Map.

The wmap language.

The wmap language is a simple notation to create and edit wardley maps. It's what powers map and a few other tools. It's easy to pick up:

Components

Components are written as Name (x,y). The name can contain spaces, and the x and y coordinates are a whole or decimal number from 0 to 100 and represent how far from the top left corner the component will be drawn.

By default, components will be drawn as a circle, but you can specify the shape by appending [Square], [Triangle], or [x]. Here's some examples:

Component (1,2)
My Cool Component (10.0,21.0)
A (1, 2.0) [Square]
Rose Wall (44.3, 50.0) [x]

Dependencies

Dependencies connect two components, and they are written as Component A -- Component B. This will draw a simple line between them. If you want an arrow, you can use Component -> Component instead.

Component -- My Cool Component</code></li>
A -> Component</code></li>

Inertia

You can place an inertia marker in front of a component by writing [Inertia] Component.

[Inertia] My Cool Component
[Inertia] A</code>

Evolution

Evolution arrows are notated by using [Evolution] Component +x or [Evolution] Component -x, where x is a whole or decimal number between 0 and 100.

[Evolution] My Cool Component -10
[Evolution] A +15

Notes

Sometimes it's helpful to add some text clarifying the map. Writing [Note] (x, y) Text will create a note block right at those coordinates. Just like components, x and y are numbers between 0 and 100. You can write \n to force a line break.

[Note] (30, 45) Here we want to call out an explanation or context.
[Note] (90, 25) We're close to the edge \n so we can multiline it.

Groups

    <p>You can group components together by using <code>[Group] ComponentA, ComponentB...</code></p>
    <ul>
      <li><code>[Group] Tinker, Tailor, Soldier</code></li>
      <li><code>[Group] Two Words, Three Words Here</code></li>
    </ul>

Resizing Evolution Stages

If you need more space for one of the four stages, you can use [I] x, [II] x, or [III] x. As with other lines, x is a number between 0-100.

[I] 15
[II] 35.5
[III] 80

More Tools

There's parsers, renderers, editor plugins, and other tools for wmap available in a variety of languages.

View wmap Tools

Developers

If you want to develop your own tools to work with wmap files, you can read the specification in EBNF format. The file uses the media type application/vnd.wmap.