PlantUML 30 small tricks and features

puml.online
  2026-07-29 16:30 2026-07-29 16:30 Created   2026-08-14 21:34:29 2026-08-14 21:34:29 Updated    

There are PlantUML features you always have to look up in the docs. This article collects 30 micro-features so you stop searching the manual every time.

1. Newlines in node names

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@startuml
class "Class\nName" as c1
class Class<<
Long>> as c2
note right of c1 : multi\nline
@enduml

\n works in names AND notes.

2. Unicode characters

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@startuml
note right
  ✓ Yes
  ✗ No
  → Next
  ⏵ Play
end note
@enduml

Emoji and unicode just work in labels.

3. Direction arrows

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@startuml
A -right-> B
A -left-> C
A -up-> D
A -down-> E
@enduml

-right-> / -left-> / -up-> / -down-> force arrow direction.

4. Arrow color

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@startuml
A -[#A31F34]-> B : red
A -[#2F4858]-> C : dark blue
A -[#20A464]-> D : green
@enduml

-[#hex]-> colors the arrow.

5. Arrow thickness

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@startuml
A -> B : default
A ->[thickness=2] C : thicker
A ->[thickness=4] D : thickest
@enduml

6. Arrow style

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@startuml
A -[#A31F34,bold]-> B : red bold
A -[#2F4858,dashed]-> C : dashed
A -[bold,dashed]-> D : both
@enduml

bold / dashed / dotted modifiers.

7. Node color

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@startuml
class A #A31F34
class B #FAFAFA/A31F34 : bg / border
class C #FAFAFA {
  Field1
}
@enduml

#background or #bg/border.

8. Group nodes

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@startuml
package "Frontend" {
  class A
  class B
}
package "Backend" {
  class C
  class D
}
A --> C
B --> D
@enduml

9. Notes

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@startuml

A
note left: left
note right: right
note top: top
note bottom: bottom

A .. B
note over A, B : spanning

@enduml

note over A, B is a horizontal spanning note.

10. Multi-line note

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@startuml

class A

note left of A
  multi-line note
  second line
  third line
end note

@enduml

11. Global style

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@startuml
skinparam class {
  BackgroundColor #FAFAFA
  BorderColor #2F4858
  FontColor #1F2328
  ArrowColor #2F4858
}
@enduml

skinparam controls global style.

12. Hide circles (interface indicators)

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@startuml
hide circle
class A
class B
A --> B
@enduml

hide circle removes interface holler circles on relation arrows.

13. Emoji in class

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@startuml
class "🚀 Rocket" as r
class "🐛 Bug" as b
r --> b : ship
@enduml

14. Group fields / methods

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@startuml
class User {
  +name: String
  +email: String
  {field} -id: Long
  --
  {method} +login()
  {method} +logout()
}
@enduml

{field} / {method} group members in the rendered output.

15. Stereotypes

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@startuml
class Foo <<(M, #A31F34) Magic>>
class Bar <<service>>
abstract class Abs
interface Inf
@enduml

<<type>> for stereotypes; (X, #color) Label for custom.

16. Generics

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@startuml
class Foo<T>

note right : generic\nFoo<T>
@enduml

<> expresses a generic class.

17. Collection types

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@startuml
class User {
  +roles: List<String>
  +scores: Map<String, Integer>
  +data: byte[]
}
@enduml

Generics inline.

18. Note colors

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@startuml
class Foo

note top of Foo : plain note
note top of Foo #FAFAFA : colored note

@enduml

19. Layout direction

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@startuml
hide footbox
title Right-going timeline

a -> b
b --> c
c <-- d

@enduml

hide footbox removes the time-axis.

20. Box groups in sequence

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@startuml
box "Client" #FAFAFA
  participant Browser
end box
box "Server" #FFFFFF
  participant API
  participant DB
end box

Browser -> API
API -> DB
@enduml

box groups lifelines; bg color available.

21. Scale

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@startuml
scale 2
class A
class B
@enduml

scale 2 enlarges by 2x.

22. Nested states

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@startuml

class Order

state New {
  * -> Created
  Created -> Confirmed
}

@enduml

In state diagrams, state X { ... } for nested.

23. Interface realization

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@startuml

interface ILoggable
class Service

Service ..|> ILoggable

@enduml

Realization is ..|> (dashed + open triangle).

24. Character escape

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@startuml
class "Class\#1" as c1
note "with # \\ chars" as n
@enduml

\\ escapes backslash; some # need escaping.

25. “Architectural” style skinparam

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@startuml
skinparam {
  Shadowing false
  RoundCorner 0
  DefaultFontName "Menlo"
  BackgroundColor #FAFAFA
}

class A
A ..> B : dotted
@enduml

26. Orthogonal lines

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@startuml
skinparam linetype ortho
A -> B
B -> C
C -> D
@enduml

linetype ortho forces right-angle connections.

27. Manual line breaks

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@startuml
class "a\nlong\nname" as c1
@enduml

\n in any string.

28. Hide stereotypes globally

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@startuml
hide stereotype
class A <<service>>
class B <<controller>>
A -> B
@enduml

hide stereotype removes <<X>> labels from rendered output.

29. Layout direction

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@startuml
left to right direction

class A
class B
class C
A --> B --> C
@enduml

top to bottom direction / left to right direction.

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@startuml
hide footer
class A
@enduml

Controls which decoration elements to print.

Review checklist

  • Diagram uses consistent skinparam?
  • Color palette ≤ 5 colors?
  • Arrow direction clear?
  • Notes use \n, not raw line breaks?
  • Labels are verb-phrases?

TL;DR

PlantUML has plenty of obscure syntax. These 30 micro-features cover the most-asked-about tweaks; reach for them when you’re stuck, save yourself the docs spelunking.

  • Title: PlantUML 30 small tricks and features
  • Author: puml.online
  • Created at : 2026-07-29 16:30:00
  • Updated at : 2026-08-14 21:34:29
  • Link: https://puml.online/blog/plantuml-tips-tricks-en/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
On this page
PlantUML 30 small tricks and features
  1. 1. Newlines in node names
  2. 2. Unicode characters
  3. 3. Direction arrows
  4. 4. Arrow color
  5. 5. Arrow thickness
  6. 6. Arrow style
  7. 7. Node color
  8. 8. Group nodes
  9. 9. Notes
  10. 10. Multi-line note
  11. 11. Global style
  12. 12. Hide circles (interface indicators)
  13. 13. Emoji in class
  14. 14. Group fields / methods
  15. 15. Stereotypes
  16. 16. Generics
  17. 17. Collection types
  18. 18. Note colors
  19. 19. Layout direction
  20. 20. Box groups in sequence
  21. 21. Scale
  22. 22. Nested states
  23. 23. Interface realization
  24. 24. Character escape
  25. 25. “Architectural” style skinparam
  26. 26. Orthogonal lines
  27. 27. Manual line breaks
  28. 28. Hide stereotypes globally
  29. 29. Layout direction
  30. 30. Hide footer / legend
  31. Review checklist
  32. TL;DR