Rich Documentation Editor (Camunda Modeler Plugin)

A Camunda Modeler plugin that opens a rich text editor when you click on an element's Documentation property in the Camunda Modeler. It helps modelers write and maintain well-formatted documentation directly within BPMN diagrams.

Features

• Rich text editing for the BPMN Documentation property (powered by Quill)
• Seamless integration into Camunda Modeler
• Improves readability and consistency of element documentation

Compatibility

• Camunda Modeler: 5.x
• Platform: macOS, Windows, Linux (where Camunda Modeler runs)

Note: If you encounter issues with other Modeler versions, please open an issue or a PR with details.

Install (End Users)

1. Download the distribution zip (camunda-modeler-plugin-rich-documentation-editor.zip). If you don't have it, you can create it locally, see "Create Distro" below.
2. Unzip it into your Camunda Modeler plugins directory:
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/camunda-modeler/resources/plugins/
   • Windows: %APPDATA%/camunda-modeler/resources/plugins/
   • Linux: ~/.config/camunda-modeler/resources/plugins/
3. Ensure the resulting folder contains index.js, dist/, style/ (no extra nesting).
4. Start or restart Camunda Modeler.

After installation, click on an element in your diagram, select the Documentation property, and the rich editor will appear.

Usage

• Select any BPMN element.
• Open the Properties Panel and click into the Documentation field.
• Use the toolbar to format text (bold, italic, lists, links, etc.).
• Changes are saved with the diagram like regular documentation.

Development (Local)

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• Camunda Modeler 5.x installed for testing

Setup

npm install

Dev Mode (watch)

npm run dev

This watches sources and rebuilds on changes. Reload or restart Camunda Modeler to see updates.

Build

npm run bundle

Prepares the plugin for distribution by generating production assets into the dist folder.

Create Distro (zip for easy install)

npm run distro

Creates the camunda-modeler-plugin-rich-documentation-editor.zip in the project root. Unzip into your Camunda Modeler plugins directory as described above.

Troubleshooting

• Plugin not loading: Verify the folder structure under resources/plugins does not contain an extra nested directory level after unzipping.
• Modeler version mismatch: This plugin targets Camunda Modeler 5.x. Upgrade your Modeler if you see compatibility errors.
• Still stuck? Please open an issue with your OS, Modeler version, and console logs.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! For small changes, submit a PR. For larger changes, please open an issue to discuss the approach first.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

• Built with camunda-modeler-plugin-helpers and Quill.