When you add a diagram, chart, mind map, or flowchart (from scratch or a template), you can customize the appearance of the shapes directly on the design canvas.
About Diagram Shapes
Diagram shapes appear in mind map and flowchart templates. To use them, select a template from the Templates page. You can also add flowchart or mind map template pages into a design that you're working on in the Editor.
These shapes are typically grouped elements with resizable text boxes that can be ungrouped and customized. They are designed to present information in a clear, structured, and visually appealing way by:
- Enabling greater customization of your design
- Helping visually distinguish data hierarchy (e.g., a circle for the root item, squares for child items)
- Highlighting grouped associations within the data
By default, text inside diagram shapes is center-aligned for a clean, consistent look. Text that appears in diagram shapes is usually center-aligned by default.
Resize Shapes in Mind Maps or Flowcharts
To resize a shape, click to select it. Then, use the side handles on the bounding box—click and drag to adjust the size. The contents of the shape will automatically scale as you resize.
When you resize a shape enough to shift its position within the chart, the connecting line will automatically adjust to keep the shapes linked.
Changing a Shape in a Mind Map or Flowchart
In mind maps, the size of a shape—especially polygons and circles—is determined by the content that takes up the most space, maintaining a 1:1 aspect ratio. Resize the shape to distribute the content proportionally while preserving that ratio.
Note: When you change a rectangular or square shape to a circle, the text will remain fixed in a single, square cell at the center. As you resize the shape, the text will scale proportionally, but the lines won’t collapse or redistribute as they would when resizing a long rectangle into a tall, narrow one.
Types of Item Layouts in Diagrams
- Multiple text boxes
- Single text box
- Single icon
- Icon + text box(es)
Change the Color of a Diagram Shape or Shape Border
Change the Text in a Diagram Shape
Font face, size, styling and color
Double-click into the text in the diagram shape to select it. Change the font face, size, styling (Bold, Italic, Underline) and color using the font tools in the top toolbar. You can also link the text or create a numbered or bullet list with text in a diagram shape.
Alignment and Line Height
Text in a diagram shape is center aligned by default. To change the alignment or line height, double-click on the text in the shape, and use the font tools in the top toolbar to change the Alignment, or the Line Height. Click on the drop-down menus to open them and select the setting.
Mind Map or Flowchart Ports
In flowcharts and mind maps, the ports are available in all four directions (N, W, E, S) in addition to a central port.
Connecting Lines
The lines in all diagrams can be changed using the Line Style drop-down.
Stepped, curved, and straight lines can be customized further with arrow ends.
Click on the Edge Type drop-down menu to change the line type.
Change the color of lines with the Color Tool in the top toolbar, using the color widget to customize the line's appearance.
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