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  3. What flowchart tool do you use?

What flowchart tool do you use?

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  • J Joan M

    I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

    www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

    P Offline
    P Offline
    PIEBALDconsult
    wrote on last edited by
    #6

    Word.

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    • J Joan M

      I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

      www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

      P Offline
      P Offline
      Patrice T
      wrote on last edited by
      #7

      I am using yEd, a freeware, from yworks yEd - Graph Editor[^] As I mainly do trees, I am very found of the automatic layout feature.

      Patrice “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” Albert Einstein

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      • J Joan M

        I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

        www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

        Mike HankeyM Offline
        Mike HankeyM Offline
        Mike Hankey
        wrote on last edited by
        #8

        I second yED, it's a good all around drawing tool!

        They call me different but the truth is they're all the same! JaxCoder.com

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        • J Joan M

          I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

          www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

          N Offline
          N Offline
          Nelek
          wrote on last edited by
          #9

          When I was programming PLCs and I had to develope something, I wanted to see the whole structure / sequence so I used paper (usually DIN A3, couple of times up to DIN A1), pen and rubber gum to make the graphcets and then I used coins to simulate the evolution of the truth states If I had to write some documentation I have mostly used excel or ppt for diagrams, because they always were installed by the company I have worked to and they were enough for what I needed in 99% of the times. If the diagram was way more complicated AND if Visio was installed, then Visio because I find it easier to manage the multi page format, although there are times I must rant very loud, because its automation annoys me, when I tried to do something not that standard. If it wasn't installed... back to excel, powerpoint or even paper + scan the result

          M.D.V. ;) If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about? Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.

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          • J Joan M

            I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

            www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

            J Offline
            J Offline
            Jack Allen Wong
            wrote on last edited by
            #10

            In most cases using Xmind, able to quickly build process or structure they want. Formal scenario uses Power Design 12, although it is ugly.

            just for live.

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            • J Joan M

              I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

              www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

              R Offline
              R Offline
              Roger Wright
              wrote on last edited by
              #11

              Pencil with vellum (ClearPrint 10x10) paper. I tried using Visio for years and it's garbage. Of course, my version is 2003, I believe; they might have improved it some, but I refuse to pay for a newer version. :-O Before Windows, I used size C paper for everything, as it fit nicely on the desk. With everything being reduced to small modules activated by user actions, it's fairly easy to fit most blocks on an A or B size page. There are certainly about as many views on this as there are programmers, but when I chart an action and need a bigger sheet, I start looking to simplify that action or break it into smaller chunks. I'm getting old, and my attention span doesn't carry as many pages as it once did! :sigh:

              Will Rogers never met me.

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              • J Joan M

                I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                M Offline
                M Offline
                Member 12364390
                wrote on last edited by
                #12

                Visio if available - but use so little I cant justify purchase! Open Office - Draw does nearly the same as Visio for state diagrams - has glue points on shapes so can move around and links stretch to fit. Data flow diagrams - have used LucidChart.com for simple diagrams - free up to a certain size Edit the PDFs out of Lucid with free version PDFxchange , can annotate with extra detail block comments and shapes. This is my favourite tool for annotating printouts and pasted screenshots from windows snipping tool, etc for simple program documentation.

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                • P phil o

                  I use open-source Graphviz[^]. This is one of the applications I could hardly get rid of.

                  "Five fruits and vegetables a day? What a joke! Personally, after the third watermelon, I'm full."

                  K Offline
                  K Offline
                  kalberts
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #13

                  Graphviz is great for a whole lot of graphing tasks. But I'd say it is better suited for automatically generated input files. You wouldn't want to maintain a flowchart by editing the DOT input file, which is oriented towards the graphic display elements, not the abstact structure and flow that you want to present. Well, there may still be old Unix (pre Linux) guys around who frown at GUIs and want to write DOT files in vi to create output on their pen plotters. For most of us, we would rather drag boxes around than editing 7 bit ASCII files. (OK, UTF-8, but the editing is done in the same way for ASCII and UTF-8 files.) I use graphwiz myself, but for maintaining flowcharts, I would use other tools. On the other hand: I haven't ben drawing a flowchart for ages.

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                  • J Joan M

                    I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                    www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                    G Offline
                    G Offline
                    glennPattonWork3
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #14

                    Last one I did was try and figure out an embedded system, using paper and a log book (no ruler!). I think Viso is preferred but also seen good results from Word.

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                    • J Joan M

                      I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                      www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                      B Offline
                      B Offline
                      binraider
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #15

                      I use the program "Pencil". I used to use RFFlow, but the free version only has a 30 object limit

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                      • J Joan M

                        I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                        www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                        N Offline
                        N Offline
                        Nic Oughton
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #16

                        I use LucidChart - I find it has all the features I need of Visio but is easily available across multiple devices and can be shared with other people.

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • J Joan M

                          I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                          www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                          U Offline
                          U Offline
                          User 14060113
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #17

                          I use Pencil. Not pencil and paper, but a freeware called Evolus Pencil. As my current employer hasn't bought me a Visio license, I had to find a free alternative.

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                          • J Joan M

                            I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                            www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                            M Offline
                            M Offline
                            Marc Clifton
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #18

                            Visio, because it's awesome. Flowchart Maker & Online Diagram Software[^] when I'm on a machine that doesn't have Visio.

                            Latest Articles:
                            16 Days: A TypeScript application from concept to implementation Database Transaction Management across AJAX Calls

                            M 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • J Joan M

                              I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                              www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                              K Offline
                              K Offline
                              KLPounds
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #19

                              Used Gliffy once or twice. Visio a few times when available. But I always come back to PowerPoint. I don't usually diagram anything too crazy. I will be honest i have used PowerPoint for everyhing from mockups, to rough floorplanning and blueprinting. So I'm a little bias. Maybe if I had any real skills at diagrams I would use more appropriate tools.

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                              • J Joan M

                                I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                                www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                                K Offline
                                K Offline
                                KLPounds
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #20

                                Used Gliffy once or twice. Visio a few times when available. But I always come back to PowerPoint. I don't usually diagram anything too crazy. I will be honest i have used PowerPoint for everyhing from mockups, to rough floorplanning and blueprinting. So I'm a little bias. Maybe if I had any real skills at diagrams I would use more appropriate tools.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • J Joan M

                                  I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                                  www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                                  K Offline
                                  K Offline
                                  KLPounds
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #21

                                  Used Gliffy once or twice. Visio a few times when available. But I always come back to PowerPoint. I don't usually diagram anything too crazy. I will be honest i have used PowerPoint for everyhing from mockups, to rough floorplanning and blueprinting. So I'm a little bias. Maybe if I had any real skills at diagrams I would use more appropriate tools.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • J Joan M

                                    I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                                    www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                                    T Offline
                                    T Offline
                                    tharkaway
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #22

                                    I have been using Visio for software architecture drawings. Not really a flowchart drawing tool per se, but Think & Do was a PC-based industrial control package that used flowcharts to document a machine's control logic. A medium sized project would contain 100+ flowchart. The flowcharts were compiled into a byte code stream that the run-time component would evaluate in real time. Scan times for a medium sized project was 2-3 msec. I worked for Think & Do Software in the early 00's and am working to port the Visual 6.0 C++ solution to VS2019 C# so it will run on 64-bit Win-10. Visio and Excel have been helpful in documenting how the old C++ code worked

                                    If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Will Rogers www.TND10.com

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                                    • J Joan M

                                      I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                                      www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                                      M Offline
                                      M Offline
                                      matblue25
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #23

                                      Plastic flowcharting template, pencil, paper.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • J Joan M

                                        I've been using Visio in my last company... What do you use? and why? PS: I've also used pencil and paper too... :P

                                        www.robotecnik.com[^] - robots, CNC and PLC programming

                                        K Offline
                                        K Offline
                                        Kirk 10389821
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #24

                                        I used a DOS Based Product called EasyFlow [^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interactive\_EasyFlow) . I have to say it had the SIMPLEST/FASTEST user interface. Basically, the first letter of the SHAPE (B=Box, D=Diamond). I believe the Arrow (or Ctrl-Arrow) keys created a line out of that side, and you were prompted for a new symbol. You could pound out a template without text in it in under a minute. Then go back and fill in the text. Keeping in mind that we typically were replicating existing diagrams, or entering the ones we had drawn by hand... Loved it.

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                                        • M Marc Clifton

                                          Visio, because it's awesome. Flowchart Maker & Online Diagram Software[^] when I'm on a machine that doesn't have Visio.

                                          Latest Articles:
                                          16 Days: A TypeScript application from concept to implementation Database Transaction Management across AJAX Calls

                                          M Offline
                                          M Offline
                                          Member_14662850
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #25

                                          Besides paper and pencil, DIA is the only thing that works for me. Wondering why I'm not seeing a mention of it?

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