Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)
Reading Time: 2 min How to use the scratchpad in an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) to copy and automatically link complex container shapes in draw.io.
Add and rotate connector labels
You can double click anywhere on a connector to add a text label in that position. Once created, that label can be rotated like any shape, using the rotation handle. Animation of adding and rotating edge labels in draw.io
Quickly add text to shapes in draw.io
Reading Time: < 1 min You can add text to any shape from the symbol library in draw.io once it has been dropped onto the drawing area. Simply click on the the shape and start typing.
Enterprise Integration Patterns Stencils
draw.io supports a full set of Enterprise Integration Patterns (EIP). You can find them in the more shapes dialog Enterprise Integration Stencils
Need a quick org chart?
In the advanced library of draw.io, there are 4 auto-layout containers at the end of the library. There are vertical/horizontal tree/flow layout. When you connect shapes within these containers they are automatically laid out. Ideal if you want to create a quick org chart. Vertical tree layout container animation
Extracting the XML from mxfiles
The default format for saving diagrams was changed some time ago from raw XML to XML compressed using standard deflate. The main reason for this was that when Google's server are struggling a compressed file has a much better chance of writing. That said, the raw XML may be useful to see how the [...]
Quickly swap shapes
You can quickly swap a shape in-place in draw.io. Drag the new shape from the library on top of the old shape until you see the swap icon appear, then release. Swapping shapes in-place in draw.io
Using Cursor keys to move 1px
When a shape is selected you can move it one pixel in the 4 orthogonal direction using the keyboard cursor keys. Holding shift while pressing cursor keys moves the shape(s) 10 pixels.
Quickly add Connector Waypoints
If you select a connector, you'll see semi-transparent handles in between all existing waypoints. Drag these to new positions to easily create new to add a waypoint. If you want to remove a waypoint, double click on it. Animation showing the addition of a connector waypoint in draw.io
Specialised language fonts
Some fonts are created to provide a good output for specific character sets, at the expense of the Latin character rendering in that set. In draw.io you can, attempt to, use any font you wish. Select a shape(s), select the text panel on the right, click the font name, select custom and enter the [...]