this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2025
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Hi,

I'm looking for a soft to create ASCII diagram like (or better) https://asciiflow.com/

ideally:

  • FLOSS
  • for linux
  • offline
  • no javascript.

I've found a candidate ascii-draw and it's write in Python ❤️ 🐍, but it's only available as flatpack.. :/

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[–] phantomwise@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I'm not sure why you wouldn't want the ASCII-Draw flatpak, but that's not the only way to get it:

  • there's a Snap
  • it can be installed from source
  • there's also an AUR package

But maybe you're not on Arch, don't like Snaps (can't blame anyone for that) and don't want to install from source (same)? What type of package are you looking for? Only native package? For which distro?

[–] SpongeB0B@programming.dev 2 points 2 days ago

Ideally running the .py python foobar.py will be ideal, otherwise an .appimage

I think I will have to build it my self (the .appimage ) :)

[–] jjba23@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 days ago

You might be interested in Emacs, it has (among many other things) artist-mode where you can draw with your cursor and obtain good ASCII art

[–] kixik@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

The AUR PKGBUILD shows a pretty simple recipe:

build() {
  arch-meson "${pkgname}-${pkgver//+/-}" build
  meson compile -C build
}

package() {
  meson install -C build --destdir "${pkgdir}"
  # permission fix
  chmod 755 "${pkgdir}/usr/bin/ascii-draw"
}

I've been seeing arch-meson often used, but haven't explored what it does. Some day...

Though it's way more fun to use text specification, like the one referenced by @fratermus@lemmy.sdf.org

[–] xavier666@lemm.ee 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Any reason for avoiding flatpak?

[–] SpongeB0B@programming.dev 1 points 2 days ago

I like light system and moreover I like the simplicity of .appimage

Unlike some systems such as Snap and Flatpak, AppImages work with very little support from the base distribution.

To run the app, an user simply needs to run this file — there’s no intermediate installation step.

source: https://www.booleanworld.com/creating-linux-apps-run-anywhere-appimage/

[–] Strit@lemmy.linuxuserspace.show 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

If flatpak is not an option, then you need to specify what packaging platforms are applicable.

[–] SpongeB0B@programming.dev 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Thanks @Strit@lemmy.linuxuserspace.show , "Packaging" is not mandatory when creating a software, like it's was written It could run as .py trough python executable. but here it seem not

Otherwise I'm ok with .appimage format/packing.

It's up to the distro maintainers to package it for the distros. Not the software developer. I see it's available in the AUR, so it's not only available as a flatpak. So ascii.-draw does fit your criteria.

You can also build it yourself if you know how (they list the use of gnome-builder for this).

[–] DrunkAnRoot@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

cant you compile it also im sure also in the AUR if ur on a arch based distro

[–] SpongeB0B@programming.dev 1 points 2 days ago

I'm not, I'm on MX Linux with SysVinit.

[–] Libra@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago

I don't have an answer for you, I'd never heard of ASCIIFlow, but holy shit that takes me back to an oooold piece of DOS software called FormTool. Used to make dungeon maps and character sheets and such with it back in the early 90s. Good times.

[–] fratermus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

This sent me down a rabbit hole since it's something I've half-considering for a while. I prefer text configuration rather than GUI so I ended up installing graph-easy on my debian laptop:

sudo apt install libgraph-easy-perl

and made a first attempt to diagram the power setup in my campervan

It's a perl module but the graph-easy wrapper makes it behave like any other CLI tool. cat or echo the config text to the wrapper and the graph pops out on STDOUT

[–] SpongeB0B@programming.dev 2 points 2 days ago

Thanks @fratermus@lemmy.sdf.org But graph-easy is text to graph. and I'm looking to draw ! so draw to ~graph(ASCII) but it's a nice program too.