My desktop text editor, KeenWrite[0], allows referencing variables within the main document text and figures. KeenWrite uses Kroki[1] to provide a wealth of diagram formats. In the screenshots[2], a Graphviz-based family tree is shown that uses character names sourced from an external YAML file. Those same variables can be used when writing prose. Change the variable in a single location and the family tree is updated and rendered immediately.
You can't do that with Google Docs, Lucid Chart, Word, OpenOffice, Scrivener, etc.
That's precisely it. I wrote down a bit more down below.
"Why is it better to write diagrams by hand rather than use a tool (e.g. inkscape, google docs) and export as SVG?
Because it requires everybody that wants to edit the diagram to (a) use the same tool and (b) have access to the original source file (e.g. the google doc)."
for what it's worth, svgs are their own source file, and can typically be edited using any vector editor. I work on a project with several people who regularly trade and collaborate svg's made with inkscape and adobe illustrator without issue. It's possible you meant export as a png or some other non-vector format?
It has a built in editable fallback. If you link a LucidChart it can disappear. If you screenshot it, it’s uneditable. If you have a markup based solution, it shows best if everything is working, but if the renderer is broken you still have a working editable ASCII diagram.
