Generates UML class diagrams for Ruby on Rails models and controllers as SVG or DOT files.
RailRoady is a Ruby gem that generates UML class diagrams for Ruby on Rails applications. It automatically visualizes model and controller relationships, helping developers document and understand their codebase structure. The tool outputs diagrams as SVG files or in the DOT language for further processing.
Rails developers and teams who need to visualize their application's architecture for documentation, onboarding, or refactoring purposes.
Developers choose RailRoady for its seamless integration with Rails projects via Rake tasks, extensive customization options, and reliable maintenance as a dedicated gem derived from the original 'railroad' project.
Ruby on Rails model and controller UML class diagram generator. (brew/port/apt-get install graphviz before use!)
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Includes built-in Rake tasks like 'rake diagram:all' for seamless diagram generation within Rails projects, as highlighted in the Usage section, reducing manual setup.
Offers numerous command-line switches to control diagram content, such as hiding methods, including engines, and specifying files, providing flexibility for different documentation needs.
Generates SVG files for easy viewing and DOT files for further processing with Graphviz, supporting various documentation and presentation requirements as noted in the output examples.
Can include models and controllers from Rails engines in diagrams via options like '--engine-models', making it suitable for modular applications with engine-based architecture.
Requires installation of Graphviz tools (dot, neato) and sed, adding setup overhead and potential compatibility issues on systems without these utilities, as emphasized in the System Requirements.
Only visualizes models and controllers, ignoring other Rails components like views, mailers, or jobs, which limits comprehensive architecture documentation despite extensive customization.
The README acknowledges a bug in Graphviz that causes text overflow in SVG files, necessitating manual fixes with sed or editing, as described in the Processing DOT files section, adding extra steps.
Diagrams are generated via one-off commands or tasks, lacking automatic updates or integration with live code changes, requiring manual re-execution for accuracy over time.