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Introduction

archi-semantic-core is a TypeScript library that parses native .archimate model files created by the Archi desktop editor and exposes their semantics through a small, typed ArchiModel.

.archimate XML  →  archi-semantic-core  →  ArchiModel

The library reads Archi’s native XML format (xmlns:archimate="http://www.archimatetool.com/archimate" — the format Archi itself reads and writes on disk) and converts it into a clean, well-typed model containing:

  • folders, elements and relationships;
  • views, diagram objects, diagram connections and notes;
  • documentation, properties, visual styling and geometry;
  • Specializations and generic Profiles;
  • the native semantic details — Junctions, Access/Influence/Association attributes, Label Expressions — needed to work with a model without understanding Archi’s XML structure;
  • the zip-archive variant of the .archimate file format, through the Node-only /archive subpath.

What it is for

Section titled “What it is for”

Use this package when you need to work programmatically with an Archi model while keeping parsing independent from rendering, editing, quality rules, or exchange-format conversion.

The parser focuses on two responsibilities:

  • preserving Archi-native information that belongs to the semantic model;
  • exposing that information through a small, typed TypeScript API.

It does not reinterpret the model for another standard.

What it is not

Section titled “What it is not”

This package is not:

  • a parser or generator for the ArchiMate® Model Exchange File Format;
  • an editor or a mutation framework;
  • a renderer, layout engine, or diagram-routing engine;
  • an architecture-quality linter;
  • a general query engine or graph database;
  • a serializer back to .archimate.

Those are separate concerns and belong in separate packages. The Known limitations page lists the full boundary.

Where it fits

Section titled “Where it fits”

archi-semantic-core is the first cornerstone of the Continuous-Driven Architecture (CDA) ecosystem: a faithful, typed semantic representation of how a design is built in the Archi editor. Downstream tools consume that representation for impact analysis, drift detection, and architecture evolution — layers that may build a navigable graph on top, instead of this package trying to be one itself.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”