Visual Styling Code Examples

Note

🔧 Intermediate / Architecture — Practical code examples for customizing element appearance.

Example 1: Using Hex and Named Colors

Create elements with both hexadecimal and named color specifications:

from pyArchimate import Model, ArchiType

model = Model(name="Color Examples")

# Create elements with hex colors
elem1 = model.add_element(
    name="Critical System",
    element_type=ArchiType.ApplicationService
)
elem1.set_fill_color("#FF5733")  # Bright red-orange (hex)
elem1.set_line_color("#8B0000")  # Dark red (hex)
elem1.set_line_width(2)

# Create elements with named colors
elem2 = model.add_element(
    name="Standard Service",
    element_type=ArchiType.ApplicationService
)
elem2.set_fill_color("lightblue")  # Named color (case-insensitive)
elem2.set_line_color("darkblue")   # Named color

# Create elements with transparency
elem3 = model.add_element(
    name="Legacy Service",
    element_type=ArchiType.ApplicationService
)
elem3.set_fill_color("#CCCCCC")  # Gray
elem3.set_transparency(0.7)      # 70% transparent (30% opaque)

# Verify colors were set
print(f"Elem1 fill: {elem1.get_fill_color()}")      # #FF5733
print(f"Elem2 fill: {elem2.get_fill_color()}")      # lightblue
print(f"Elem3 transparency: {elem3.get_transparency()}")  # 0.7

model.write("colors.archimate")

Example 2: Bulk Styling with set_visual_style

Apply consistent styling to multiple elements using style dictionaries:

from pyArchimate import Model, ArchiType

model = Model(name="Bulk Styling Example")

# Define a style template
critical_style = {
    "fill_color": "#FFE6E6",  # Light red
    "line_color": "#CC0000",  # Bright red
    "line_width": 3,
    "transparency": 0.0       # Fully opaque
}

normal_style = {
    "fill_color": "#E6F2FF",  # Light blue
    "line_color": "#0066CC",  # Bright blue
    "line_width": 1,
    "transparency": 0.0
}

deprecated_style = {
    "fill_color": "#CCCCCC",  # Gray
    "line_color": "#666666",  # Darker gray
    "line_width": 1,
    "transparency": 0.5       # 50% transparent
}

# Create elements and apply styles based on category
critical_system = model.add_element(
    name="Payment Gateway",
    element_type=ArchiType.ApplicationService
)
critical_system.set_visual_style(critical_style)

normal_system = model.add_element(
    name="Logging Service",
    element_type=ArchiType.ApplicationService
)
normal_system.set_visual_style(normal_style)

legacy_system = model.add_element(
    name="Legacy API",
    element_type=ArchiType.ApplicationService
)
legacy_system.set_visual_style(deprecated_style)

# Verify styles
payment_style = critical_system.get_visual_style()
print(f"Payment Gateway style: {payment_style}")

model.write("bulk_styled.archimate")

Example 3: Model-Wide Theme with Per-Element Overrides

Set a default theme for the model and override for specific elements:

from pyArchimate import Model, ArchiType

model = Model(name="Themed Model")

# Define and set model-wide default theme
default_theme = {
    "fill_color": "#F5F5F5",  # Light gray background
    "line_color": "#333333",  # Dark gray border
    "line_width": 1,
    "transparency": 0.0
}

model.set_default_theme(default_theme)

# Create elements - they'll use the default theme
process1 = model.add_element(
    name="Standard Process",
    element_type=ArchiType.BusinessProcess
)

process2 = model.add_element(
    name="Critical Process",
    element_type=ArchiType.BusinessProcess
)

# Override the critical process with custom styling
override_style = {
    "fill_color": "#FFC0C0",  # Light pink
    "line_color": "#FF0000",  # Red
    "line_width": 2,
    "transparency": 0.0
}
process2.set_visual_style(override_style)

# Add related elements
service1 = model.add_element(
    name="Service A",
    element_type=ArchiType.ApplicationService
)

service2 = model.add_element(
    name="Critical Service",
    element_type=ArchiType.ApplicationService
)
service2.set_fill_color("#FF8888")  # Highlight with color

# All elements now have styling - some from theme, some overridden
model.write("themed.archimate")

Example 4: Round-Trip Verification

Verify that styling is preserved when reading and writing models:

from pyArchimate import Model, ArchiType

# Create and style a model
model = Model(name="Styled Model")

elem = model.add_element(
    name="Styled Element",
    element_type=ArchiType.BusinessProcess
)
elem.set_fill_color("#FF6B6B")
elem.set_line_color("#C92A2A")
elem.set_line_width(2)
elem.set_transparency(0.2)

# Save the model
model.write("original.archimate")
print("Saved original model with styling")

# Read it back
model2 = Model.read("original.archimate")
elem2 = model2.get_element(elem.id)

# Verify styling was preserved
assert elem2.get_fill_color() == "#FF6B6B", "Fill color not preserved!"
assert elem2.get_line_color() == "#C92A2A", "Line color not preserved!"
assert elem2.get_line_width() == 2, "Line width not preserved!"
assert elem2.get_transparency() == 0.2, "Transparency not preserved!"

print("✓ All styling preserved in round-trip!")

# Modify and save again
elem2.set_fill_color("#4ECDC4")  # Teal
model2.write("modified.archimate")

# Read again to verify second round-trip
model3 = Model.read("modified.archimate")
elem3 = model3.get_element(elem.id)

assert elem3.get_fill_color() == "#4ECDC4", "Updated color not preserved!"
print("✓ Updated styling preserved in second round-trip!")

Styling Best Practices

Use consistent color schemes: Define reusable style dictionaries for different element categories.
Reserve strong colors for important elements: Use bright colors (e.g., red) sparingly to highlight critical systems.
Maintain visual hierarchy: Use transparency and line width to show importance and relationships.
Test round-trip preservation: Always verify that styling survives export and re-import cycles.
Consider accessibility: Ensure color choices provide sufficient contrast for readability (especially for colorblind users).