Diagram Lifecycle
Every C4 diagram in Nodinite has a state that controls who can edit it and what the diagram represents. The lifecycle exists to protect published architecture documentation from accidental changes while giving you a safe workspace to iterate.
Understanding the lifecycle before you start editing saves time and prevents surprises.
Architecture Scope and lifecycle behavior
Lifecycle actions are evaluated within the diagram's Architecture Scope.
- Layered Mode: promoting or changing diagrams can trigger re-evaluation of inferred relationships across related views in the same scope.
- Free Draw: edits remain local to the current diagram and do not automatically synchronize to other Draft diagrams, regardless of scope.
If you change a diagram's scope, inferred navigation and layered relationships are recalculated for the new architectural identity. For the broader set model, including multiple architectural scopes and the coverage matrix, see Diagram Set Fundamentals.
Viewing a Diagram
The View action opens the read-only diagram page. It is useful when you want to inspect the published version without entering the Designer.
The Three States
Diagram: The three lifecycle states for a C4 diagram. A Draft is your working copy; Active is the published version.
Example of the read-only banner shown for an Active or Archived diagram, prompting the user to create a Draft before editing.
| State | Designer behaviour | Editing |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Full edit mode — Toolbox visible, all editing controls active | All editing enabled |
| Active | Read-only. Yellow banner: "This diagram is read-only (Active or Archived). Create a Draft to make changes." | Editing disabled |
| Archived | Read-only. No editing allowed | Editing disabled |
Creating a New Diagram
Click Add Diagram in the Designer toolbar to create a new diagram in the same Diagram Set. The Create Diagram modal asks for:
- Name — the diagram title
- Diagram type — L0 Landscape, L1 Context, L2 Container, L3 Component, L4 Dynamic, or Deployment
- Description (optional)
New diagrams are created in Draft state and open immediately in edit mode.
Editing an Active Diagram
You cannot directly edit an Active diagram. To make changes:
- Open the Active diagram in the Designer
- Click Create Draft in the toolbar
- A Draft copy is created and opened automatically
- Make your changes in the Draft
- Click Promote to Active when the changes are ready
When you promote, the Draft becomes the new Active version. The previous Active version is retired.
Important
Promoting is immediate and visible to all users. Ensure your diagram changes are complete and reviewed before promoting a Draft.
Promoting a Draft to Active
Click Promote to Active in the toolbar when the Draft is ready to be published.
The promotion:
- Changes the diagram state from Draft to Active
- Makes the diagram visible as the current published version
- Hides editing controls (the Toolbox disappears, editing event handlers are removed)
The Action Menu
The Action menu is context-sensitive. Some items, such as Compare, also appear on other diagram pages where version comparison is useful.
Example of the Action menu showing the common diagram operations available from the page.
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| View | Opens the read-only diagram page. |
| Edit | Opens the diagram in the Designer and lets you create a Draft if needed. |
| Edit Properties | Updates the diagram metadata. |
| Compare | Compares the current diagram with another revision. |
| Clone as Draft | Creates a new Draft copy you can edit. |
| Soft Delete / Archive | Archives the diagram instead of removing it permanently. |
| Hard Delete | Permanently removes the diagram after confirmation. |
Comparing Diagram Revisions
Example of the Compare option for reviewing differences between the current diagram and another revision.
Use Compare when you want to review changes before promoting, cloning, or replacing a diagram.
Clone as Draft
Example of the Clone as Draft option for creating a new Draft copy of the diagram.
This creates a new Draft copy that you can edit without changing the current Active diagram.
Soft Delete / Archive
Example of the Soft Delete option, which archives the diagram instead of removing it permanently.
Use this when you want to keep the diagram for reference but remove it from active use.
Hard Delete
Example of the Hard Delete option for permanently deleting a diagram after confirmation.
Hard delete removes the diagram and its layout data permanently.
Cloning a Diagram
Cloning creates an independent copy of the current diagram. Two clone options are available in the toolbar:
| Button | Creates | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Clone | An Active copy | You want a snapshot or backup of the published diagram |
| Clone as Draft | A Draft copy ready to edit | You want to experiment with a major restructure before committing |
The Clone modal asks for a name and optionally a different Diagram Set for the copy.
Cloning before Auto-arrange is strongly recommended. A pre-arranged clone preserved your manual layout, letting you compare the auto-arranged result against the original.
Editing Diagram Properties
Click Edit Properties in the Designer toolbar to modify the diagram's metadata:
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The diagram's title |
| Diagram type | L0 through Deployment |
| State | Draft / Active / Archived |
| Description | A narrative description of what the diagram represents |
| Tags | Free-text tags for search and grouping |
Info
Changing the Diagram type in properties changes the C4 level and affects which shapes are valid and which connections the validation rules allow. Update the type only if the diagram scope genuinely changes.
The Diagram Set
For the full set model, including multiple architectural scopes and the coverage matrix, see Diagram Set Fundamentals.
Frequently Asked Questions
I promoted a Draft but I still see the old Active diagram
Promotion is immediate. If you see the previous version, refresh the page. The browser may be caching the old render.
Can I have multiple Drafts for the same diagram at the same time?
Yes. A diagram type can have multiple Drafts inside the same Diagram Set and architectural scope. The limit applies to Active diagrams, not Drafts.
How do I revert a Draft to match the current Active version?
Delete the Draft and create a new one from the Active diagram. Because Delete is permanent, ensure you have no changes in the Draft worth keeping first.
The designer shows a yellow banner but no Create Draft button
You may not have permission to create Drafts. Check with your administrator that your role has the required canAdd permission for Architecture Diagrams.