Cathryn Lavery
53bd8dde0f
Thirteen editorial diagram types (architecture, flowchart, sequence, state, ER, timeline, swimlane, quadrant, nested, tree, layers, venn, pyramid) as self-contained HTML files with inline SVG. Progressive disclosure: lean SKILL.md points to per-type references. Neutral stone+rust default skin, first-run gate that prompts users to customize the style guide from their own website, URL-based onboarding, annotation-callout primitive, sketchy filter variant, live gallery at assets/index.html.
1.5 KiB
1.5 KiB
Sequence
Best for: request/response flows, protocol exchanges, multi-actor interactions over time, API call traces, incident reconstructions.
Layout conventions
- Actors as boxes in a horizontal row at the top.
- Lifelines: dashed vertical lines descending from each actor to the bottom.
- Messages: horizontal arrows between lifelines; time flows top→down.
- Activation bar: narrow rectangle (
w=8, muted fill, 0.8 hairline stroke) on a lifeline spanning the interval that actor holds control. Stack for nested calls. - Self-messages: short U-shaped loop returning to the same lifeline; label right of the loop.
- Return messages: dashed line in the same color as the originating call.
- Coral on the primary success response or headline message — one, maybe two.
Anti-patterns
- Message arrow pointing upward (reverses time — never).
- Activation bars that never close.
- Labels sitting over another lifeline — shorten or shift y into a gap.
- Swimlane-style lanes instead of lifelines (different grammar).
Lifeline primitive
<line x1="CX" y1="TOP" x2="CX" y2="BOTTOM"
stroke="rgba(11,13,11,0.20)" stroke-width="1" stroke-dasharray="3,3"/>
Activation bar primitive
<rect x="CX-4" y="TOP" width="8" height="H"
fill="rgba(11,13,11,0.06)" stroke="#52534e" stroke-width="0.8"/>
Examples
assets/example-sequence.html— minimal lightassets/example-sequence-dark.html— minimal darkassets/example-sequence-full.html— full editorial