CLI improving

[pleshevskiy]

At the moment, for every new file we develop, we have to create a new command for build and watch. Now I achieve this with a powerful makefile setup.

D2 := nix run ~/repos/mynix/tools\#d2_unstable --

SRC_DIR := src
OUT_DIR := out

DIAGRAMS := \
	foo \
	bar \
	biz_baz

# Supported layouts
# - dagre
# - elk
foo_theme_args := --layout dagre --theme 101
biz_baz_theme_args := --layout elk --theme 0

build: $(DIAGRAMS)

define d2rule
$(1)_args := $$(D2) $$($(1)_theme_args) $(SRC_DIR)/$(1).d2 $(OUT_DIR)/$(1).svg

$(1): prepare ; $$($(1)_args)
$(1)-w: prepare ; $$($(1)_args) -w
endef

$(foreach d2name,$(DIAGRAMS),$(eval $(call d2rule,$(d2name))))

prepare:
	mkdir -p $(OUT_DIR)

clean:
	rm -rf $(OUT_DIR)

And I can use it as the following:

make foo # only build
make bar-w # watch file
make biz_baz-w 

The idea I propose is to add an optional parameter to --watch on the directory where the files are located. And the d2 tool will create a small file server where it will display the current d2 files with a link to them. Once selected it will display the SVG with livereload.

---

The second suggestion is to remove layout and theme from the arguments in the d2 tool and add them to root as direction (if possible of course).

[ebrannin-bw]

The second suggestion is to remove layout and theme from the arguments in the d2 tool and add them to root as direction (if possible of course).

For future searchers, this idea has its own issue now: #410 (though I don't think they should be removed from arguments; CLI arguments should override code metadata)

[pleshevskiy]

Personally for me it became not convenient to switch layout to try what it looks like there. You have to turn --watch off, add / change CLI parameter, turn --watch back on. If the previous option was better, you need to repeat the steps again! This has become a daily pain for me) My opinion is that it only makes sense to leave as CLI parameters for backward compatibility

[pleshevskiy]

For clarity, I give an example that I suggest.

layout: dagre # / elk
theme: 101
direction: right

x -> y

instead of

d2 --layout dagre --theme 101

The main point is that all the settings are stored directly in the diagram and we don't have to write a makefile to remember "what layout do I need to build this?"

[ebrannin-bw]

To be clear:

• I'm not saying your idea of layout: elk (etc.) in the .d2 file is a bad idea. I think it's a great idea!
• I am saying there can be valid use-cases for keeping the CLI args -- not as a required way to change these values, but leaving them in as a higher-priority override for the optional in-diagram values.

(I'm also not part of the d2 team, just weighing in)

Edit to add: pad should be in this category now too (#431), though it should probably be a style attribute as well as an entire-diagram default-changer.

[pleshevskiy]

I am saying there can be valid use-cases for keeping the CLI args -- not as a required way to change these values, but leaving them in as a higher-priority override for the optional in-diagram values.

Do you think so? I made a proof-of-concept wrapper today and thought the cli arguments had a lower priority than those defined in the file. I suggest you give it a try.

https://github.com/pleshevskiy/wd2

[ebrannin-bw]

Most of the discussion so far has been about setting CLI flags like layout, theme, pad in the whatever.d2 source -- but most of the description is about adding a file-browser to --watch if you give it a directory.

Maybe these should be separate issues? If so, suggestions:

• Change this issue's title to Set global graph attributes in source files, not just CLI I just noticed this is a Discussion, and the issue exists as d2 configurations in d2 script #410
• Make an issue for Support watching multiple files in a directory with --watch? (There doesn't seem to be an issue for that yet)