Please provide a way to draw if/elseif/else structure vertically in activity diagrams

Question

I'm working on some code with switch case structures on big enumerate type or if/elsif/else structures with big conditions.

For now, I use the if/elseif/else plantUML structure to draw them but the different cases are placed horizontally.

It is a problem when the associated conditions or actions are big, the diagram becomes very large.

Example :

@startuml
title lot_of_elsif
start
if (Enum) Then (Value_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)
:Do_A;
elseif (Enum) Then (Value_BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB)
:Do_B;
elseif (Enum) Then (Value_CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC)
:Do_C;
elseif (Enum) Then (Value_DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD)
:Do_D;
elseif (Enum) Then (Value_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)
:Do_E;
elseif (Enum) Then (Value_FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF)
:Do_F;
elseif (Enum) Then (Value_GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG)
:Do_G;
elseif (Enum) Then (Value_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH)
:Do_H;
Else (Value_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ)
:Do_Z;
endif
end
@enduml

Please provide a way to draw if/elseif/else structure vertically in activity diagrams.

Answer 1

This is still under work, but you can try an alpha version here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13064071/plantuml.jar

With this version you must add a line to enable the feature:
!pragma useVerticalIf on

Example:

@startuml
!pragma useVerticalIf on
start
if (condition A) then (yes)
  :Text 1;
elseif (condition B) then (yes)
  :Text 2;
elseif (condition C) then (yes)
  :Text 3;
elseif (condition D) then (yes)
  :Text 4;
else (nothing)
  :Text else;
endif
@enduml

In the final version, this pragma stuff will not be needed.
It's not clear yet if PlantUML will decide on its own to select horizontal/vertical strategy, or if the user will have to use a special command to change the layout (maybe a new keyword instead of "if" )

There are still issue about label layout, but the general idea is here.
Tell us what do you think about it!

Comments

thanks, this is very helpful

---

Hi,

I really love this feature and use it quite frequently. Recently I bumped onto a case whereby it doesn't seem to do the job :-(. Could you please help me out how I can make it work for this case too?

Many thanks!

@startuml
!pragma useVerticalIf on
scale 1020x4000

start
:**prioCheck_Ondemand_PI**: \n__input parameters__:\n* item = VIDEO_CONTENT\n* highestPrio\n* highestPrioItem\n* selectedProduct\n__output parameters__\n* highestPrio\n* highestPrioItem\n* selectedProduct;
If (item.EntitlementState?) then ("Entitled")
   group entitled on-demand
   If (item.IsTstv?) then (false)
   'ingested entitled on demand                    
      If (highestPrio = 1?) then (no)                      
         :* highestPrio = 1\n* highestPrioItem = item;
      'ElseIf (highestPrioItem.IsViewableOnCpe = false And item.IsViewableOnCpe = true) then (yes)
         ':highestPrioItem = item;
         'note right: prioritize viewable content
      else (yes)
      EndIf
      :product = item.products(0);
      while (more products?)
         if (products(i).Type < product.Type) then (yes)
            :selectedProduct = products(i);
         else (no)
         endif
      endwhile
   Else (true)
      'automatically recorded, entitled                           
      If (highestPrio >= 4?) then (yes)           
         If (highestPrio = 4?) then (yes)          
            'If (highestPrioItem.IsViewableOnCpe = false And item.IsViewableOnCpe = true) then (yes)
               ':highestPrioItem = item;
               '(-> prioritize viewable content)
            'ElseIf (item.FirstAvailability\n> highestPrioItem.FirstAvailability And highestPrioItem.IsViewableOnCpe\n= item.IsViewableOnCpe) then (yes)
            If (item.FirstAvailability\n> highestPrioItem.\nFirstAvailability) then (yes)
               :highestPrioItem = item;                      
               '(-> this autorecorded entitled catchup, recorded more recently than the one selected so far)
            Else (no)                 
            EndIf                 
         else (no)          
            :* highestPrio = 4\n* highestPrioItem = item;
            '(-> this automatically recorded entitled catchup)
         endif                
      else (no)
      endIf                         
      'If (item.EntitlementEnd > Now()                                 '** entitled TVoDs
      '            highestPrioLinkedItem = item                                  '(-> this rented TVoD)
      '            highestPrio = 1                        
      '        Else '(non entitled on-demand)   
      '
   endif
   end group
else ("NotEntitled")
   group non-entitled on-demand
   If (highestPrio >= 6?) then (yes)                     
      If (IsTstv?) then (False)                          
         repeat
           'non-entitled TVoD "Transaction" has higher priority over non-entitled SVoD "Subscription" (FVoD not possible for the non-entitled case)
            If (item.Products(i).Type?) then ("Transactional")
              'ElseIf (highestPrioItem.IsViewableOnCpe = false And item.IsViewableOnCpe = true) Or (item.Products(0).ListPrice < ctaLowestRentalPrice) then  
               If (item.Products(i).ListPrice < ctaLowestRentalPrice?) then (yes)
                  '** non-entitled TVoDs (for ease of implementation, start implementation for lowest ListPrice, not OfferPrice)
                  :highestPrio = 6\n* highestPrioItem = item\n* selectedProduct = item.Products(i)\n* ctaLowestRentalPrice = ListPrice;
                  '(-> this TVoD content option at lower price OR prioritize viewable content)
               endif
            else ("Subscription")
               'If (highestPrio = 7 And (highestPrioItem.IsViewableOnCpe = false And item.IsViewableOnCpe = true) then  
               if (highestPrio > 7) then (yes)
                  'note right: € SVoD
                  :selectedProduct = item.Products(i) ;
                  :highestPrio = 7;
                  :highestPrioItem = item;
               else (no)
               endif
            endif
         repeat while (more products) is (yes)
      else (true)
      '(automatically recorded, non entitled)                    '** non entitled autorecorded catchup
         if (highestPrio > 7) then (yes)
            if (highestPrio = 8) then (yes)
               'If highestPrioItem.IsViewableOnCpe = false And item.IsViewableOnCpe = true
               'highestPrioItem = linkedItem                  '(-> prioritize viewable content)
               'ElseIf item.FirstAvailability > highestPrioItem.FirstAvailability And highestPrioItem.IsViewableOnCpe = item.IsViewableOnCpe
                If (item.FirstAvailability?) then (> highestPrioItem.FirstAvailability)
                   :* highestPrioItem = item\n*  selectedProduct = item.Products(0);
                  '(-> this SVoD content option)
               endif
            else (no)
               :* highestPrioItem = item\n* highestPrio = 8\n* selectedProduct = item.Products(0) ;
               '(-> this SVoD content option)
            endif
         else (no)
         endif
      Endif     
   endif
   end group
endif

   :return\n* highestPrio\n* highestPrioItem\n* selectedProduct;
   end
@enduml