Collaborative, Testable and Accessible diagrams with Eclipse GLSP

Modern web-based diagram editors are not only about shapes and edges; they’re about creating an interactive, collaborative environment that elevates user experience and productivity. With technologies such as Eclipse GLSP you can significantly enhance your diagram editors with cross cutting features such as collaboration, accessibility and testability.

Our talk at EclipseCon 2023 was a deep dive into the latest enhancements and innovations brought by Eclipse GLSP 2.0 in this area. This release marks a significant leap forward in simplifying the development, testing, and usability of web-based diagram editors. If you missed the talk, please find the recording below.

Key Highlights from Our Talk:

1. Synchronous Diagram Editing: One of the groundbreaking features is the VS Code Live Share integration in Eclipse GLSP. This integration brings real-time collaboration to diagram editing, enabling multiple users to work on the same diagram simultaneously. This fosters better teamwork and significantly boosts productivity.

2. Enhanced Testability: Testing user-flows in diagram editors has always been a challenging task. We introduced a new approach to this issue with a novel page object model based on Playwright. This innovation simplifies end-to-end testing for any GLSP-based editor, making the quality assurance process much more efficient and effective.

3. Improved Accessibility: We are committed to making diagram editors more user-friendly and efficient. Our latest release includes enhancements like keyboard-oriented navigation and editing tools, as well as the inclusion of metadata in diagrams. These improvements offer a more empowering experience for all users.

Throughout the presentation, we not only showcase these new features but also delve into the underlying technologies. We discuss best practices and demonstrate how these advancements can be utilized to improve both existing and new diagram editors.

If you’re keen to learn more about these exciting developments in the world of diagram editors, the full recording of our talk is available below. Dive into the world of Eclipse GLSP and discover how it’s shaping the future of diagramming tools.

For more updates and insights, keep an eye on our blog and follow us on Twitter. Your engagement and feedback are what drive us to keep innovating!

If you have any questions about Eclipse GLSP, please get in touch with us! EclipseSource is your technology partner for building tools and IDEs. We provide consulting, training and implementation services, as well as sponsored open source development for web-based tools (including Diagram Editors), Eclipse Theia, Eclipse GLSP, EMF.cloud and related technologies such as VS Code.