TL;DR
AsciiSketch is a browser tool for creating ASCII art and diagrams with a WYSIWYG canvas, text and line tools, and export options. The interface exposes controls for canvas size, element placement, fonts, borders, fills and arrow/line styles.
What happened
A Show HN post introduces AsciiSketch, a web-based editor for producing ASCII art and simple diagrams directly in the browser. The interface centers on a configurable canvas (width and height) and a panel of element controls that let users place and size elements, insert text with many preset font styles, and adjust alignment, padding and position. The editor offers border and fill controls (including multiple border styles and fill characters), a pencil tool for freehand input, and a variety of line types and styles with selectable start and end markers such as arrows, diamonds and circles. Users can save and load drawings from within the UI and export their work as plain text. The tool appears focused on producing text-only diagrams and decorated text blocks without mentioning additional integrations or account requirements in the provided material.
Why it matters
- Provides a lightweight, browser-native way to create text-based diagrams without a graphic toolchain.
- Exporting as plain text makes output portable into terminals, code comments, READMEs and plain-text documentation.
- A range of fonts, borders and line styles enables more expressive ASCII diagrams than a plain text editor.
- On-device, browser operation can simplify quick diagramming where image formats are not desirable.
Key facts
- Canvas controls include numeric Width and Height settings.
- Element panel exposes X/Y coordinates and element Width/Height.
- Text tool supports content entry, alignment, position and multiple font presets (e.g., Banner, Block, Doom, Star Wars).
- Border options include styles such as Single (Light), Double, Heavy, Rounded, ASCII (+|-), and Blended and a Show Border toggle.
- Fill features allow a fill character and background fill toggles.
- Line tool offers Straight and several orthogonal routing types plus style choices (Single, Double, Heavy, ASCII).
- Line endpoints and starts can be set to symbols like Arrow, Triangle, Diamond, Circle, single bar or many (<).
- Basic drawing utilities include a Pencil character tool, Save Drawing, Load Drawing, Export as Text, and Clear Canvas.
What to watch next
- Whether the project publishes source code or a license for reuse and modification (not confirmed in the source).
- How drawings are stored when using Save/Load — local browser storage, downloadable files, or a backend (not confirmed in the source).
- Mobile/touch support and how the UI adapts to small screens (not confirmed in the source).
Quick glossary
- ASCII art: Images or diagrams composed from standard text characters instead of pixels or vector shapes.
- Canvas: The editable area where text characters and diagram elements are placed; typically sized in character columns and rows.
- Border: A framing element around text or shapes composed of ASCII characters, available in multiple styles and weights.
- Fill: A character or pattern used to populate the interior area of a bordered shape or region on the canvas.
- Export as Text: A function that converts the canvas contents into plain text output suitable for copying or saving as a .txt file.
Reader FAQ
Is AsciiSketch free to use?
The source describes it as free.
Can I export my drawings?
Yes — the UI includes an 'Export as Text' control to produce plain-text output.
Does AsciiSketch require an account or cloud storage?
Not confirmed in the source.
Is the project open source?
Not confirmed in the source.
Where are Save/Load drawings stored?
Not confirmed in the source.
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Sources
- Show HN: AsciiSketch a free browser-based ASCII art and diagram editor
- Show HN: AsciiSketch a free browser-based ASCII art and …
- Monodraw for macOS — Helftone
- Tool to create ASCII graph from a set of vertices and edges?
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