Hacker News front pagereladraw9 min readintermediate
Show HN: Reladraw – A diagram language where you decide where to place things
Summary
Reladraw is a text-based diagram language that allows engineers to explicitly define relative placement of elements, bridging the gap between fully automatic layout and manual pixel-based tools. This approach makes diagrams easier to modify, especially for AI agents, by encoding layout intent directly in the source.
- Defines diagram elements and their relative positions (e.g., "below", "right of") in text, not coordinates.
- Aims to provide explicit layout control without the manual overhead of pixel-based editors.
- The engine solves minimum distances using longest paths, ensuring non-overlap and consistent spacing.
- Designed to be agent-friendly, allowing LLMs to read and modify diagram layouts by editing text statements.
Engineers and AI agents needing precise, maintainable control over diagram layouts will find this approach valuable for expressing design intent directly in code.
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