Quick Start

This guide walks you through creating your first diagram with Diagrammer.

Creating a New Document

1. Launch Diagrammer

   Open the application. You'll see the Document Browser with your recent documents.

2. Create a new document

   Click the + New Document button or press Ctrl+N (Cmd+N on Mac).

3. Name your document

   Enter a name for your diagram and click Create.

The Interface

Once your document opens, you'll see:

• Toolbar: Select tools, switch pages, access settings
• Canvas: Your infinite drawing surface
• Property Panel: Edit selected shape properties
• Layer Panel: Manage shape ordering and visibility
• Document Editor: Add rich text notes alongside your diagram

Adding Shapes

1. Select a shape tool

   Click on Rectangle in the toolbar (or press R).

2. Draw the shape

   Click and drag on the canvas to create a rectangle.

3. Add more shapes

   Try adding an Ellipse (E) and a Text box (T).

Connecting Shapes

1. Select the Connector tool

   Press C or click the connector icon in the toolbar.

2. Connect two shapes

   Click on the first shape's connection point (small circles that appear on hover), then click on the second shape's connection point.

3. The connector auto-routes

   Connectors automatically find the best path between shapes and update when you move shapes.

Basic Operations

Selection

• Click a shape to select it
• Shift+Click to add to selection
• Drag on empty canvas to marquee select
• Press A to select all shapes

Moving & Resizing

• Drag selected shapes to move them
• Drag handles to resize
• Hold Shift while dragging to constrain proportions

Editing

• Double-click a shape to edit its text
• Use the Property Panel to change colors, borders, fonts
• Press Delete to remove selected shapes

Navigation

• Scroll wheel to zoom in/out
• Middle-click drag or Space+drag to pan
• Press 0 to reset zoom to 100%
• Press 1 to fit all shapes in view

Saving Your Work

Diagrammer auto-saves your work, but you can also:

• Press Ctrl+S to save immediately
• Use File → Export to export as PNG, SVG, or JSON
• Click the document name to rename

Keyboard Shortcuts

Here are the essential shortcuts to memorize:

Action	Shortcut
Select tool	V
Rectangle	R
Ellipse	E
Line	L
Connector	C
Text	T
Undo	Ctrl+Z
Redo	Ctrl+Shift+Z
Delete	Delete
Select all	Ctrl+A
Copy	Ctrl+C
Paste	Ctrl+V

See the full list in Keyboard Shortcuts.

Next Steps

Now that you've created your first diagram, explore:

• Canvas & Tools - Deep dive into all tools
• Shape Libraries - Use flowchart, UML, and ERD shapes
• Collaboration - Work with your team in real-time