When creating or editing ASCII diagrams (architecture diagrams, flowcharts, component layouts), apply these formatting standards.

When to Use This Skill

•Creating architecture diagrams in markdown documents
•Editing existing ASCII diagrams
•Reviewing specifications that contain box-drawing diagrams
•Any time box-drawing characters (─, │, ┌, ┐, └, ┘, ├, ┤, ┬, ┴, ┼) are used

Formatting Standards

1. Border Alignment

All vertical borders must align consistently. The right edge of nested boxes should have consistent spacing to the outer border.

❌ Incorrect - Inconsistent spacing before right border:

code

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  Layer 1                    │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐  │
│  │   Box A     │  │       Box B         │  │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                  Layer 2                    │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  │
│  │  Box C  │  │  Box D  │  │    Box E    │  │
│  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Note: Layer 1 has 1 space before │, Layer 2 has 2 spaces before │

✅ Correct - Consistent spacing (2 spaces) before right border:

code

┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 Layer 1                   │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐ │
│  │   Box A     │  │       Box B         │ │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘ │
├───────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                 Layer 2                   │
│  ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────────┐  │
│  │  Box C  │ │  Box D  │ │    Box E    │  │
│  └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────────┘  │
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘

2. Consistent Inner Padding

Use consistent padding (typically 2 spaces) between the outer border and nested content on both left and right sides.

code

│  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  │
   ^^                     ^^
   2 spaces on each side

3. Horizontal Divider Alignment

Horizontal dividers (├ and ┤) must span the full width and align with the outer corners.

❌ Incorrect:

code

┌──────────────────────┐
│       Section 1      │
├─────────────────────┤
│       Section 2      │
└──────────────────────┘

✅ Correct:

code

┌──────────────────────┐
│       Section 1      │
├──────────────────────┤
│       Section 2      │
└──────────────────────┘

Verification Checklist

When reviewing a diagram, verify:

• All rows have the same total character width
• Left padding is consistent (typically 2 spaces after │)
• Right padding is consistent (typically 2 spaces before │)
• Horizontal lines (─) connect properly to corners and junctions
• Nested boxes maintain internal alignment
• Text is centered or consistently aligned within boxes

Future Standards

Additional diagram formatting rules will be added here.