Code2flow
Dev tools
flowchart generator
SHOW HN2016
238points
85comments
#104of 2,264 in 2016
Top 5%of 2016 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
8 positive, 15 neutral or asking, 8 mixed, 9 critical, out of 40 comments about the project. Thread score -0.02.
Pricing: 2 for, 5 againstDesign: 1 for, 3 againstIdea: 3 for, 0 againstExecution: 0 for, 1 againstDocs: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Easy to use; quick to learn and produces nice results.
From 3 comments
Like everyone else...well done. Great concept, easy to learn, nice results. I'll probably be a paying customer one day. Font-resizing would be nice on the visual view. And killer…
viklas on HNHi, just wanted to say you've built something very nice! I just tried it out by re-making a fairly complex diagram and it took me like 10 minutes, including learning the syntax,…
grownseed on HN1. Smart. Plays to the strengths of the keyboard by using text input, vs awkward dragging of elements with the mouse (especially with big graphs). 2. Is 'pseudo code' the best…
hacker_9 on HN
Text input is smarter than mouse dragging.
From 1 comment
1. Smart. Plays to the strengths of the keyboard by using text input, vs awkward dragging of elements with the mouse (especially with big graphs). 2. Is 'pseudo code' the best…
hacker_9 on HN
Objections
Pricing is far too high for the value.
From 3 comments
I hope your pricing model ($100-$300/month) is meant as a joke, and you're not really serious about it. It's extremely expensive. I can drag and drop text boxes in google docs…
Fiahil on HNI love your idea, and I think it seems like a nice implementation. But feel your price point will push this well beyond its value.
Meph504 on HNIt's a huge price for interactive use, and I don't see much here that truly beats graphviz. I prefer echo "digraph G {Hello->World}" | dot -Tpng >hello.png For a stretched…
jxy on HN
Free Graphviz/PlantUML-style tools already do this.
From 2 comments
It's a huge price for interactive use, and I don't see much here that truly beats graphviz. I prefer echo "digraph G {Hello->World}" | dot -Tpng >hello.png For a stretched…
jxy on HNAnother alternative is [PlantUML](http://plantuml.com/activity-diagram-legacy) which also has sequence, class ... diagrams
mmgutz on HN
Edges connecting to edges is confusing.
From 2 comments
I like the concept! But there is one thing that seems really weird to me: Edges connecting to other edges instead of nodes. I don't recall seeing that before, at least not very…
zokier on HNI've seen this before but the edges join together cleanly: one of the edges "merges" (like a freeway on-ramp) with the other edge. In the demo on the front page, there's clearly…
philsnow on HN
Requests
Export to GraphML or standard layout formats.
From 2 comments
This is just great. Are you planning to introduce an "Export as GraphML [0]" function? My ideal workflow would be to use code2flow to quickly build up the core of a flowchart,…
daw___ on HNI don't know what you are using as a graph layout engine, but if it can export to a few standard layout formats (dot file, GraphML etc.) I would use this all the time.
achr2 on HN
Text/ASCII output.
From 2 comments
This is awesome! Any chance it can somehow output to a text based chart? This is basically what has been preventing me from using https://monodraw.helftone.com/ - i didn't want…
notheguyouthink on HNYea i meant Ascii art - Monodraw is an amazing program, and as much as i want to buy it, i haven't because i don't want to draw the flow charts. Your solution is something i've…
notheguyouthink on HN
Fix error handling when parser fails.
From 1 comment
Hi, just wanted to say you've built something very nice! I just tried it out by re-making a fairly complex diagram and it took me like 10 minutes, including learning the syntax,…
grownseed on HN
Questions
How was the pricing decided and how is it justified?
From 1 comment
How do you arrive at the pricing model for this? $100 per month $300 per month? How is that justified? Also how do you win against competitors? Is this project something that…
WhitneyLand on HN
How does it compare to flowchart.js?
From 1 comment
Cool tool. How does this compare to http://flowchart.js.org ?
mthoms on HN
Alternatives named
Graphviz
From 2 comments
If you are looking for a way to generate flowchart diagrams from a DSL description, the classic is Brian Kernighan's PIC: http://doc.cat-v.org/unix/v8/picmemo.pdf I am surprised…
sedachv on HNIt's a huge price for interactive use, and I don't see much here that truly beats graphviz. I prefer echo "digraph G {Hello->World}" | dot -Tpng >hello.png For a stretched…
jxy on HN
PlantUML
From 1 comment
Another alternative is [PlantUML](http://plantuml.com/activity-diagram-legacy) which also has sequence, class ... diagrams
mmgutz on HN
flowchart.js
From 2 comments
Cool tool. How does this compare to http://flowchart.js.org ?
mthoms on HNAfter trying both, Code2flow is much easier to use for quick diagrams but not as feature rich. Flowchart.js has a bit of a learning curve IMO but much more powerful. Code2flow…
simple10 on HN
PIC
From 1 comment
If you are looking for a way to generate flowchart diagrams from a DSL description, the classic is Brian Kernighan's PIC: http://doc.cat-v.org/unix/v8/picmemo.pdf I am surprised…
sedachv on HN