Petr Šourek When I first got my hands on MS Visio, I never thought much of it. I was a young programmer then. I knew best, including the fact that drawing flowcharts is only for managers and their ilk. But later I realized how wrong I was.
Unfortunately, after realizing the need to draw graphs, I was already on Mac OS and I didn't have the possibility to use MS Visio (apart from using Wine or Parallels), so I looked for a native application for OS X. I found a few alternatives, but probably the one that appealed to me the most OmniGraffle. After seeing its possibilities, I immediately downloaded its demo version and went to try what I needed.
When I first started it, I was almost put off by the Gimp-like appearance. This means that the control is not one window and in it panes (for example canvas, brushes, etc.), but each part of the program is its own window of the application. Fortunately, however, OS X can not only switch between applications, but also between windows of the same application, so I got used to it very quickly. Anyway, I'm just saying that it may not suit everyone. After a while, working with the application was completely intuitive, as it uses all the ergonomics of OS X, and I was able to transfer my thoughts to "paper" very quickly.
The application contains a relatively satisfactory number of objects from which you can build your graphs, but in my opinion, the main advantage of this application is the ability to create your own and then share them on the Internet, for example <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1932/8043/files/200721_ODSTOUPENI_BEZ_UDANI_DUVODU__EN.pdf?v=1595428404" data-gt-href-en="https://en.notsofunnyany.com/">here</a>. Thanks to this, you have a practically unlimited possibility to use this application. You can use it, for example, when modeling databases, creating UML diagrams, but then also as an application for designing how your apartment will look or even as an application in which you can model the layout of your WWW presentation. Among these objects, of which there can be hundreds, you can easily search within the application.
Another advantage would be the existence of an iPad app. So if you need to present your proposals at meetings or to friends, you don't need to bring a computer with you, but a small tablet will suffice. Unfortunately, a small drawback is that the iPad application is charged separately and is not exactly the cheapest.
OmniGraffle is available in two variants, normal and pro. The difference between the two may be slight, but they are by comparison. Pro should have better support for MS Visio (ie opening and saving its formats). Unfortunately, I didn't try the normal version, but when I made the chart, exported it to MS Visio format and gave it to a colleague, he had no problem with it. Subsequently, OmniGraffle Pro also has support for exporting to SVG, the ability to create tables, and so on.
In my opinion, OmniGraffle is a quality application that costs more, but is perfectly designed for its function and works the way the user needs it to. It has an intuitive, but somewhat unusual interface (similar to Gimp). If you create apps, draw org charts on a daily basis, this app is for you. If you only draw occasionally, it's a good idea to think about this considerable investment.
App Store: Normal € 79,99, Professional € 149,99, iPad 39,99 €
Nice article. I use OmniGraffle and the ability to import/export Visia documents is key for me. As for exporting to Visio, no one has complained so far, no problems. Conversely, it's not entirely smooth, after importing into OmniGraffle a few things were thrown around. I sent it to support, and was immediately assured that it would be fixed in the next version. Otherwise, I like the program more and more, the only negative is perhaps the price.