[Question] PlantUML images from any URL?

[Potherca]

I was curious regarding two statements regarding PlantUML and images/icon:

Icons: Icons and images are essential to professional-looking diagrams. How do the different tools handle it? Note: PlantUML's icon system is to include pre-packaged icon sets, so the example shown is one that uses their icon set.

and

Features	PlantUML
Images & Icons: What are the available options for including images and icons	X

As far as I'm aware, in PlantUML, an icon or image can be loaded from any URL. At least, I've not had any issues thus far.
Am I missing something, or am I reading the content wrong?

[alixander]

PlantUML, an icon or image can be loaded from any URL

do you have an example? I must've missed it, I was looking at https://plantuml.com/stdlib

[Potherca]

Sure!

For instance, using the example from the gilbarbara-plantuml-sprites repo:

@startuml
!$SPRITESURL = 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/plantuml-stdlib/gilbarbara-plantuml-sprites/v1.0/sprites'
!include $SPRITESURL/flask.puml
!include $SPRITESURL/kafka.puml
!include $SPRITESURL/kotlin.puml
!include $SPRITESURL/cassandra.puml

rectangle "<$flask>\nwebapp" as webapp
queue "<$kafka>" as kafka
rectangle "<$kotlin>\ndaemon" as daemon
database "<$cassandra>" as cassandra

webapp -> kafka
kafka -> daemon
daemon --> cassandra
@enduml

All "sprites" are loaded from remote files. Sprites are a converted form of image, but the same can be done using images:

@startuml
!$IMAGEURL = 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/plantuml-stdlib/gilbarbara-plantuml-sprites/master/pngs'

rectangle "<img:$IMAGEURL/flask.png>\nwebapp" as webapp
queue "<img:$IMAGEURL/kafka-icon.png>" as kafka
rectangle "<img:$IMAGEURL/kotlin.png>\ndaemon" as daemon
database "<img:$IMAGEURL/cassandra.png>" as cassandra

webapp -> kafka
kafka -> daemon
daemon --> cassandra
@enduml

[alixander]

@Potherca Right but that's a pre-package icon set. That's what the site is saying it can do.

Can it for example use your profile pic?

https://play.d2lang.com/?script=qlDQtVOo5KrUA4WclUJGSUlBsZW-fmJZYkliUbFeemZJRmlSaXFqUXJ-XklqXolecn6ufqm-oaWpuam5fbGthYFama0JFyAAAP__&

[Potherca]

Ah, I think I am beginning to understand... From the perspective of PlantUML "prepackaged" means it is part of the jar and can be used by !include <whatever> instead of being an external (or local) URL !include .... But it doesn't distinguish the need to make a "sprite" from an image (to be used as an icon) as "packaged".

The PlantUML equivalent of the above could be

@startuml
rectangle "<img:https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/195757?s=80&v=4>" as y

[x] --> y
@enduml

but then the question would be if that constitutes an "icon"... 🤔

I think the different concepts in PlantUML (Image, Sprite, Icon) are also slightly skewed and confused. Especially because you can also use <&icon> but only from a predefined list which (as far as I can see) can't even be extended. Then again, I've also never really seen that used in the wild (everybody uses "sprites" instead).

From my perspective, PlantUML is a great tool for all it can do, but I'm very hesitant in suggesting it to new users.
Especially as it has consistently shown to be confusing and inconsistent. 😞

[alixander]

"prepackaged" means it is part of the jar

yeah that's a reasonable definition -- i'll change it to just "packaged".

The PlantUML equivalent of the above could be

oh, that totally counts, I'll make the change that says PlantUML can load from any URL too. thank you