Connectors¶
A connector is a line that knows what it's attached to. Move the shape, the line follows. This is the bit that makes a diagram a diagram rather than a drawing.
Drawing one¶
Press L (or click the Connector tool) and drag from one point to another.
As you move near a shape, small blue × marks appear around it — the connection points. Let go within a few pixels of one and the connector attaches. Let go in open space and the end stays free, which is fine too.
The quick way
Hold Alt while the Select tool is active. Nearby shapes immediately show their connection points, and you can drag straight from one to another. When you let go, you're back in Select. No tool switching at all.
Hold Alt+Shift instead and you can keep clicking to build a multi-segment connector.
Straight, curved, or squiggly¶
Click the small chevron on the Connector tool button and pick:
- Straight Connector — corners stay sharp.
- Curved Connector — smooth curve through the points.
- Squiggly Connector — drawn freehand, for when a diagram shouldn't look too sure of itself.
The tool remembers your choice, and picking one also activates the tool.
Multi-segment connectors¶
Sometimes a line has to go around things.
With the Connector tool, hold Alt as you release the mouse and the connector stays "open" — keep clicking to add more anchor points. Finish with a double-click or by pressing Enter. Click back on the first anchor to close the shape. Esc throws the whole thing away.
Editing a connector you've already drawn¶
Select the connector first. Then:
| What you want | How |
|---|---|
| Move a point | Drag it |
| Add a point | Click the + handle at a segment's midpoint, or drag a selected segment |
| Remove a point | Shift-click it (a connector always keeps at least two) |
| Straight ↔ curved at one point | Double-click the point |
| Re-attach an end | Drag the endpoint onto a different shape's connection point |
| Detach an end | Drag the endpoint into open space |
| Extend a free end | Alt-drag the endpoint |
| Move the whole line | Cmd-drag — only works if neither end is attached |
| Step between points | Tab and Shift+Tab |
| Nudge a point | Select it, then use the arrow keys |
| Label the line | Double-click it, or press Enter |
If a connector is attached to a shape, you can't drag the whole line somewhere else — move the shape instead. That's deliberate: the attachment is the whole point.
Arrowheads, weights and patterns¶
Right-click a connector for the full set of options, or use the Shape Properties panel.
Line Weight: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 or 12 points from the context menu, or type any value from 1 to 100 in the panel.
Line Pattern: Solid, Dashed or Dotted.
Start Ending and End Ending, independently:
None · Stop · Arrow · Solid Arrow · Circle · Solid Circle · Diamond · Solid Diamond · Half Circle · Crow Foot
That Crow Foot is there for the database people. You know who you are.
Other connector commands¶
Right-clicking gives you a few more things depending on where you click:
- On a point: Point Type ▸ Straight / Curved, Remove Point, Detach Start, Detach End
- On a segment: Add Point Here
- Anywhere on the line: Clear Waypoints (straightens it back out) and Delete Connector
One thing to know about layering¶
Connectors always draw beneath shapes, and they have no z-order of their own. So "Bring to Front" doesn't apply to them. In practice this is what you want — lines tuck behind the boxes they join rather than cutting across them.