yEd

yEd is a handy tool for creating diagrams that can save you time and effort on your projects. When you need to make a diagram, the last thing you want to do is spend hours on it. That’s where yEd comes in to help streamline the whole process.

Easy Import from Different Files

If you've got data in Microsoft Excel XLS or even XML, XSL, GED, GML, and other formats, yEd makes it super easy to import that info. This means you won't have to waste time typing everything in manually. Just think of how much quicker you can get your work done!

Customize Your Diagrams

One cool feature of yEd is its variety of chart layouts. You can apply these layouts to your existing datasets to change how nodes are positioned and how edges (the lines connecting nodes) look. This really helps improve both the beauty and clarity of your diagrams.

Grouping Feature for Complex Structures

The Grouping feature in yEd lets you create graphs within graphs! This means you can build complex hierarchies easily by placing graph structures inside nodes that are contained within other graphs.

Creating New Nodes Made Simple

Want to add new nodes? Just click on an empty spot on the canvas or drag a sample from the Palette tool window. It’s really as simple as that!

Connecting Nodes with Edges

The lines connecting two nodes are called edges. To add them, just click on one node and drag the line over to another one—it’s super intuitive!

User Experience and Design

Now, I should mention that while yEd is a great Java-based cross-platform app, its design feels a bit outdated—especially on a Mac. It doesn’t blend well with OS X's standard look, which can make finding certain functions tricky at times.

A Worthwhile Tool for Diagram Creation

Despite its design quirks, we highly recommend yEd! It really simplifies creating and organizing complex diagrams into something straightforward and easy. If you're interested in giving it a try yourself, download yEd here!