How to Manually Edit a Diagram
This article explains how to manually edit a diagram so that you can adjust the layout to suit your needs.
Auto-layout produces a clean diagram in most cases, so manual edits are usually minor. The most common adjustments are moving entities and tweaking relationship lines.
Before You Start
You'll need an existing diagram open. If you don't have one yet, see How to Create Diagrams.
Quick Steps
- To move an entity, click and drag it to a new position on the canvas.
- To move a relationship label, click and drag it to a new position.
- To edit how a relationship line connects two entities, click Link Tools.
- Hover over a relationship line — black dots appear indicating bend points.
- To remove a bend point, drag it over another bend point to merge them.
- To add a bend point, click any point along the relationship line where there are no existing bend points.
- Once you've finished editing relationship lines, click Link Tools again to stop using them.
- When you're happy with the layout, click Lock Layout.
A confirmation message appears: "Diagram saved successfully." Your layout is now preserved when you return to the diagram.
What You'll See
Once you click Lock Layout, a confirmation message appears. From that point on, your saved layout is displayed each time you open the diagram — not the auto-generated one.
Tips
- Move entities into their final positions before editing relationship lines — it's much easier to adjust lines once the entities aren't moving around.
- To go back to the auto-generated layout at any time, click the dropdown arrow next to Refresh and select Recompute layout (ignore saved).