Quick start

Create a diagram in a few lines.

Use spaces to indent, one declaration per line, and leave ordinary settings at their defaults.

1. Name the view and its entities

erd Sales
    Customer
    Order
    connect Customer to Order

erd Sales creates a native DDN ERD view. The two indented names create entities. The connection uses the profile’s default relationship. There is no requirement to invent fields or keys before the ideas are ready.

Open the designer and start a document

2. Choose a connection type when you need one

erd Sales
    Customer
    Order
    connect Customer to Order as assoc : places

as selects a relation role; the colon introduces its displayed label. The selected profile determines which relations and endpoint roles are legal.

3. Add fields gradually

erd Sales as field:lt.type:ct.domain:lt.key:ct
    Customer
        Id.int..primary key
        Name.varchar(25)
    Order
    connect Customer to Order

Dots separate cells. Two dots leave an empty cell, and missing trailing cells remain empty. Each physical line is one row; long cell text wraps on screen. A field’s name does not need a datatype until the design is ready for it.

4. Try a different type of view

A mind map

mindmap Launch
    Research
        Interviews
    Delivery
        Release notes

A small chart

bar SalesTotals
    North 120
    South 95

Mind-map nesting creates branches because that recipe defines it. Ordinary indentation in other profiles does not invent relationships.

5. Add only the settings you want to change

erd Sales
    Customer
    with
        look handdrawn
        font serif

File settings override eligible CSS presentation settings. CSS overrides the selected version’s standard defaults. Semantic facts and status are explicit data; they are not supplied by a theme.

6. Review the source and the result

Open an example from the gallery in the viewer and inspect the source.
Open its designer, make a small change and apply it.
Check the diagnostics in the verifier. Draft content may be incomplete; review requires complete, passing content.
Download the edited source and a supported rendered snapshot.

Continue with the language reference · Choose a field-guide lesson