# Blueprints

> Tabs, strata, files and metadata, what a blueprint is made of, and which parts are required.

A blueprint is one published thing made of several parts. Only the first is
mandatory.

| Part | Required | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Diagram tab | Yes, at least one | The drawing. Must be the first tab. |
| Further tabs | No | More diagrams, prose, code, or an embedded folium or video. |
| Strata | No | Detail bound to individual shapes. |
| Files | No | Uploads, in folders. |
| Tags | No | Discovery and the related-content rail. |
| Version | Set on publish | What readers see while you edit the next draft. |

## Why a diagram is mandatory

A blueprint without a diagram is a document, and there are better tools for
documents. Requiring one in first position means every blueprint opens with a
picture, and every reader gets orientation before prose.

## Tabs

Tabs are separate views of the same subject, not chapters: a logical view and a
physical view, one per environment, or the architecture and the sequence.

Six kinds are available:

| Kind | Holds |
| --- | --- |
| Diagram | A canvas, in any supported engine |
| Rich text | Markdown with the full component library |
| Raw | Code or config, line-numbered |
| Folium | A live, browsable documentation site |
| Video | A YouTube, Vimeo, Loom or direct video URL |
| Source embed | Content pulled from a connected Confluence, Notion or SharePoint |

> [!NOTE]
> Continuum-managed components exist too, but they are written by
> [Continuum](/foliums/blueprintr-user-guide/continuum) rather than by hand.

> [!TILES 3]
>
> === [The editor](/foliums/blueprintr-user-guide/blueprints/editor)
>
> The three steps, and what each gates.
>
> === [Diagram tabs](/foliums/blueprintr-user-guide/blueprints/diagram-tabs)
>
> Adding, ordering and naming tabs.
>
> === [Publishing](/foliums/blueprintr-user-guide/blueprints/publishing-and-visibility)
>
> Visibility, pre-flight checks and versions.