Merge Links
Merge Links is a layout tool that bundles relationship lines sharing an entity onto a common track, reducing visual clutter where several relationships run alongside each other.
Only Available with Tracks Routing
Merge Links only appears, and only does anything, when the diagram is using Tracks link routing. It has no effect with Direct — with Direct or Curves, the checkbox does nothing, because there's nothing for it to work with.
That's because Merge Links needs the shared tracks Tracks routing creates: the horizontal or vertical runs a right-angle relationship line travels along between one level and the next. Direct routes each relationship on its own bending path, with no shared track to consolidate onto — so Merge Links has nothing to work with there, and you won't see it in the Optimise section unless Tracks is selected.
The Problem It Solves
When several relationships share the same entity — a company with five shareholders, or a person who holds shares in five companies — each relationship still gets its own line by default. Laid out with Tracks, these lines run parallel to each other for most of their length, side by side, which reads as a wide, cluttered band even though every line is neatly right-angled.
What Merge Links Does
Merge Links bundles relationships that share a source or target entity into a single shared segment near that entity, instead of drawing each one as a fully separate parallel line. The relationships travel together along one common track for the shared part of their path, and only split apart close to each end, where they reach their own entity.
The result reads more like a tree — one trunk splitting into branches near each end — instead of a wide fan of individually parallel lines.
What You'll See
- Turn on Merge Links, then trigger a layout run (see How to Change Diagram Layout).
- Relationships sharing an entity draw as a bundled trunk for most of their length, splitting apart only near the entities they connect to.
- Individual relationship labels are unaffected — each relationship keeps its own label, positioned to stay readable against the shared trunk.
How to Turn On Merge Links
- Open an ownership diagram.
- Set Link Routing to Tracks (see How to Change Diagram Layout if you need to change it).
- Click the Layout button.
- Under Optimise, check Merge Links.
- Trigger a layout run — for example, click Refresh.
Tips
- Switch to Tracks first. If you don't see Merge Links in the Optimise section, check your Link Routing — it's hidden under Direct because it wouldn't do anything there.
- Best for entities with several shared relationships. A company with one or two shareholders won't visibly change; a company with five or six will read far more cleanly once their lines are bundled.
- Works alongside Untangle and Unzip Rows. Merge Links reduces clutter from parallel relationships; Untangle repositions entities to avoid crossings from shared connections; Unzip Rows narrows a wide, crowded level. A large diagram often benefits from more than one at once. See Untangle and Unzip Rows.
- Applies the next time the diagram lays itself out, not instantly when you check the box — trigger a layout run to see the effect.