# plotwork outline

> Page: https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/commands/outline. Index of every page: https://docs.plotwork.dev/llms.txt

Print a plain-text outline of every diagram, to check what it says. It is a command of the Plotwork command line, the npm package `@buun_group/plotwork`.

## TL;DR

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does it do? | Print a plain-text outline of every diagram, to check what it says. |
| How do I run it? | `npx -y @buun_group/plotwork@0.1.0 outline`, or `plotwork outline` once the package is installed. |
| What does it write? | Nothing. |
| Does it use the network? | No. It reads and writes files on this machine only. |
| Does it read the repository settings? | Yes: the header defaults of the settings file apply to every diagram. See [Configuration](https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/configuration.md). |
| How do I read this in a terminal? | `plotwork outline --help` |

## Synopsis

```sh
plotwork outline <file> [--config <file>]
```

## What it does

Prints every diagram of a file as plain text: its nodes, groups, and connections in words. Use it to check that a diagram says what it should without looking at the picture, or to describe it in a review.

## Options

| Option | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `--config <file>` | `PLOTWORK_CONFIG`, else the nearest `plotwork.config.json` or `.plotwork/config.json` from the file up to the repository root | The repository settings file to read: header defaults, and the style rules check applies. |

## Examples

Describe every diagram of a page.

```sh
plotwork outline docs/architecture.md
```

## Exit codes

| Code | When |
|---|---|
| `0` | Every diagram was outlined. |
| `1` | A diagram has an error. |
| `2` | A mistake in the command line: an unknown option, a missing operand, a file or glob that matches nothing, or a settings file that cannot be read. |

## See also

| Doc | Why |
|---|---|
| [Command reference](https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/commands.md) | Every command of the command line |
| [Writing diagrams](https://docs.plotwork.dev/writing-diagrams.md) | What a diagram says, in words |
| [Exit codes and output formats](https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/exit-codes-and-output.md) | What every code and format means |