How to Create Diagrams
This article explains how to create diagrams so that you can visualise and work with your client's structure.
There are two types of diagrams in StructureGram — Ownership Diagrams and Family Tree Diagrams. See Understanding Diagram Types for a comparison.
Before You Start
Make sure you have an active Group.
Ownership Diagrams
Ownership Diagrams display the entities and relationships in your Group. You can generate one based on stored data, or start with a blank canvas if you haven't recorded any data yet.
Method 1: Generating from Stored Data
- In the left-hand navigation, go to Diagrams.
- Click Create Ownership.
- Give your diagram a name and click Create Diagram. You will be taken straight to your new diagram, which displays all entities and relationships stored for the active Group.
Method 2: Starting with a Blank Canvas
If you haven't recorded any entity or relationship data yet, you can build your diagram directly on the canvas.
- In the left-hand navigation, go to Diagrams.
- Click Create Ownership.
- Give your diagram a name and click Create Diagram. You will be taken to a blank canvas.
- In the panel on the left, select New and drag an entity type onto the canvas.
- The Inspector panel opens on the right. Complete the form and click Create [Entity Type].
- Repeat steps 4–5 until you have at least two entities on the canvas.
- To draw a relationship between two entities, click on an entity — four arrows appear around it. Click and drag one of the arrows to the target entity.
- The Inspector panel opens. Select a Relationship Type and complete any additional details.
Choosing Which Entities Appear
A new Ownership Diagram starts with every entity in the active Group. To show only some of them — for example, one company and the entities connected to it — use the green Entities button. There are no entity filter templates to set up: each diagram keeps its own selection.
The Entities button is in the diagram header next to the diagram name, and on the diagram's row on the Diagrams page. Clicking it opens Entities in this diagram, where you can:
- Select All — tick every entity in the Group.
- Select None — untick every entity in the Group.
- Type buttons (Individuals, Companies, Trusts, Partnerships, SMSFs) — add every listed entity of that type to the selection. They add without unticking anything, so click Select None first if you want only that type.
- Focus entity — choose one entity, then click Direct links (that entity and everything one link away) or All links (everything connected to it, directly or indirectly). This fills in the ticks for you to review.
- Click any row to tick or untick it, or search by name.
Click Save Changes to apply the selection. Removing an entity from a diagram never deletes it.
For a full walk-through, see How to Diagram One Company or Part of a Group.
Tip: To start from a blank canvas in a Group that already has entities, create the diagram, click Entities, click Select None, and save. (Entities from other groups that were saved on the diagram are not in the list and stay.)
Family Tree Diagrams
Family Tree Diagrams centre on a chosen individual and display their familial relationships. If you have already recorded familial relationships (such as spouse, parent, and child) in your database, these are displayed automatically when the diagram is generated. You can also add further individuals and relationships directly on the canvas.
Steps
- In the left-hand navigation, go to Diagrams.
- Click Create Family Tree.
- Select a Core Individual — this is the person the family tree will be centred on. You will need at least one existing Individual entity to do this.
- Give your diagram a name and click Create Diagram. You will be taken straight to the family tree diagram.
Adding Individuals and Relationships on the Canvas
Once on the Family Tree Diagram, you can add individuals and relationships directly from the canvas. Hover over an individual to reveal three icons:
- Green downward arrow — click to open a panel on the right to add a child. You can select an existing individual or create a new one.
- Purple upward arrow — click to open a panel on the right to add a parent. You can select an existing individual or create a new one.
- Heart icon — click to add a spouse. You can select an existing individual or create a new one.
Once two individuals are in a spouse relationship, a fourth icon appears:
- Pair of blue downward arrows — click to add a child that will be attributed to both individuals.
Any individuals and relationships created on the Family Tree canvas automatically become structured data in the database, visible on the relevant entity and relationship pages.