Top Row of CLI Command Groups (3 cards, width=46.0)
rectangle((29.0, 56.5), width=46.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.folder_plus((11.5, 60.5), width=4.6, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text((31.5, 60.5), "drawlib init", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2))
text((29.0, 52.2), "project (5 types) | agent (--detect)", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

rectangle((79.0, 56.5), width=46.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.book_open((61.5, 60.5), width=4.6, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text((81.5, 60.5), "drawlib rules", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2))
text((79.0, 52.2), "list | show <topic> (--raw)", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

rectangle((129.0, 56.5), width=46.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.grid_four((111.5, 60.5), width=4.6, style=Styles.PrimaryBold)
text((131.5, 60.5), "drawlib show", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2))
text((129.0, 52.2), "<file> [target] -g -o preview.png", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

# Middle Row of CLI Command Groups (build is the 1 PrimaryFlat focal card)
rectangle((29.0, 37.0), width=46.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.cpu((11.5, 41.0), width=4.6, style=Styles.WhiteBold)
text((31.5, 41.0), "drawlib build", style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=11.2))
text((29.0, 32.7), "html | pdf | docx | slide | pptx | image", style=Styles.White.patch(text_size=10.0))

rectangle((79.0, 37.0), width=46.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.globe((61.5, 41.0), width=4.6, style=Styles.SecondaryBold)
text((81.5, 41.0), "drawlib serve", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2))
text((79.0, 32.7), "<dir> -p 8000 | --check (CI gate)", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

rectangle((129.0, 37.0), width=46.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0))
phosphor.database((111.5, 41.0), width=4.6, style=Styles.SecondaryBold)
text((131.5, 41.0), "drawlib cache", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2))
text((129.0, 32.7), "list | clear --images | download --all", style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0))

# Bottom Pipeline Bar: .drawlib/cache.db SHA-256 Engine
rectangle((79.0, 14.0), width=146.0, height=16.5, style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2))
rectangle((31.0, 14.0), width=42.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
text((31.0, 14.0), "Code + styles/utils + _assets", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0))

line((52.0, 14.0), (59.5, 14.0), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

rectangle((78.5, 14.0), width=36.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.5))
text((78.5, 14.0), "SHA-256 cache.db", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2))

line((96.5, 14.0), (104.0, 14.0), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

rectangle((126.5, 14.0), width=43.0, height=11.5, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
text((126.5, 14.0), "Hit: <1ms | Miss: Render", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.0))

# Connect build -> SHA-256 pipeline outer boundary cleanly
line((29.0, 28.5), (29.0, 22.6), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

save()

14.3 Deep-Dive: The 3-Stage Autonomous AI Review Loop

Inspecting a single PNG in isolation is not enough to guarantee publication quality: a diagram might have subtle label overlaps inside the canvas (micro-geometry defects) or shrink to microscopic text inside an HTML column or 16:9 slide (macro-page defects). AI agents eliminate both failure modes by executing all three verification stages before finishing:

  1. Stage 1 — Static Code & Anchor Pre-Check:
    • Confirm >= 2 embedded drawlib diagrams per documentation page and a Top Hero diagram starting on Lines 5–15 with code=fold (so readers see a visual summary above the fold).
    • Confirm zero pixel width caps (width=500px/600px omitted), text_size >= 10.0, strictly relative Markdown paths, and exact coordinate anchor semantics (Center vs. Bottom-Left vs. Top-Left).
  2. Stage 2 — Micro-Geometry Grid Review (drawlib show -g):
    • Export each created or modified diagram headlessly with -g (uv run drawlib show <file> <target.png> -s styles.py -u utils.py -g -o .drawlib/scratch/<unique>_grid.png) and inspect the PNG with multimodal vision.
    • Because -g overlays 10-unit major grid lines (labeled numerically) and 5-unit minor dashed lines, the agent reads off exact coordinate adjustments in a single iteration—fixing any text border clipping, arrowhead collisions, perimeter margins (< 4–6 units), or rainbow color overuse (< 50% neutral fills).
  3. Stage 3 — Macro-Page & Deliverable Verification:
    • Compile the project (./<target>_src/build.sh), run uv run drawlib serve <target>_html/ --check to verify zero broken internal links or missing image assets, and capture a 1280×920 headless Chromium screenshot of the rendered HTML (or inspect compiled PDF, DOCX, and PPTX pages).
    • Confirm that the Top Hero sits cleanly above the fold and that in-diagram typography matches surrounding 16px HTML prose (or 26px slide prose on 1920×1080 decks), then clean up .drawlib/scratch/.

14.4 Scaling with Parallel Multi-Agent Delegation

When creating or updating multi-chapter whitepapers (doc), multi-section portals (site/catalog), or 20-slide decks (slide), loading dozens of high-resolution grid preview PNGs into a single agent's context window wastes tokens and latency. Drawlib's modular file architecture maps cleanly onto a 3-Phase Orchestrator–Subagent Workflow:

15. Visual Design Rules & Production Checklist

Great technical diagrams communicate system architecture in under three seconds—not by adding decorative colors, but through disciplined typography scaling, calm neutral contrast, predictable coordinate anchors, and reusable component macros.

This final chapter consolidates Drawlib's engineering design laws into a single-page production cheat sheet that human authors and AI coding agents can consult before shipping any diagram, whitepaper, portal, API catalog, or 16:9 presentation deck.

15_best_practices_1
Figure 15.1: Color & Contrast Discipline — DON'T (Rainbow Overload) vs. DO (50%+ Neutral Baseline + 1 Focal Highlight)
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line, lines
from drawlib.shapes import rectangle
from drawlib.smartarts import Panel
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=158, height=68)

# Left Panel: DON'T (Rainbow Overload & Competing Saturated Fills)
dont_panel = Panel(
    "DON'T: Rainbow Overload & Low Contrast",
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
    header_style=Styles.DangerNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.4),
    icon=phosphor.x_circle,
    icon_style=Styles.DangerBold,
    header_height=8.8,
)
dont_panel.draw((6.0, 6.0), width=70.0, height=56.0)

rectangle(
    (24.0, 42.5),
    width=25.0,
    height=11.5,
    style=Styles.AccentFlat.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text="Client App",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)
rectangle(
    (57.0, 42.5),
    width=27.0,
    height=11.5,
    style=Styles.WarningFlat.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text="API Gateway",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)
rectangle(
    (24.0, 25.5),
    width=25.0,
    height=11.5,
    style=Styles.SuccessFlat.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text="Auth Worker",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)
rectangle(
    (57.0, 25.5),
    width=27.0,
    height=11.5,
    style=Styles.DangerFlat.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text="Primary DB",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)

line((36.5, 42.5), (43.5, 42.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.AccentBold)
line((57.0, 36.7), (57.0, 31.3), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DangerBold)
lines([(43.5, 39.5), (39.5, 39.5), (39.5, 25.5), (36.5, 25.5)], arrow_head="->", style=Styles.PrimaryBold)

rectangle((41.0, 12.2), width=62.0, height=7.4, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.4))
text(
    (41.0, 12.2),
    "4 competing saturated boxes -> Zero visual hierarchy",
    style=Styles.DangerBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

# Right Panel: DO (50%+ Neutral Baseline + 1 Focal PrimaryFlat Highlight)
do_panel = Panel(
    "DO: 50%+ Neutral Baseline + 1 Focal Hero",
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.2),
    header_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.4),
    icon=phosphor.check_circle,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=8.8,
)
do_panel.draw((82.0, 6.0), width=70.0, height=56.0)

rectangle((117.0, 34.0), width=63.0, height=33.5, style=Styles.MutedDashed.patch(shape_r=1.8))

rectangle(
    (100.0, 42.5),
    width=25.0,
    height=11.5,
    style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text="Client App",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)
rectangle(
    (133.0, 42.5),
    width=27.0,
    height=11.5,
    style=Styles.PrimaryFlat.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text="API Gateway",
    text_style=Styles.WhiteBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)
rectangle(
    (100.0, 25.5),
    width=25.0,
    height=11.5,
    style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text="Auth Worker",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)
rectangle(
    (133.0, 25.5),
    width=27.0,
    height=11.5,
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=1.6),
    text="Primary DB",
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.5),
)

line((112.5, 42.5), (119.5, 42.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
line((133.0, 36.7), (133.0, 31.3), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
lines([(119.5, 39.5), (115.5, 39.5), (115.5, 25.5), (112.5, 25.5)], arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)

rectangle((117.0, 12.2), width=62.0, height=7.4, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.4))
text(
    (117.0, 12.2),
    "Calm neutral architecture + 1 crisp focal highlight",
    style=Styles.PrimaryBold.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

save()

15.1 The 720pt Typography Scale & Width Discipline

Because Drawlib maps every canvas width (setup(width=W, height=H)) to 10 inches = 720 points, rendered font size in HTML or PDF depends strictly on text_size × ContainerWidth / 720. Hardcoding narrow pixel caps like width=500px or width=600px on a Markdown fence shrinks the container below 720pt, breaking visual parity with 16px HTML prose. Always omit pixel width= caps on documentation fences and follow this typography scale:

Hierarchy Role Recommended text_size Recommended Styles Token Rendered Size in ~900px Column
Canvas Title 14.0 – 16.0 Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=14.5) ~17.5px – 20.0px (Clear banner lead)
Section / Group Header 12.0 – 13.5 Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=12.5) ~15.0px – 16.9px (Matches subheadings)
Node / Card Body 10.5 – 12.0 Styles.DarkBold (light) / Styles.WhiteBold (*Flat) ~13.1px – 15.0px (Matches 16px prose)
Edge / Axis Labels 10.0 Styles.Dark or Styles.Muted ~12.5px (Clean protocol/unit caption)
Strict Floor (Ticks / Code) 9.5 (Never < 9.5) Styles.Dark / SourceCode ~11.9px (Minimum legible threshold)

16:9 Slide Deck Adjustment (1920×1080 Stage): Slide prose defaults to 26px—much larger than 16px web docs. When placing a diagram inside a half-width 2-column ::: block (width=960..1040), raise node/axis text_size to 13.5 – 15.5 (and titles to 16.0 – 18.5) while widening boxes by 25%–40% so labels match adjacent slide bullets.

15.2 The 50%+ Neutral Baseline & Contrast Discipline

Human-crafted architecture diagrams use color sparingly to direct attention rather than decorate every box:

15.3 Master Coordinate Anchor Cheat Sheet

Every Drawlib canvas uses Cartesian coordinates with (0, 0) at the bottom-left (+X right, +Y up), but individual component families interpret their xy placement parameter using one of three anchor conventions. Memorizing—or verifying—this table prevents 100% of off-by-half layout shifts:

Anchor Convention Drawlib Families & Classes How xy Behaves Horizontal / Vertical Span
Center (cx, cy) shapes.* (rectangle, circle, cylinder, ...)
text.text(), icons.* (phosphor, gcp, aws, azure, ...)
images.image()
smartarts.Cycle, smartarts.MindMapNode
diagrams.* Node(..., xy=(cx, cy))		 Geometric center of the element x: [cx - w/2, cx + w/2]
y: [cy - h/2, cy + h/2]
Bottom-Left (x0, y0) charts.* (all 10 quantitative charts)
diagrams.* d.draw(xy=(x0, y0)) & NodeGroup(..., xy=(x0, y0))
Most smartarts.* (BoxList, CardList, ChevronProcess, GridLayout, Pyramid, KpiCards, Roadmap, Panel, GeoMap, *Calendar)		 Bottom-left corner (+x right, +y up); center on canvas W via x0 = (W - width) / 2 x: [x0, x0 + width]
y: [y0, y0 + height]
Top-Left (x0, y_top) smartarts.Table
smartarts.TreeNode
smartarts.BulletPoints
smartarts.SourceCode		 Top-left corner (+x right, rows/branches grow downward toward y = 0) x: [x0, x0 + width]
y: [y_top - height, y_top]
Dual Solver (get_layout()) graph.* (ArchitectureGraph, LayerGraph, TreeGraph, RadialGraph, GridGraph) Exposes both center and corner coordinates on computed layout objects .xy / .local_xy (Center)
.bottom_left / .local_bottom_left
15_best_practices_2
Figure 15.2: Visual Coordinate Anchor Cheat Sheet — Center (cx, cy), Bottom-Left (x0, y0), and Top-Left (x0, y_top)
Source Code 
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.icons import phosphor
from drawlib.lines import line
from drawlib.shapes import circle, rectangle
from drawlib.smartarts import Panel
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.text import text

setup(width=158, height=70)

# Card 1: Center (cx, cy)
p1 = Panel(
    "1. Center (cx, cy)",
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
    header_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2),
    icon=phosphor.crosshair,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=8.5,
)
p1.draw((6.0, 6.0), width=46.0, height=58.0)

text((29.0, 51.5), "Anchor: (cx, cy)", style=Styles.PrimaryBold.patch(text_size=10.2))
rectangle((29.0, 41.0), width=28.0, height=13.0, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
line((15.0, 41.0), (43.0, 41.0), style=Styles.MutedDashed)
line((29.0, 34.5), (29.0, 47.5), style=Styles.MutedDashed)
circle((29.0, 41.0), radius=2.3, style=Styles.PrimaryOutlineBold)
circle((29.0, 41.0), radius=1.3, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)

line((10.5, 29.0), (47.5, 29.0), style=Styles.Muted)
text(
    (29.0, 17.5),
    "• shapes.* & text()\n• icons.* & images.*\n• Cycle & MindMapNode\n• Diagram Node(xy=...)",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

# Card 2: Bottom-Left (x0, y0)
p2 = Panel(
    "2. Bottom-Left (x0, y0)",
    style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
    header_style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2),
    icon=phosphor.corners_out,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=8.5,
)
p2.draw((56.0, 6.0), width=46.0, height=58.0)

rectangle((79.0, 43.5), width=28.0, height=13.0, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
rectangle((71.5, 40.5), width=4.2, height=5.0, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral)
rectangle((79.0, 42.5), width=4.2, height=9.0, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral)
rectangle((86.5, 41.5), width=4.2, height=7.0, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral)
line((65.0, 37.0), (94.8, 37.0), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
line((65.0, 37.0), (65.0, 51.8), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
circle((65.0, 37.0), radius=1.6, style=Styles.AccentFlat)
text((79.0, 32.5), "Anchor: (x0, y0)", style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=10.2))

line((60.5, 29.0), (97.5, 29.0), style=Styles.Muted)
text(
    (79.0, 17.5),
    "• All 10 Charts\n• Diagrams draw(xy=...)\n• ChevronProcess, Panel\n• CardList, KpiCards",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

# Card 3: Top-Left (x0, y_top)
p3 = Panel(
    "3. Top-Left (x0, y_top)",
    style=Styles.Neutral.patch(shape_r=2.0),
    header_style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral,
    text_style=Styles.DarkBold.patch(text_size=11.2),
    icon=phosphor.squares_four,
    icon_style=Styles.PrimaryBold,
    header_height=8.5,
)
p3.draw((106.0, 6.0), width=46.0, height=58.0)

text((129.0, 51.5), "Anchor: (x0, y_top)", style=Styles.PrimaryBold.patch(text_size=10.2))
rectangle((129.0, 40.0), width=28.0, height=13.0, style=Styles.White.patch(shape_r=1.5))
rectangle((129.0, 44.5), width=28.0, height=4.0, style=Styles.PrimaryNeutral)
line((115.0, 38.0), (143.0, 38.0), style=Styles.Muted)
line((115.0, 46.5), (144.8, 46.5), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
line((115.0, 46.5), (115.0, 32.0), arrow_head="->", style=Styles.DarkBold)
circle((115.0, 46.5), radius=1.6, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)

line((110.5, 29.0), (147.5, 29.0), style=Styles.Muted)
text(
    (129.0, 17.5),
    "• Table\n• TreeNode\n• BulletPoints\n• SourceCode",
    style=Styles.Dark.patch(text_size=10.0),
)

save()

15.4 Reusable Project Macros (utils.py & styles.py)

When a project grows past five diagrams, copy-pasting custom card dimensions, subtitle offsets, or CJK font declarations across Markdown blocks invites visual drift. Keep diagrams DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) by separating concerns across two shared files:

# Inside any chapter block or script — reusing macros from utils.py & styles.py
from drawlib.canvas import save, setup
from drawlib.styles import Styles
from drawlib.utils import connect, service_card

setup(width=128, height=42)

# Neutral supporting nodes + 1 focal PrimaryFlat hero using shared macros
service_card((26, 21), "Ingress Proxy", "Envoy :443", width=32, height=18, style=Styles.PrimaryFlat)
service_card((96, 21), "Billing API", "Python / gRPC", width=32, height=18, style=Styles.SecondaryNeutral)
connect((42, 21), (80, 21), label="mTLS gRPC", style=Styles.DarkBold)

save()

15.5 Production Pre-Flight Checklist

Before merging a documentation pull request or publishing release deliverables, run through this five-point production pre-flight checklist: