Draw.io Logical Diagrams Creation

Overview

Create professional logical diagrams in draw.io's native XML format for logical flow diagrams, system architecture visualizations, and abstract process representations using generic shapes and symbols.

When to Use

• Creating logical flow diagrams showing data flow between system components
• Designing logical architecture diagrams (abstract system structure)
• Building BPMN process diagrams for business processes
• Drawing UML diagrams (class, sequence, activity, state)
• Creating data flow diagrams (DFD) for system analysis
• Making decision flowcharts with branching logic
• Visualizing system interactions and sequences
• Documenting logical system design without cloud specifics

Do NOT use for: AWS/Azure/GCP architecture diagrams (use aws-drawio-architecture-diagrams).

Instructions

Creating a Logical Diagram

1. Analyze the request: Understand the system/process to diagram
2. Choose diagram type: Flowchart, architecture, BPMN, UML, DFD, etc.
3. Identify elements: Determine actors, processes, data stores, connectors
4. Draft XML structure: Create the mxGraphModel with proper root cells
5. Add shapes: Create mxCell elements with appropriate styles
6. Add connectors: Link elements with edge elements
7. Validate XML: Verify XML is well-formed and all IDs are unique (see validation checklist below)
8. Output: Write the .drawio file for the user

XML Validation Checklist

Before outputting the file, verify:

• All tags are properly closed (no unclosed <mxCell>, </mxGeometry>, etc.)
• All cell IDs are unique (0 and 1 are reserved root cells, use sequential integers starting from 2)
• All source and target attributes reference existing cell IDs
• All parent attributes reference existing cell IDs
• All coordinates (x, y, width, height) are positive numbers
• Special characters are escaped (< → <, > → >, & → &)
• Multi-line labels use 
 or <br> with html=1 in style

Key XML Components

Component	Description
mxfile	Root element with host and version
diagram	Contains the diagram definition
mxGraphModel	Canvas settings (grid, page size)
root	Container for all cells (must include id="0" and id="1")
mxCell	Individual shapes (vertices) or connectors (edges)

Draw.io XML Structure

<mxfile host="app.diagrams.net" agent="Claude" version="24.7.17">
  <diagram id="logical-flow-1" name="Logical Flow">
    <mxGraphModel dx="1200" dy="800" grid="1" gridSize="10" guides="1"
      tooltips="1" connect="1" arrows="1" fold="1" page="1"
      pageScale="1" pageWidth="1169" pageHeight="827" math="0" shadow="0">
      <root>
        <mxCell id="0" />
        <mxCell id="1" parent="0" />
        <!-- Shapes and connectors here -->
      </root>
    </mxGraphModel>
  </diagram>
</mxfile>

Key rules:

• IDs "0" and "1" are reserved for root cells
• Use sequential integer IDs starting from "2"
• Use landscape orientation for architecture diagrams
• All coordinates must be positive and aligned to grid (multiples of 10)

Generic Shapes and Styles

Basic Shape Types

Shape	Style
Rectangle	rounded=0;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;
Rounded Rectangle	rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;
Ellipse/Circle	ellipse;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;
Diamond	rhombus;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;
Cylinder	shape=cylinder3;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;boundedLbl=1;
Hexagon	shape=hexagon;perimeter=hexagonPerimeter2;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;
Parallelogram	shape=ext;double=1;rounded=0;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;

Standard Color Palette

Element Type	Fill Color	Border Color	Usage
Process	#dae8fc	#6c8ebf	Operations/actions
Decision	#fff2cc	#d6b656	Conditional branches
Start/End	#d5e8d4	#82b366	Terminal states
Data/Store	#e1f5fe	#0277bd	Databases/files
Entity	#f3e5f5	#7b1fa2	External systems
Error/Stop	#f8cecc	#b85450	Error states
Actor/User	#ffe0b2	#f57c00	Users/actors
Container	#f5f5f5	#666666	Grouping areas

Connector Styles

Standard flow:

edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;

Dashed (alternative/optional):

edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;dashed=1;dashPattern=5 5;strokeColor=#666666;

Arrow head styles:

• endArrow=classic;endFill=1 - Filled triangle
• endArrow=open;endFill=0 - Open arrow
• endArrow=blockThin;endFill=1 - Block arrow

Diagram Types

Type	Key Elements
Logical Flow	Actors (orange), Services (blue), Data Stores (cyan), External Systems (purple)
Logical Architecture	Layered containers with nested components
BPMN	Circle (Start/End), Rounded Rectangle (Activity), Diamond (Gateway)
UML Sequence	Vertical lifelines with message arrows
DFD	Square (Entity), Circle (Process), Open Rectangle (Data Store)

Reference Files

For detailed shape examples and style references, see:

• shape-styles.md - Complete shape examples and style reference
• diagram-templates.md - Ready-to-use templates

Examples

Example 1: Order Processing Flow

Request: "Create a logical flow diagram showing order processing: customer submits order, system validates, if valid then processes payment and ships, if invalid notifies customer."

<mxfile host="app.diagrams.net" agent="Claude" version="24.7.17">
  <diagram id="order-flow-1" name="Order Processing">
    <mxGraphModel dx="1200" dy="800" grid="1" gridSize="10" guides="1" tooltips="1" connect="1" arrows="1" fold="1" page="1" pageScale="1" pageWidth="1169" pageHeight="827" math="0" shadow="0">
      <root>
        <mxCell id="0"/><mxCell id="1" parent="0"/>
        <mxCell id="2" value="Start" style="ellipse;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#d5e8d4;strokeColor=#82b366;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="80" y="50" width="80" height="40" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="3" value="Submit Order" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="60" y="130" width="120" height="60" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="4" value="Validate&#xa;Order?" style="rhombus;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#fff2cc;strokeColor=#d6b656;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="80" y="230" width="80" height="80" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="5" value="Notify&#xa;Customer" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#f8cecc;strokeColor=#b85450;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="220" y="240" width="100" height="50" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="6" value="Process&#xa;Payment" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="60" y="350" width="120" height="60" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="7" value="Ship Order" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="60" y="450" width="120" height="60" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="8" value="End" style="ellipse;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#d5e8d4;strokeColor=#82b366;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="80" y="550" width="80" height="40" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="10" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="2" target="3"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="11" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="3" target="4"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="12" value="No" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#b85450;strokeWidth=2;fontSize=11;" edge="1" parent="1" source="4" target="5"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="13" value="Yes" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#82b366;strokeWidth=2;fontSize=11;" edge="1" parent="1" source="4" target="6"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="14" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="6" target="7"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="15" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="7" target="8"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="16" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#b85450;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="5" target="8"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
      </root>
    </mxGraphModel>
  </diagram>
</mxfile>

Example 2: Three-Tier Logical Architecture

Request: "Create a logical architecture diagram for a web application with presentation, business logic, and data tiers."

<mxfile host="app.diagrams.net" agent="Claude" version="24.7.17">
  <diagram id="three-tier-1" name="Three-Tier Architecture">
    <mxGraphModel dx="1200" dy="800" grid="1" gridSize="10" guides="1" tooltips="1" connect="1" arrows="1" fold="1" page="1" pageScale="1" pageWidth="1169" pageHeight="827" math="0" shadow="0">
      <root>
        <mxCell id="0"/><mxCell id="1" parent="0"/>
        <mxCell id="2" value="User" style="ellipse;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#ffe0b2;strokeColor=#f57c00;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="40" y="340" width="60" height="40" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="3" value="Presentation Layer" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#f5f5f5;strokeColor=#666666;fontSize=14;fontStyle=1;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="160" y="40" width="300" height="180" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="4" value="Web&#xa;Browser" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="3"><mxGeometry x="20" y="30" width="80" height="50" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="5" value="Mobile&#xa;App" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="3"><mxGeometry x="120" y="30" width="80" height="50" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="7" value="Application Layer" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#f5f5f5;strokeColor=#666666;fontSize=14;fontStyle=1;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="160" y="260" width="300" height="180" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="8" value="API&#xa;Gateway" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#fff2cc;strokeColor=#d6b656;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="7"><mxGeometry x="20" y="30" width="80" height="50" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="9" value="Business&#xa;Logic" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#dae8fc;strokeColor=#6c8ebf;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="7"><mxGeometry x="110" y="30" width="80" height="50" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="11" value="Data Layer" style="rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;fillColor=#f5f5f5;strokeColor=#666666;fontSize=14;fontStyle=1;" vertex="1" parent="1"><mxGeometry x="160" y="480" width="300" height="180" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="12" value="Primary&#xa;Database" style="shape=cylinder3;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;boundedLbl=1;fillColor=#e1f5fe;strokeColor=#0277bd;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="11"><mxGeometry x="20" y="30" width="60" height="80" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="13" value="Cache" style="shape=cylinder3;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;boundedLbl=1;fillColor=#fff3e0;strokeColor=#e65100;fontSize=12;" vertex="1" parent="11"><mxGeometry x="100" y="30" width="60" height="80" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="20" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="2" target="4"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="21" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="4" target="8"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="22" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="8" target="9"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="23" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=classic;endFill=1;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=2;" edge="1" parent="1" source="9" target="12"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
        <mxCell id="24" value="query" style="edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=0;endArrow=open;endFill=0;strokeColor=#666666;strokeWidth=1;fontSize=10;dashed=1;" edge="1" parent="1" source="9" target="13"><mxGeometry relative="1" as="geometry"/></mxCell>
      </root>
    </mxGraphModel>
  </diagram>
</mxfile>

For additional templates (microservice architecture, event-driven, decision tree, sequence, DFD), see diagram-templates.md.

Constraints and Warnings

Critical Constraints

1. XML validity: Always close tags properly and escape special characters
2. Unique IDs: All cell IDs must be unique (except parent "0" and "1")
3. Valid references: Source/target must reference existing cell IDs
4. Positive coordinates: All x, y values must be >= 0

Warnings

• XML files must be well-formed or will fail to open in draw.io
• Invalid parent references cause elements to disappear
• Negative coordinates place elements outside visible canvas

Best Practices

1. Use consistent colors per element type across all diagrams
2. Keep arrows straight with minimal bends
3. Place labels at least 20px from arrow lines
4. Group related elements in containers
5. Use 12-14px font for labels, 10-11px for annotations
6. Align all coordinates to grid (multiples of 10)
7. Use high contrast colors and don't rely solely on color for meaning