RailRoad (Ruby on Rails diagrams generator)

What is RailRoad?

RailRoad is a class diagrams generator for Ruby on Rails applications. It's a Ruby script that loads the application classes and analyzes its properties (attributes, methods) and relationships (inheritance, model associations like has_many, etc.) The output is a graph description in the DOT language, suitable to be handled with tools like Graphviz.

RailRoad can produce:

• Model diagrams, showing both inheritance hierarchy and models associations. You can choose to show the model "content columns" and its types.
• Controller diagrams, showing inheritance hierarchy. You can include the controllers' methods, grouped by its visibility (public, protected, private.)
• State machine diagramas (for use with the "acts_as_state_machine" plugin.)

Download RailRoad

If you're using gem, you can install RailRoad by issuing:

gem install railroad

Usage

Run RailRoad on the Rails application's root directory. You can redirect its output to a .dot file or pipe it to the dot or neato utilities to produce a graphic. Model diagrams are intended to be processed using dot and controller diagrams are best processed using neato.

railroad [options] command

Common options

• -b, --brief
  Generate compact diagram (no attributes nor methods)
• -e, --exclude file1[,fileN]
  Exclude given files
• -i, --inheritance
  Include inheritance relations
• -l, --label
  Add a label with diagram information (type, date, migration, version)
• -o, --output FILE
  Write diagram to file FILE
• -r, --root PATH
  Set PATH as the application root
• -v, --verbose
  Enable verbose output (produce messages to STDOUT)

Models diagram options

• -a, --all
  Include all models (not only ActiveRecord::Base derived)
• --hide-magic
  Hide magic field names
• --hide-types
  Hide attributes type
• -j, --join
  Concentrate edges
• -m, --modules
  Include modules
• -p, --plugins-models
  Include plugins models
• -t, --transitive
  Include transitive associations (through inheritance)

Controllers diagram options

• --hide-public
  Hide public methods
• --hide-protected
  Hide protected methods
• --hide-private
  Hide private methods

Other options

• -h, --help
  Show this message
• --version
  Show version and copyright

Commands

(You must supply one of these)

• -M, --models
  Generate models diagram
• -C, --controllers
  Generate controllers diagram
• -A, --aasm
  Generate "acts as state machine" diagram

Examples

• railroad -o models.dot -M
  Produces a models diagram to the file 'models.dot'
• railroad -a -i -o full_models.dot -M
  Models diagram with all classes showing inheritance relations
• railroad -M | dot -Tsvg > models.svg
  Model diagram in SVG format
• railroad -C | neato -Tpng > controllers.png
  Controller diagram in PNG format
• railroad -h
  Shows usage help