Lucid FAQs

This flowcharting tutorial will introduce you to flowcharts and help you make your first flowchart in Lucidchart. Questions? Ask the Community

Introduction to Flowcharts

One of the most universal diagram types, flowcharts help people develop, document, and improve processes, systems, and algorithms. In its most basic form, a flowchart is made up of shapes and arrows. The shapes, which include rectangles, triangles, and ovals, represent the steps of a process. Arrows are used to connect these shapes to depict the path, or flow, through the process.

Basic Flowchart Elements

Here are some of the common objects that you will see in a flowchart:

Arrows show the direction of the chart's flow.

The Decision shape is a diamond that indicates a question to be answered, such as yes/no or true/false.

The Process shape is a rectangle that represents a process, action, or operation.

The Terminator shape is an oval representing the start or end points of the flowchart.

More Flowchart Symbols

Connector: Connects separate elements across one page. Used within complex charts.

Data (I/O): Represents input, output, or resources used or generated.

Database: Represents a database.

Decision: Indicates a question to be answeredusually yes / no or true / false. The path may change depending on the answer.

Delay: Indicates a delay or waiting period in a process.

Direct Access Storage (Hard Disk): Represents data storage on a hard drive.

Display: Refers to information being shown to a user, often with a computer monitor.

Document: Represents a document or report.

Internal Storage: Represents data stored in random-access memory (RAM).

Manual Input: Represents the manual input of data into a computer, usually through a keyboard.

Manual Operation: Indicates a step that must be done manually, not automatically.

Merge: Combines multiple paths.

Multiple Documents: Represents multiple documents or reports.

Note: Shows comments on a flowchart.

Off-Page Link: Connects separate elements across multiple pages. Used within complex charts.

Or: Represents a path that diverges.

Paper Tape: Represents input or output.

Predefined Process: Indicates a complicated process or operation that is well-known or defined elsewhere.

Preparation: Represents preparation for upcoming steps.

Stored Data: Represents data housed on a storage device.

Summing Junction: Sums the input of several converging paths.

Build a Flowchart in Lucidchart

You can create a flowchart in Lucidchart from scratch or from one of our homemade templates.

Create a Flowchart from a Template

You can access the Lucidchart template gallery from your documents page or by selecting +document from the File menu of an existing document. Open the Flowchart section, then click on a thumbnail to preview a template. To create an editable copy of a template, click Create Document.

Create a Flowchart from Scratch

You can create a flowchart in Lucidchart from scratch by dragging out the shapes in the Flowchart shape library. Note: The flowchart shape library should automatically be pinned to your toolbox when you create a new Lucidchart document. If you do not see it, you can enable it from the shape manager. After dragging out the first shape, you can add a second by clicking on the red connection point on the shapes border, then selecting a second shape from the auto-prompt menu. You can add style to the shapes in your flowchart using the options in the properties bar.

An Introduction to Swim Lanes

You can use swim lanes to divide your flowcharts into sections. You can access swim lane shapes by enabling the "Containers" flowchart sub-library in the shape manager. To add a swim lane to your flowchart, simply drag it from your toolbox and drop it on the section of your flowchart that you would like contain. To add lanes to your swim lane or change the the shape or text orientation, click the swim lane and adjust the settings in the advanced shape bar.

Use Case: Business Process Flow

One common use case for flowcharts is the depiction of process flows for businesses. Click here for a business process flow template designed in Lucidchart, and read on to learn about its components. Note that an oval terminator shape begins the flowchart, signifying a sales call - the inciting event of a business process. There are two different events that could follow the call - the customer could either purchase or enter an order - and these events are each represented by a process (rectangle) shape. Note that there are two terminator shapes signifying then end of the business flow - sales approved and sales not approved.

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Try it now in Lucidchart

Tables allow you to organize and visually display data. Paste content directly into cells and style them exactly how you want.

Create a Table

Access the Tables Shape Library To add a table to a Lucidchart document, you will first need to enable the Tables shape library. To do so, open the shape manager by clicking + Shapes in the top left of the editor or by pressing "M" on your keypad. Search for "Tables," then check the box next to the Tables shape library to pin it to your toolbox. You can then add a table to your canvas by dragging it our of the toolbox and dropping it onto the canvas.

Select Table Components

To select your entire table, click once on it. It will become highlighted and the advanced shape bar will appear at the top of the editor. To select an individual cell in your table, select the table and then click on the cell. A dashed border will appear around the cell. To select a row of your table, hover your cursor just outside the table to the left of the row. The cursor will turn into an arrow; click to select the row. To select a column of your table, hover your cursor just above the column. It will turn into an arrow; click to select the row. To select multiple cells, hold down Shift and click the first cell and last cell of a range. Hold down Ctrl (Command) to select multiple cells that are not next to each other. Tip: When cells are selected, you can simply press Backspace or Delete keys and all content will be removed. You can also right-click on any cell and choose to clear an entire row or column. This will also delete any text styling applied to cells.

Add Content to Your Table

Add Content Manually To add content to your table manually, double-click into a cell and type. You can use tab to navigate to the next cell. Add Content by Copy/Pasting a Spreadsheet To add content from a spreadsheet, follow these steps:

Highlight the desired data in an existing spreadsheet and copy it.

Select a cell of your Lucidchart table. This is where the top-left cell of your copied data will go.

To paste, press CTRL+V (or Command+V for Mac). Right clicking and selecting paste will not work.

Content that is tab-separated (like a spreadsheet) will paste with a preserved cell structure. If you copy a 10x10 cell selection and paste it into a 3x3 Lucidchart table, the table will automatically resize.

Add, Remove, and Resize Tables and Rows

Add/Remove Columns and Rows You can adjust your table's dimensions by toggling the "Columns" and "Rows" properties in the advanced shape bar that will appear at the top of the editor whenever a table is selected. Insert columns/rows by clicking on the corresponding icons. Note: Increasing the count field for rows will add a new row and change the height of the table. Increasing the count field for columns will add a new column, but preserve the width of the table. Using the Advanced Shape Menu buttons to insert a new column will change the width of the table. Change Row/Column Width/Height: Hover over the border of a column or row and cursor will change to a double headed arrow. Click and drag the border in or out. Resize the entire table by clicking and dragging one of the corners of the table. Questions? Ask the Community Note: As you increase row size, the table size will increase. As you change column size, the table size will stay the same. This means that other column sizes may change.

Style Your Table

You can make changes to your table using the advanced shape bar that will appear at the top of your canvas when a table is selected.

Add/remove column or row borders by clicking on the borders dropdown and selecting the corresponding option.

Break up your rows/columns with vertical or horizontal striping by clicking on the corresponding icon, and adjust the colors of the stripes using the palettes to the right.

Merge/unmerge cells by selecting the cells you want to merge and then clicking the corresponding icon. Text: Select a cell or multiple cells to change the font and make text bolded, italicized, or underlined.

Striping: In the Advanced Shape Menu, find the Striping option and select rows or columns. Change the colors of your striping to suit your preferences.

Borders: In the Advanced Shape Menu, click Borders then select the option that best suits your data.

Color: Select a cell (or multiple cells), then use the Properties bar to modify the fill color and line color.

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Try it now in Lucidchart

Lucidchart is an online diagramming platform that you can use to visualize processes, models, and more. You can create diagrams based off of our helpful templates or create custom ones from scratch. You and other Lucidchart users can share your documents across operating systems and work on them simultaneously, viewing each others edits in real time. Put simply, Lucidcharts aim is to make your work easier. This article is a high-level overview of Lucidchart's various account types. For more information, visit our pricing page or contact our sales team.

Account Type

Storage

# of Documents

Visio Import

Admin Tools

Shape Library

Integrations

View Only Users

Free Account

The Free account is designed for home users who do not require extensive document access and who are looking to visualize relatively simple ideas.

View your current subscription or sign up/modify a subscription.

The following features come with a Free account:

Document sharing and real-time collaboration

Advanced publishing options

Org chart import from CSV

ERD import of SQL data

AWS architecture import

PDF export

SVG import

Conditional formatting

25 MB

3 docs /60 objects each

Import and view only

N/A

Basic and custom

Google Drive, Google Apps, Microsoft

N/A

Basic Account

The Basic account is designed for home users who want to create unlimited documents in order to visualize many relatively simple ideas.

View your current subscription or sign up/modify a subscription.

Basic accounts come with all features available to Free accounts, plus:

Document backup and restore capabilities

100 MB

Unlimited

Import and view only

N/A

Basic, custom

Google Drive, Google Apps, Microsoft

N/A

Professional Account

The Professional account is designed for advanced individual users with business use cases who do not require the options available to users on Enterprise accounts.

View your current subscription or sign up/modify a subscription.

Professional accounts come with all features available to Basic accounts, plus:

Presentation mode

Visio, Gliffy, OmniGraffle, and Draw.io import with editing capabilities

Visio export

Visio stencil import

Data Linking

Swim Lanes

Links, layers, and hotspots

1 GB

Unlimited

Import and Edit

N/A

Premium

Google Drive, Google Apps, Microsoft

N/A

Team Account

The Team account combines the features of the Professional account with basic user control features for admins and centralized billing for easy management. The Team account is great for small organizations that do not require advanced security features.

View your current subscription or sign up/modify a subscription.

Team accounts come with all features available to Professional accounts, plus:

Shared templates and images

Confluence and Jira Software integrations for both Server and Cloud

Basic sharing and publishing control

Document retention features to prevent losses when employees leave the organization

Up to 100 users per account

Google SSO and the ability to add users by GSuite domain

5 GB per team

Unlimited

Import and edit

Limited

Premium and shared

Confluence, Jira Software, and Slack.

Not supported

Enterprise Account

Enterprise account users have access to all of Lucidchart's features and integrations. The admin tools provide account admins the highest level of control over documents, users, and billing. This account type is designed for organizations that are looking for unparalleled ease of management and security.

Contact our Sales Team for pricing and additional information regarding Enterprise accounts.

Enterprise accounts come with all features available to Team accounts, plus:

Premium Support

Enterprise-wide visibility for all users on account

Advanced sharing and publishing controls that let admins monitor how employees distribute documents both internally and externally

Admin control over provisioning and site access methods

Login control via IP address white-listing

Admin ability to use custom attributes and status values to streamline the management of account-wide documents and workflows

5 GB per license

Unlimited

Import and edit

Full

Premium and shared

All, including SAML, SCIM, and GSuite Provisioning

Unlimited, includes team and billing admins

Subscription FAQ's

View your current subscription or sign up/modify a subscription.

Subscriptions are offered on a monthly or yearly basis.

Subscriptions can be cancelled at anytime.

After cancellation, your account will automatically downgrade to a Free Account. You will still have View-Only access to your documents, but will not be able to edit them with the same functionality as before. You can resubscribe at any time and regain editing rights to all of your documents.

If you are on a Team or Enterprise account, you will need the account admin's permission to leave the team.

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Free Account Three Document Limit

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Changes to EDU Accounts

Upgrade Your Subscription Contact the Sales Team

Revision history in Lucidchart allows you to view the change history of a document, revert a document to a previous version, and create a new document from a previous version. Revision history is only available to certain account levels. To upgrade, please see our pricing page or contact our sales team.

An Overview of Revision History in Lucidchart

To access a documents revision history panel, click the clock icon in the dock. Questions? Ask the Community The documents edit history will display as a list of stacked tiles, with each tile representing a past version of the document. Each tile will display the time of day the changes were made, the amount of time that has passed, and the initial of the user who made the changes. Note: The times will correspond with the time zone of the current document viewer. Scroll to the bottom of the panel to see how long ago the document was created. Click on a tile to view the corresponding document version. Note: If your document contains multiple pages, any pages created since the displayed version will disappear.

Restore Previous Document Versions

When you are previewing a document version, a banner will display at the top of the editor with two prompts: Restore or New from revision. Click Restore to return the document to the previewed version, removing all edits made in between that version and the docs current state. Click New from revision to create a new document from the previewed version. This document will automatically open in the editor, and you are free to make changes to it without affecting the original. You can access the document at any time from the My Documents folder of your docs page. Note: The new document will only exist in your docs page. If there were collaborators on the original, you will have to re-share it with them to continue collaborating.

Frequently Asked Questions

I accidentally restored my document to a previous version but I want to get back my most recent edits. Can I undo the restoration? Yes! To return to the latest version of your document (prior to a restoration), simply restore your document to the most recent version in your revision history panel. Can a collaborator restore a document to a previous version? If a collaborator has edit access to a document, they can restore the document to a previous version, and the change will affect the document on all collaborators' accounts, including that of the document owner. To avoid any confusion, we recommend creating a document from a previous version if there are collaborators on the document.

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Account Types

Get Started with Lucidchart

Try it now in Lucidchart

Read on to learn how to use formulas on Lucidchart.

Getting Started

Lucidchart rounds out its shape data capabilities by offering formulas to users. Much the way spreadsheet tools allow users to analyze, adjust, and quantify their data, Lucidchart allows users to run certain formulas on their visual diagrams and associated metadata. Metadata can be added to shapes in various ways, including linking data from spreadsheets, or adding custom data. Custom data can contain static values, or formulas. To add custom data to a shape, group, or page, simply select that shape and open the data panel. In the data panel, there is a section labeled "Custom Data." Click on the + button to add a custom data value. You can rename it, add a value to the property, an even insert that value onto the shape as text by clicking the +T button that appears when you hover over the property name or value. Lucidchart Formulas: Miscellaneous You can also put formulas into the custom metadata properties - but why? Well, consider this example: we have a BPMN process diagram, and each step has a custom metadata property called 'Estimated Time (hr)'. We would like to know what the total estimated time for the process is, and we can use formulas to do it. In this example, we are going to use our formulas on the page. So, we click on the basic canvas and open up the data panel to view the page-level metadata. On the page data, we add a property called "Total Time" and use a formula to get us all the values associated with the property name 'Estimated Time (hr)', from the shapes on the page. We can then use another formula, =SUM, to get the total estimated time. This is just one example of how you might get started using formulas in Lucidchart - explore below to see the other types of formulas that you can use and how they work.

Background

Glossary:

Collection: A single sheet (tab) in an imported spreadsheet data set.

Reference Key: The column in a collection that uniquely identifies a row. For example, each person has a unique SSN but may not have a unique name. The SSN 123-01-4567 uniquely refers to person "John Albert Smith", but the name "John Smith" could refer to thousands of people.

Custom Data: Shape data that is added manually, rather than referenced by a Reference Key.

Label and Value: Shape data comes in Label: Value pairs. For example, "Name: John Smith" has label "Name" and value "John Smith"

Element: Shape, line, page, group, etc. in Lucidchart

Keyed Values: Shape data that is reference by a Reference Key

Parent: The Lucidchart group to which an element belongs. Does not refer to elements upstream or downstream.

Child: An element of the selected group or page. Does not refer to elements upstream or downstream.

Descendant: The children and all of their children and all of their children, etc.

Formulas can call: Shape data (any data attached to the current shape):

i.e. with custom data:{{=SUM(@customdata."Number A", @customdata."Number B")}}

i.e. with keyed data: {{=SUM(@"MyData"."Number A", @"MyData"."Number B")}}

Reference keys (any data associated with that reference key, regardless of link to shapes),

i.e. {{=SUM(LOOKUP("MyData", "Key 01")."NumberA",LOOKUP("MyData", "Key 02")."NumberB")}}

Collection data (data pulled directly from your data source) in your formulas.

i.e. {{=SUM("MyData"!E2, "MyData"!E3)}}

Formulas can be written:

On the shape (need {{-syntax)

In the shape data panel

Other Background Information All formulas start with =

And {{= when typing directly in the shape

When the input for a formula is shape data attached to the selected shape, @ and this. mean the same

For example, =@"Name" is the same as =this."Name"

Reference key data takes preference over custom data. For example, if custom data and keyed data have the same label, THIS will return the value (or an array or values) of the keyed data

When in doubt, put double quotes (") around the collection name, the reference key value, and all field names

For example, write =LOOKUP("MyData", "A01")."Name" instead of =LOOKUP(MyData, A01).Name

Example: Track Progress with Formulas, Smart Containers, and Dynamic Shapes

Using formulas, dynamic shapes, and smart containers in Lucidchart, you can easily visualize your progress on projects or towards goals. Let's say you are the content manager overseeing a collaborative project to improve the quality of articles in your Help Center. There are 30 articles, and your team has evaluated them on a scale of A to F to find that the average grade is a C-/D+. By making improvements to enough of the articles, your team aspires to bring the average grade to a A-/B+ by the end of the quarter. To keep your team on the same page, you want to create a dashboard that displays the articles' distribution across the grading rubric and your team's progress towards your goal. See the sections below to learn how to create this dashboard in Lucidchart using smart containers, dynamic shapes, and formulas!

Use Smart Containers to Display Distribution Across Categories

Using Lucidchart's smart containers, you can easily visualize the distribution of Help Center articles across a grading scale. First, add the smart containers shape library to a new blank document, and set the "Group by" value to "Status." Then create a container for each grade of your scale, eg. A through F, and fill each container with tiles to correspond with the articles that have been evaluated to that container's grade. Style the containers as you like, and you are all set!

Assign Numerical Values to Containers

The next step to create your dazzling dashboard is to assign numerical values to each of the grade containers so that you can quantitatively measure your team's progress (eg. A=10, B=8, C=6, D=4, F=2). You can do so by assigning custom data fields to each container in the data panel, which you can access by clicking the database icon in the dock. To add a custom data field to one of your containers, you will need to double click on the specific container (rather than clicking once and selecting the entire smart containers grouped shape). Start with the A container, and note that the data panel changes to ContainerView. To add a custom data field, click the + sign next in the "Custom Data" header. Rename the field to "Points," and enter 10 as the field's value. Follow the same steps with the other 4 containers in your dashboard.

Write a Formula to Calculate Total Points Per Container

Now that you have associated a numerical value with each container of your dashboard, it is time to create a formula that multiplies the amount of tiles (articles) with the point allocation for their container. In order to accomplish this, you will first need a formula that calculates the total points per container. Double-click into the A container again, and add another custom data field. Title this one Total Points. Enter the following formula into the value bar: =PRODUCT(count(CONTENTS),THIS."Points") This formula should return the points allocation for the container (10) multiplied by the number of tiles in that container. If there are two tiles in the container, it will return 20. You can copy and paste the same formula in a Total Points field for all of the containers in your dashboard, and it should return a unique value each time.

Write a Formula to Calculate the Sum of Each Container's Total Points

After calculating the total points associated with each container, you will want to write a formula that adds these values together to determine the total amount of points that your articles currently add up to. Since this value represents the collection of all of the containers in your dashboard, you should add it as a field to the collection of smart containers rather than a specific container. Click out of any of the containers that are currently selected, then click once anywhere on the smart container grouped shape to enter the data panel for the entire group. Add a custom field to the data panel and title it "Points Grand Total." Enter the following formula into the value bar: =SUM(children."Total Points"). This formula will return the sum of the "Total Points" fields for each of the grouped shape's "children" - that is, each container within the grouped collection.

Make a Progress Bar with Dynamic Values

Congrats - you are almost done creating your dashboard! There is just one step to go: creating a dynamic progress bar that will display your team's progress towards its goal. Once you have added Lucidchart's dynamic shape library to your document, drag out one of the progress bars. Click once on this shape to open its view in the data panel. You will want to set a minimum value for the progress bar that reflects the current state of your articles' collective quality review scores. According to the numerical values associated with your grades, this value would be 150 (30 articles x 5 points each, the average of C and D). You will then want to set the maximum value to be the collective score that you hope to achieve by the end of the quarter. If you goal is to bring the average grade to A-/B+, then this value would be 270 (30 articles x 9 points, the average of B and A). Finally, you will want the Value field of your progress bar to be a dynamic value that reflects the progress of your articles' qualities over the course of the quarter. You can use the following formula to achieve this: =SUM(descendants(page)."Total Points") This formula is similar to the one mentioned in the section above; the only difference is that you are calling the containers with the reference descendants(page)" rather than "children." This change is necessary because the progress bar shape, unlike the grouped container shape, is not a "parent" of the containers. Rather, you are referring to the containers as the "descendants" of the entire page of your document. Pretty cool, huh?

Visualize Your Progress!

Voila! You have finished creating your dashboard. Now your team can get going on those article improvements! When a team member makes enough improvements to an article that it moves up a grade, have them move the tile from the container representing the old grade to the new one. And watch the progress bar adjust accordingly, reflecting all your hard work!

Lucidchart Formulas: Shape References

THIS

A reference to the shape itself.

=THIS the text on the basic shape.

Mainly used to get things on this shape or to reference it.

ex: =THIS."Property 1" gives us the value of "Property 1" on this shape

PAGE

Allows fast access to the page data values.

ex: =page."Property 1" gives the page data value for "Property 1"

CHILDREN

Gets info about all the child elements of the current point.

If you are in page data, then "children" is all shapes (including group shapes and layers) on the page.

If you are inside a group shape or on a layer, then "children" is all shapes within the group or layer

NOTE: "children" only reflects the the immediate children of your current space. So, if a group shape is a "child" of your current space, then the shapes that are making up that group shape are not the "children" of the current space. They are "descendants", but NOT children. The group shape is the "child".

=CHILDREN

ex: =CHILDREN."Property 1" [1, 4, 2, 6, 7, 8] (returns an array of the "Property 1" values of the children)

PARENT

Gets info about the parent element of the current point.

If you are in page data, then there is no parent.

If you are in a shape or group shape that is on the page, then the page is the parent.

If you are in a shape or group shape that is on a layer, then the layer is the parent.

If you are in a shape or group shape that is inside a group shape, then the group shape is the parent.

See above for diagram showing parents.

=PARENT

=PARENT."Property 1" 5 (Gives the parent's value)

DESCENDANTS

Get info about all descendants of current space - children, and children of children, etc.

If you are on page data, every single shape on the canvas (even in groups shapes and layers) is a "descendant"

If you are in a group shape, every single shape within it (which may be group shapes that have more in them), broken down, is a descendant of the group shape space

=DESCENDANTS

ex: =DESCENDANTS."Property 1" [1, 4, 2, 6, 7, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 7, 8, 5, 6, 3, 2, 5] (returns an array of the "Property 1" values of the children and children's children and so on until there are no more children in that space)

CONNECTED

References all shapes that are connected directly to the current shape, via a line.

=CONNECTED

ex: =CONNECTED."Property 1" 5 (if there is only one shape connected, then this will return the value from that one shape)

ex: =CONNECTED."Property 1" [1, 4, 2, 6, 7] (returns an array of the "Property 1" values of the directly connected shapes)

UPSTREAM

References all shapes FROM which a line has been drawn TO the current shape (note: the arrows have no bearing on this)

If I have 2 shapes, A and B, and draw a line from A to B, then A is upstream of B. If I have another shape C, and I draw a line from B to C, then B is upstream of C. If I add another shape D, and draw a line from D to B, then D is upstream of B.

I would use UPSTREAM on B, to reference A and D

I would use UPSTREAM on C, to reference B

=UPSTREAM

ex: =UPSTREAM."Property 1" 5 (if there is only one shape upstream, then this will return the value from that one shape)

ex: =UPSTREAM."Property 1" [1, 4, 2] (returns an array of the "Property 1" values of the upstream shapes).

DOWNSTREAM

References all shapes TO which a line has been drawn FROM the current shape (note: the arrows have no bearing on this)

If I have 2 shapes, A and B, and draw a line from A to B, then B is downstream of A. If I have another shape C, and I draw a line from B to C, then C is downstream of B. If I add another shape D, and draw a line from D to B, then B is downstream of D.

I would use DOWNSTREAM on A, to reference B

I would use DOWNSTREAM on D, to reference B

=DOWNSTREAM

ex: =DOWNSTREAM."Property 1" 5 (if there is only one shape downstream, then this will return the value from that one shape)

ex: =DOWNSTREAM."Property 1" [1, 4, 2] (returns an array of the "Property 1" values of the downstream shapes).

CONNECTEDDEEP

References all shapes that are connected to the current shape, even through other shapes

If I have 2 shapes, A and B, and draw a line from A to B, then B is connected to A. If I have another shape C, and I draw a line from B to C, then C is connected to B, and deeply connected to A.

=CONNECTEDDEEP

ex: =CONNECTEDDEEP."Property 1" [1, 4, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8] (returns an array of the "Property 1" values of the deeply connected shapes).

UPSTREAMDEEP

References all shapes FROM which a line has been drawn TO the current shape (note: the arrows have no bearing on this)

If I have 2 shapes, A and B, and draw a line from A to B, then A is upstream of B. If I have another shape C, and I draw a line from B to C, then B is upstream of C, and A is upstream deep of BOTH. If I have another shape D, and I draw a line from B to D, then B is upstream of D, and A is also upstream deep of BOTH.

I would use UPSTREAMDEEP on D, to reference B and A

I would use UPSTREAMDEEP on C, to reference B and A

=UPSTREAMDEEP

ex: =UPSTREAMDEEP."Property 1" [1, 4, 2] (returns an array of the "Property 1" values of the all upstream shapes)

DOWNSTREAMDEEP

References all shapes TO which a line has been drawn FROM the current shape (note: the arrows have no bearing on this)

If I have 2 shapes, A and B, and draw a line from A to B, then B is downstream of A. If I have another shape C, and I draw a line from B to C, then C is downstream of B, and BOTH are downstream deep of A. If I have another shape D, and I draw a line from B to D, then D is downstream of B, and BOTH are downstream of A.

I would use DOWNSTREAMDEEP on B, to reference C and D

I would use DOWNSTREAMDEEP on A, to reference B, C, and D

=DOWNSTREAMDEEP

ex: =DOWNSTREAMDEEP."Property 1" [1, 4, 2] (returns an array of the "Property 1" values of the all downstream shapes)

Lucidchart Formulas: Data References

@

Shorthand to reference 'this current shape' when getting data properties.

=@'Property 1' returns whatever the value of the property called 'Property 1' on the current shape is.

ex: =@'Total' returns 10, when the current shape has a property called 'Total' that equals 10.

LABEL

Gets the unique shape id for the shape it references

=LABEL(this), =LABEL(parent)

ex: =LABEL(this) ab3756dhty!975 (returns the shape ID, unique to each shape)

Why? You can use this to then listen to specific shapes!

=#'shape_id'."Property Name" will give you the value of "Property Name" from the shape whose ID you have passed!

ex: =#'shape_id'."Total" 250. Then you can do something to this shape, based on the other shape's Total Value

[] or INDEX

Allows you to access the value at a given position in a list (must pass in the numbered position, starting at 1 - does not function as a 0-indexed list)

Works with deeply nested arrays!!

=list[index position] returns the value at the given index of the list

=INDEX(list, index position) returns the value at the given index of the given list

ex: =CHILDREN.'Employee Name'[3] returns the 3rd employee name in the list

ex: =INDEX(CHILDREN.'Employee Name', 3) returns the 3rd employee name in the list

ex: =INDEX(INDEX(DOWNSTREAMDEEP.'Connected', 2), 3) returns the 2nd item from the list of connected items, of the 2nd item that is deeply downstream of the current shape.

At index 1 contains a list of everything connected to shape B, which are shapes [A, C]

At index 2 contains a list of everything connected to shape C, which are shapes [B, 1, 2, 3]

At index 3-5, contains a list of everything connected to shapes 1, 2, and 3 respectively, which in each case is just shape C.

So now, INDEX gets us the second item (index 2) of things deeply downstream of shape A - which is the list of "everything connected to shape C" [B, 1, 2, 3]

Then, the outer INDEX gets us the third item (index 3) of the list of shapes connected to shape C [B, 1, 2, 3] 2

So, we get 2.

In this case, you give the position of the list that you want within the current list, and then give the position of the item in the nested list.

Note that this nesting will work inside out, evaluating the most deeply nested terms first. So first, it gets us the CONNECTED shapes of everything deeply downstream of shape A.

A is upstream of B, B is upstream of C, and C is upstream of 1, 2, and 3. On shape A, DOWNSTREAMDEEP.CONNECTED = [ [A, C], [B, 1, 2, 3], C, C, C ]

This also works with the [] : =DOWNSTREAMDEEP.CONNECTED[2][3] returns 2

FIELDLOOKUP

Uses a reference key and the collection name to find a data property.

=FIELDLOOKUP("Collection Name", "Shape Data Label", "Ref Key")

ex: =FIELDLOOKUP("Sheet1", "Employee Name", "123") gives us the name of the employee who on Sheet1, has the ref key 123

LOOKUP

Finds data from a collection, by reference key, and returns an array of all the data associated with that reference key.

If you add a shape data property name (ex: column header), then it will give you that specific property.

=LOOKUP("Collection Name", "Reference Key") will return ["All", "data", "from", "the", "row", "with", "the", "reference", "key"] as a list

=LOOKUP("Collection Name", "Reference Key")."Property Name" will return "Value associated with that specific property"

ex: =LOOKUP("Sheet1", "123") ["123", "Steve Rogers", "Captain America", "[email protected]"]

ex: =LOOKUP("Sheet1", "123")."Name" "Steve Rogers"

Lucidchart Formulas: String Manipulation

&

Concatenates strings.

='First String' & 'Second String' returns 'First StringSecond String'

ex: ='Hello' & 'There' returns 'HelloThere'

ex: ='Hello ' & 'There' returns 'Hello There'

ex: ='Hello' & ' ' & 'There' returns 'Hello There'

TRIM

Trims trailing whitespace from string passed in (text passed in) =TRIM(string)

=TRIM(" hi ") "hi"

=TRIM("I love chocolate! ") "I love chocolate!"

Lucidchart Formulas: Number Manipulation

+, -, *, /

Typical Math operators behave as expected for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

=1+2 3 etc.

Note: modulus (%) as seen in JS does not work!

PRODUCT

Gives the product of either an array or all numbers passed in with commas.

If complex array, like children.children, flattens the array to calculate.

=PRODUCT(children."Property 1")

=PRODUCT(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * 6 * 7 5040

ASPERCENT

Takes a number and turns it into a Percent.

=ASPERCENT(num) returns num as a %

ex: =ASPERCENT(.1) 10%

ex: =ASPERCENT(.158) 15.8%

ex: =ASPERCENT(1.4) 140%

ROUND

Rounds a number to specified number of digits - default is 0.

=ROUND(number, number of digits to round to)

ex: =ROUND(5.6978695869) 6

ex: =ROUND(5.6978695869, 1) 5.7

ex: =ROUND(5.6978695869, 2) 5.70

Lucidchart Formulas: Logical Statements

<, <=, =, >=, >, <>

Typical math & comparison operators work as expected for less than, less than or equal to, equal to, greater than or equal to, greater than, and not equal to.

ex: =5 < 10 returns true

ex: =6 = 7 returns false

ex: ='Hi' = 'Hi' returns true (note: follows strict equivalency, so 'Hi' = 'hi' will be false!)

ex: =@'Property 1' > page.'Property 1' will return true or false

ex: =5 <> 10 returns true (5 is not equal to 10)

AND

Resolves to true if all of the given expressions/values are true, and false otherwise

=AND("expression", "expression2",....)

ex: =AND(this."Property 1" = 10, this."Property 2" > 5)

OR

Resolves to true if any of the given expressions/values are true, and false if none are true

=OR("expression", "expression2", "expression3", ....)

ex: =OR(this."Property 1" = 10, this."Property 2" > 5)

NOT

Resolves to true if the given expression/values is false, and false if the given expression is true

=NOT("expression")

ex: =NOT(10 < 1) 10 < 1 is a false statement, so the function will read this as =NOT(false), which resolves to true

ex: =NOT(10 > 1) 10 > 1 is a true statement, so the function will read this as =NOT(true), which resolves to false

IF

Resolves to one value if the statement give is true, and to the second value if it is false

=IF("expression", "value if true", "value if false")

ex: =IF(10 < 20, "Yes", "No") resolves to "Yes" because 10 is less than 20.

ex: =IF(10 > 20, "Yes", "No") resolves to "No" because 10 is not greater than 20.

Advanced ex:

this.A = 10

this.B = 15

this.C = 12

Nested If ex:

=IF(this.A > this.B, this.A, IF(this.B > this.C, this.B, this.C))

=IF(15 > 12, 15, 12) 15 is greater than 12, so the answer resolves to 15

=IF(10 > 15, 10, IF(15 > 12, 15, 12)) the first if, 10 > 15, is false, so now we focus on the second if statement

ISEMPTY

Returns true if property value is empty

=ISEMPTY(this."Property 1")

ISNOTEMPTY

Returns true if property value is not empty

=ISNOTEMPTY(this."Property 1")

String/Number Checks ISODD

Checks if a number is odd. Resolves to true if odd, false if even.

=ISODD("number or value")

=ISODD(9) true

=ISODD(10) false

ISEVEN

Checks if a number is even. Resolves to true if even, false if odd.

=ISEVEN("number or value")

=ISEVEN(9) false

=ISEVEN(10) true

CONTAINS

Checks to see if a property or string contains a value (true if yes, false if no)

=CONTAINS("Value you are checking", "what you want to know if it contains")

ex: =CONTAINS(this."Property 1", "abc") resolves to true if Property 1 contains "abc", and false otherwise

DOESNOTCONTAIN

Checks to see if a property or string does NOT contains a value (true if it lacks the value, false if it does contain the value)

=DOESNOTCONTAIN("Value you are checking", "what you want to know if it contains")

ex: =DOESNOTCONTAIN(this."Property 1", "abc") resolves to false if Property 1 contains "abc", resolves to true if Property 1 does not have "abc" in it

STARTSWITH

Checks if a property or string starts with a certain value

=STARTSWITH("Value you are checking", "what it might start with")

ex: =STARTSWITH(this."Property 1", "s") resolves to true if Property 1 starts with "s"

ENDSWITH

Checks if a property or string ends with a certain value

=ENDSWITH("Value you are checking", "what it might end with")

ex: =ENDSWITH(this."Property 1", "s") resolves to true if Property 1 ends with "s"

BETWEEN

Checks if a number is between two other numbers (inclusive) true if it IS between those numbers, and false if it is NOT between those numbers.

=BETWEEN("number we are checking", "lower bound inclusive", "upper bound inclusive")

ex: =BETWEEN(14, 12, 15) resolves to true because 14 is between 12 and 15, inclusive

ex: =BETWEEN(11, 12, 15) resolves to false because 11 is not between 12 and 15, inclusive

ex: =BETWEEN(12, 12, 15) resolves to true because 12 is between 12 and 15, inclusive

NOTBETWEEN

Checks if a number is not between two other numbers (inclusive) true if it is NOT between those numbers, and false if it IS between those numbers.

=NOTBETWEEN("number we are checking", "lower bound inclusive", "upper bound inclusive")

ex: =NOTBETWEEN(14, 12, 15) resolves to false because 14 is between 12 and 15, inclusive

ex: =NOTBETWEEN(11, 12, 15) resolves to true because 11 is not between 12 and 15, inclusive

ex: =NOTBETWEEN(12, 12, 15) resolves to false because 12 is between 12 and 15, inclusive

Lucidchart Formulas: Analytical Functions

SUM

Gives the sum of either an array or all numbers passed in with commas.

=SUM(children."Property 1")

=SUM(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

MEAN

Gives the mean of either an array or all numbers passed in with commas.

=MEAN(children."Property 1")

=MEAN(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

MAX

Gives the max of either an array or all numbers passed in with commas.

=MAX(children."Property 1")

=MAX(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

MIN

Gives the min of either an array or all numbers passed in with commas.

=MIN(children."Property 1")

=MIN(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

COUNT

Count the number of elements you pass in (a list or a reference to a list) =COUNT(list)

ex: =COUNT([a, b, c, d, e, f]) 6

ex: =COUNT(children) returns however many children the current shape/space has

COUNTIF

Count the number of elements passed in that meet the specified condition

=COUNTIF([1,2,3,4,5], THIS < 3) returns 2 (only 1 and 2 are less than 3)

=COUNTIF(children, THIS."Total" < 10) returns however many of the children have a value "Total" that is less than 10

=COUNTIF(children, contains(THIS."Name", "Steve") returns however many of the children have "Steve" in their name.

FILTER

Given a list, this filters the list down to just contain the items that match the condition in the second parameter.

=FILTER(list, condition to keep in the list)

ex: =FILTER(descendants, contains(@'Employee Name', 'Steve')) returns a list of every descendant of the space that has the property 'Employee Name' that also contains 'Steve'.

ex: =FILTER(@'Accounts', @'Value' < 5000) given that the property 'Accounts' contains all the accounts, returns on the accounts that have a value of less than 5000.

SORT

Given a list, this sorts the list in ascending order.

Optional parameters allow you to change the sort.

=SORT(list)

ex: =SORT(children) returns a list of the children of the space, such as the page, sorted by their text, such as [Amsterdam, London, Rome].

ex: =SORT(downstream) given that all the downstream shapes contain a name, returns those shape references sorted by their text (the names), such as [Amanda, Joe, Zoe].

Adding in the optional parameter, for sorting by ascending (A to Z, smallest value first), or by descending (Z to A, largest value first).

=SORT(list, 'asc') sorts the list in an ascending order

=SORT(list, 'desc') sorts the list in an descending order

ex: =SORT(children, 'asc') returns a list of the children of the space, such as the page, sorted by their text in ascending order, such as [Amsterdam, London, Rome].

ex: =SORT(children, 'desc') returns a list of the children of the space, such as the page, sorted by their text in ascending order, such as [Rome, London, Amsterdam].

ex: =SORT(downstream, 'asc') given that all the downstream shapes contain a name, returns those shape references sorted by their text (the names) in ascending order, such as [Amanda, Joe, Zoe].

ex: =SORT(downstream, 'desc') given that all the downstream shapes contain a name, returns those shape references sorted by their text (the names) in descending order, such as [Zoe, Joe, Amanda].

ex: =SORT(downstreamdeep.'Performance Review', 'desc') given that all the downstream shapes contain a property called 'Performance Review', returns a list of the deeply downstream shapes' performance review scores, sorted by in descending order, such as [7, 6, 6, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 2].

Adding in another optional parameter, that comes after 'asc'/'desc', for sorting shapes by a specific property:

=SORT(list, order, sortBy) sorts the list in the given order, by the given property.

ex: =SORT(children, 'asc', this.'City') given that the children of the space have a property called 'City', returns a list of the children of the space, sorted by their 'City' property in ascending order, such as [Amsterdam, London, Rome].

ex: =SORT(children, 'desc', this.'Shipping Date') given that the children of the space have a property called 'Shipping Date', returns a list of the children of the space, sorted by their 'Shipping Date' property in descending order, such as [London, Amsterdam, Rome] indicating that London's shipping date is the latest, and Rome's shipping date is the soonest.

ex: =SORT(children, 'desc', this.'Current ARR') given that the children of the space have a property called 'Current ARR', returns a list of the children of the space, sorted by their 'Current ARR' property in descending order, such as [Account #3, Account #8, Account#2] indicating that the largest account is Account #3, followed by Account #8, etc.

Lucidchart Formulas: Smart Containers

CONTENTS

Reference (or retrieve) the contents of a Smart Container

=COUNT(CONTENTS) returns 3 (if there are three items in the container)

=SUM(CONTENTS.Planned) Returns Sum of all items Planned values inside a container

CONTAINER

Reference the container that contains an item in Smart Containers.

Used on an item in a smart container.

=CONTAINER returns an item's container label

=IF(CONTAINER = 'Low') Returns all item's whose container is labelled 'Low'

FILLCOLOR / BACKGROUNDCOLOR

Takes in a referenced object (this, parent, upstream, downstream, page, etc.) and returns the hex fill color.

=BACKGROUNDCOLOR(thing I want the color of)

=FILLCOLOR() returns the shape's fill color

ex: =BACKGROUNDCOLOR(page) #FFFFFF

CURRENTSECOND

A counter that starts at current second in real time and counts up every second. =CURRENTSECOND

Resets at 60

IFERROR

If there is an error in the expression provided, this returns the value that you want if there is an error.

Purpose is to keep your document from breaking if you get an error!

=IFERROR(expression, value if the expression produces an error)

=IFERROR(parent."Total", 0) returns 0 if, for example, this is on a shape that does not have a parent or if the parent does not have a property called "Total"

Visualize data to drive insights with dynamic shapes in Lucidchart! here!

Access Dynamic Shapes

You can access Lucidchart's dynamic shapes by enabling the Dynamic Shapes shape library. Simple click "Shapes" at the top of your toolbox or press "M" on your keyboard to open the shape manager, search "dynamic shapes" in the search bar, and check the box next to the library's name. When you close the shape manager, the library will appear in the toolbox on the left side of the canvas. Once you have added the dynamic shapes library to your document, you can add shapes to your document by dragging them out of the toolbox and dropping them on your canvas.

Available Shapes

Lucidchart currently offers the following dynamic shapes:

Horizontal Progress Bar

Vertical Progress Bar

Progress Pill

Progress Donut

Half Progress Donut

Progress Pie

Progress Half Pie

Set the Value of a Dynamic Shape

There are three different methods that you can use to set the values associated with your dynamic shape:

Custom value

Shape data

Formula

You can change the method associated with a shape in the advanced shape bar that will appear at the top of your canvas when you select a shape.

Common Questions

How can I adjust the values of my dynamic shape? You can adjust the values associated with your dynamic shape in the advanced shape bar that will appear at the top of the canvas when a dynamic shape is selected.

Example: Build A Data-Driven Dashboard With Dynamic Shapes

Everyone knows big data is here to stay. According to Forbes, over 90% of the worlds data was created within the last two years alone. As more and more data becomes easily available, both the prevalence and importance of data-driven business solutions will increase. However, InformationWeek Business Intelligence found that one of the primary barriers businesses face when they try to leverage data is a lack of visualization tools. Lucidchart believes there is no point to data for datas sake. Instead, Lucidchart aims to provide a simple way for anyone to visualize spreadsheet data with the new dynamic shape library. Dynamic shapes allow you to add static values or use formulas to calculate and display statistics such as total progress, percentages, and ratings directly on Lucidchart documents. Specifically, dynamic shapes can help you with data-driven project management. For example, lets say you need to plan an event for your company. From creating a budget, picking a location, and planning logistics, to solidifying a promotional strategy and inviting guests, there can be a seemingly endless list of things that need to get done in a relatively short amount of time. Typically, to organize to-do lists, tasks are delegated to different teams through a spreadsheet, like this one: While such spreadsheets allow you to organize tasks (pro tip: Smart Containers save you even more time), they are less helpful when you need to quickly glance at your teams progress. This is when dynamic shapes save the day. Rather than sift through this dataset row by row to identify which team needs more resources, you could instead use dynamic shapes to turn this tedious spreadsheet: into this professional dashboard directly in Lucidchart: By using dynamic shapes, Lucidchart transformed spreadsheet data into an event dashboard that visualizes progress overall and across teams. The horizontal progress bar dynamic shapes count down the days until the event and calculate the total progress on tasks, while the donut dynamic shapes display the percentage of tasks each team has completed. This dashboard clearly shows that the Product Marketing team has accomplished half of their goals, while the Public Relations team still needs to start. As a project manager, insights like these are essential to ensure your team is on track. Instead of wasting time syncing with each team, you can rely on your Lucidchart dashboard to provide the information you need as soon as you need it. This easy access is particularly important in scenarios where there are multiple stakeholders working under strict deadlines. You alsodon'tneed to worry about keeping your dashboard up to date. Dynamic shapes automatically adjust when your data source changes, so you can always count on Lucidchart as your source of truth. Additionally, Lucidcharts collaborative interface makes it easy to share your dashboard with others. Collaborators can work directly on the dashboard, or you can export, publish, or present your document. Whether youre planning an event or simply want to better understand your data, dynamic shapes allow you to build collaborative dashboards directly in Lucidchart to visualize and track the important insights hidden behind spreadsheets. Click here to begin using this Event Planning Dashboard or browse additional templates

The Lucidchart Sales Solution is the easiest way to visualize your sales processes and build account maps that push your Sales Org to close better deals faster.

Please note: the features outlined in this article are restricted to accounts which have purchased the Lucidchart Sales Solution. Only limited account mapping functionality is available for professional, team, and enterprise accounts.

Why To Use The Lucidchart Sales Solution

Incorporate visual thinking into your everyday workflow with the Lucidchart Sales Solution! Whether you realize it or not, as a sales representative, you already create mental maps of the relationships between people you talk to on a day-to-day basis. For each lead, you research the companys organizational structure, gather context clues from conversations, and try to gauge interest based on responses. Before Salesforce, you kept all of this information in your head, subject to the unpredictable whims of human memory. Salesforce changed the game because it allowed sales representatives, such as yourself, to shift energy away from rote memorization and towards strategic communication. Just like Salesforce improved the way sales organizations function by providing an innovative way to organize data, the Lucidchart Sales Solution aims to revolutionize the way you understand this data through visualizations. On top of that, you no longer need to worry about how to keep track of your account data between various platforms; the Lucidchart Sales Solutions two way sync with Salesforce makes sure your data remains consistent across both platforms, even amidst constant change. Visualize Accounts Account maps created with the Lucidchart Sales Solution let you see the key relationships between contacts in an account so you can make smarter decisions about who your best point of contact is to make a sale. For example, we recommend using this legend as a starting point for color-coding your account map: Browse Diagramming Ideas In this example, you would change the line color to green to indicate a healthy relationship between two contacts, or you would change the line to red if the relationship were strained. You could also add styling to your lines to help identify multifaceted relationships between contacts. Specifically, if there were a healthy relationship between two contacts who do not report to each other, then, according to this legend, you would change the line color to green and change the line styling to dashed, as shown in the example account map below. You can find more information on how to style lines here. Not only do color-coded lines help you identity the nature of the relationship between two contacts, but also, if your team shares this legend, then anyone will be able to understand the dynamics within an account simply by looking at your account map. This eliminates time wasted explaining your accounts to colleagues. Communicate Clearly The Lucidchart Sales Solution provides an alternative way to communicate with your team. Account maps empower you to both streamline your sales process and showcase this increased productivity to your managers and executives. Lucidcharts presentation mode allows you to quickly turn your account maps into a professional slide deck. Whether youre preparing for a Quarterly Business Review or just looking to touch-base with your manager, presentation mode lets you quickly switch between editing and presenting your account maps. Stop wasting time sifting through each row of your Salesforce data to find the metrics you need to explain your progress on a deal, and instead simply open your account map on any device and let the visuals speak for themselves. Link Even More Data Furthermore, Lucidchart allows you to link spreadsheet data to your account map so you can keep track of all your metrics in one place. For example, if you have a spreadsheet tracking the success of an email outreach campaign, such as this one: Then, you can use conditional formatting and icon sets to visualize these metrics directly on your account map. In this example, you could set the following conditions to visualize how individuals respond to your outreach efforts: Here, the icon colors would indicate how often a contact responds to your outreach emails, which in turn could help you determine the best path to sale for that account. If you link data from a live source such as Google Sheets, then you can easily refresh the data to reflect any changes made to your data source. Otherwise, you can also replace the dataset with the updated version if you prefer to upload a CSV. Either way, you no longer need to search through multiple platforms and files to find important account information its all visualized in your account map. Close Better Deals Overall, the Lucidchart Sales Solution pushes you to transform your Salesforce data from a static value in a spreadsheet to a valuable visualization, which ultimately provides insights so that you can close better deals faster. Click the image below to get started with our basic account map template or you can browse even more templates here!

Create an Account Map

Open the Account for which you want to build an account map in Salesforce.

Click the Lucidchart Account Map icon on the upper-left corner. This will open Lucidchart in a new browser tab.

You have now successfully created a Lucidchart account map. This account map is automatically linked to the same account in Salesforce.

Add Contacts To Your Account Map

Please note: this section explains how to add Salesforce contacts to your existing account map(s) through the Lucidchart Sales Solution. If you do not have the Lucidchart Sales Solution enabled for your account, you can still import Salesforce contacts to Lucidchart by following the steps outlined here under add contacts from another account on a blank document. However, bi-directional synchronization with Salesforce is only available for the Sales Solution.

Add contacts to your account map:

After opening the account map, select Contacts under the company name on the left panel.

Your account contacts will appear in alphabetical order. You can also search contacts by typing in the contacts name where it says Search contacts at the top of the panel to easily locate contacts.

You can also change how your contacts are ordered by clicking the icon and selecting one of the following options: Additionally, you can filter your contacts by clicking the icon. Filters allow you to search your contacts even if you do not know the contacts name. Please note that the filters you see will depend on the contact information you have entered for that account on Salesforce.

Once you locate the contact you want to add to your account map, simply click on the contact, then drag and drop the contact to your canvas.

Repeat steps 2-3 to add more contacts to your account map.

Click the icon to refresh your contacts. This two-way sync will update any changes made in Salesforce or Lucidchart, so that the contact information automatically remains consistent on both platforms.

Add contacts from a different account to your account map:

Open the existing account map document.

Navigate to File > Import Data > Sales Account Mapping.

Connect your Salesforce account to Lucidchart (if you haven't already).

Search for the account by name in the pop-up window.

Select the account you want to add and click "Import."

The selected account will appear in the panel on the left side of your canvas. Select Open contacts panel to view contacts from this account.

You can now drag-and-drop contacts from a different account to your existing account map.

Delete Contacts From Your Account Map

To delete a contact from your account map, simply select the contact on your canvas and click the delete button on your keyboard. Alternatively, right-click on the contact on your canvas and select delete. Please note: deleting a contact from your canvas will not delete them from your Salesforce contacts. If you want to completely remove a contact from your Salesforce contacts, you must do that directly in Salesforce.

Edit Contacts In Your Account Map

Select a contact on your account map.

Select the icon, found on your contact, to view contact details.

Hover over the contact details with your mouse and select the icon to edit contact details.

To view the contact details in Salesforce, click Contact Details.

To add an image to a contact, select the contact and click the checkbox next to photo on the properties bar above the canvas. You can upload an image by adding a public-source image URL where it says enter image URL or you can upload a file from your computer by clicking +UPLOAD and then choosing your image.

To add a LinkedIn Profile to a contact, select the contact and paste their LinkedIn profile URL where it says enter LinkedIn URL in the properties bar above the canvas.

Add Opportunities, Events, or Tasks To Your Account Map

To add opportunities, events, or tasks to your account map, select "opportunities," "events," or "tasks" from the left panel shown below, and then drag the selected object to your canvas. To assign opportunities to contacts, follow these steps:

Select the contact you would like to add an opportunity to from your canvas.

Navigate to the properties bar above the canvas and click the drop-down menu under OPPORTUNITY.

Select + Assign to Opportunity

Select the opportunity you want to assign to the contact by searching through your open Salesforce opportunities. Please note: the opportunity options you see may differ depending on your Salesforce data and settings.

Once you have selected the opportunity, click to save.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

We have integrated LinkedIn Sales Navigator with the Lucidchart Sales Solution. This means if you have a Team or Enterprise LinkedIn Sales Navigator account and the Lucidchart Sales Solution Enterprise account, you can now view LinkedIn Sales Navigator information directly on your Lucidchart account maps. Our integration with LinkedIn Sales Navigator allows you to:

View LinkedIn profiles within your account map: View lead and contact profiles simply by clicking the LinkedIn icon of a contact or lead on your account map.

See contact highlights: View LinkedIn Sales Navigator profile details for each contact, including location, current job title, experience, and shared connections.

Send connection requests: Connect with prospects youre not already connected to on LinkedIn.

Save as a LinkedIn Sales Navigator lead: Save leads directly to your LinkedIn Sales Navigator account.

Use InMail: Send LinkedIn InMail/messages directly in Lucidchart to existing contacts or new leads on your account map.

Leverage personalized icebreakers: Identify commonalities between you and your prospect within the widget frame window.

View recent activity: See contact updates such as job updates, company news, and posts your contact has created, liked, and commented on.

See related leads: Connect with your target contact's network by assessing and acting on suggested leads.

Get introduced: Skip the cold call and see which of your existing shared connections could introduce you to your prospects, such as company leaders, or someone at your alma mater.

This integration lets you leverage the worlds largest professional network on the internet when creating Lucidchart account maps so you can close better deals faster.

To set up LinkedIn Sales Navigator with your Lucidchart account, follow these steps:

Select the tile at the top of your Documents Page.

Locate the LinkedIn Sales Navigator integration tile.

Select enable.

Connect to your LinkedIn Sales Navigator account.

To connect a LinkedIn profile to a contact on your account map, follow these steps:

Select the contact on your account map.

Click the icon on the contact shape.

Search for your contact.

Once you have found the correct profile, select match.

To disconnect a LinkedIn profile from a contact on your account map, follow these steps:

Open LinkedIn Sales Navigator by clicking the icon on the contact shape.

Select the three dotsicon next to the profile name.

Click unmatch.

Smart Fields

View tabular Salesforce data directly on your account map with Smart Fields for the Lucidchart Sales Solution! Please note: if Smart Fields are added to your Sales Solution template, then the fields will automatically populate the data associated with the specificSalesforce account connected to the Lucidchart document. How to add Smart Fields to your account map:

Open the account map.

Select the account, opportunity, task, or event from the left data panel.

If you selected account data, then the left data panel will show the account name and the associated Smart Fields, which are predetermined by your Lucidchart Sales Solution admin. If you selected opportunity data, then the left panel will show the opportunities associated with the account. If you click the icon, then you will see the Smart Fields associated with the opportunity. These fields are predetermined by your Lucidchart Sales Solution admin. Click to view the contacts and roles associated with that opportunity.

Drag and drop any of the fields in grey from the left data panel to your canvas to add a Smart Field to your account map. You can display all data fields on one shape by dragging the Account or Opportunity to your canvas, or you can add individual fields, such as Sales Notes to display specific data. For example, if you drag the "Dunder Mifflin" account to your canvas, then the automated Smart Field shape will look like this: You can see how the data displayed on the shape corresponds with the Smart Fields on the left data panel.

To change which fields are displayed on the Smart Field shape, click and un-check the box next to the field you do not want displayed: You can also choose if you want the field titles displayed by toggling . To edit the data which is displayed on your Smart Field shape, double click on the Smart Field and type to edit the data. Don't worry these changes automaticallysync with Salesforce so your data remains consistent.

Smart Tables

Create Smart Tables to automatically populate tables with Salesforce data.Please note: if Smart Tables are added to your Sales Solution template, then the table will automatically populate data associated with the specific Salesforce account connected to the Lucidchart document. How to create a Smart Table:

Add the Smart Tables shape library to your document, if it is not already there. If you do not see this option, contact your Lucidchart Sales Solution admin to enable Smart Tables.

Drag the Smart Table from your shape manager to your canvas.

Click Display Data

Choose the root object (for example: account) which you want your Smart Table to reference.

Depending on what root object you chose, you will see different fields which correspond to that data. You can manage which fields are shown in the Smart Table by checking the box next to the field. The Smart Table would then look like this:

Click to limit the number of rows in your Smart Table or to filter which data is displayed on your Smart Table: To change the border, size, or striping style of your Smart Table, click:

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Lucidchart'spage views and tiling options create a flexible workspace that accommodates a variety of styles and needs. Layers provide an additional way for users to build out and organize the contents of their documents. Read on to learn how to use layers to optimize your Lucidchart creations.

Introduction

Lucidchart layers are transparent workspaces upon which you can create diagrams. They are very similar to the transparent sheets added to a slide projector, because...

You can add multiple layers, just as you can stack multiple sheets on top of the projection base.

The page of your Lucidchart document is like the stage, or base of a projector. Any content added directly to it is always visible.

You can easily toggle the visibility of your layers, just as you can add/remove transparent sheets from the base. Questions? Ask the Community

Create and Navigate Layers

You can create and manage your page's layers in the Layers panel, which you can access by clicking the Layers icon in the dock. The layers of your document will appear as stacked tiles, the order of which will correspond with how content is stacked on the canvas. Below the layer tiles will be a tile representing the page (base) layer. Note: Layers do not carry over from one page view to another. When you switch between page views of your document, the contents of your layers panel will change. To create a layer, click + Layer at the top of the Layers panel. You will be prompted to rename the layer, and will automatically enter the layers editing mode, which means that any objects you add to the canvas will be placed on that layer. When you are in a layer's edit mode, its tile will turn blue and a rectangle will appear around its content on the canvas. The contents of all other layers in your document will become greyed out. You can enter another layer's edit mode by clicking on its tile in the layers panel or by double clicking on an object in that layer. To exit a layer's edit mode and return to the page layer, either click on the page layer tile at the bottom of the layers panle or double click anywhere on the canvas that is not an object contained in a layer.

Edit Objects within a Layer

When you are in a layer's edit mode, you can edit the objects in that layer just as you would if they were directly on the page - simply click on them and modify their format, style, text, or other elements. You can also make changes to all of the objects within a layer at once. To do so, navigate to the page/base layer of your document, then click once on an object in a layer. A rectangle will appear around that layer's contents and the edge of its tile will turn blue. You can then move and make changes to the layer's contents holistically, as if they are a grouped shape. Note: It is only possible to edit the contents of one layer at a time. To move or copy objects from one layer to another, right click on the object(s), navigate to move to layer or copy to layer, and select the layer to which you would like to add the objects to.

Lock and Hide Layers

The buttons to the left of a layers name allow you to control the visibility and editability of the layer. By default, every new layer you create will be unlocked and visible, and these icons will be grey. When you click to hide a layer or to lock a layer, the corresponding icon will turn blue. Please note that you cannot adjust a layers transparency; it is either visible or hidden. Note: You cannot edit a locked layer. If you are in editing mode of a layer and click, you will automatically be pushed into the page layer, which is not lockable.

Sync Visibility Notice the words sync visibility at the top right of your layers panel. If you alter the visibility of a layer, these words will turn blue, indicating that the visibility settings of your layers have not been pushed to published or future printed/downloaded versions of your document. Click to apply your visibility settings to all document versions. The button will turn grey when the settings are synced.

Rename, Duplicate, Delete, or Reorder Layers

To rename, duplicate, or delete a layer, hover over a layers tile and click on the corresponding action. . Deleting a layer will delete all of that layers contents from your document, and duplicating a layer will copy all of its contents into the new layer. Reorder Layers The order of the stacked tiles in the layers panel corresponds to how content is stacked on the canvas. The contents of the page layer will always be at the base of your document, but you can easily rearrange the order of the other layers content by dragging and dropping their corresponding tiles to new positions in the stack.

Download a Layered PDF

In the PDF download dialog, notice the option to include layers. Selecting this option will break up your document into different pages that each correspond with a different layer. The first page of the PDF will contain any content that is on the page layer of the document. This page level content will also be visible on every subsequent layer page. Note: Your visibility settings will not affect a layered PDF. If you do not opt to include layers, Lucidchart will generate a PDF that is based on the last synced visibility settings.

Use Hotspots to Hide, Show, or Toggle Layers

Add interactivity to your documents by using layers in conjunction with hotspots. To add an action (such as toggle layers, show layers, or hide layers) to an object via a hotspot, follow these steps:

Add a hotspot to an object by dragging it from the shape library or by selecting add action from the right-click menu.

Click to the top right of the hotspot to open the actions popup.

Click and select one of the following actions:

Toggle Layers (hide/show layer content like a light switch)

Show Layers (make layer content visible)

Hide Layers (make layer content invisible)

Select the layer(s) to which you want your hotspot action to apply.

Click . Your layer is now linked!

After linking an object to a layer, you can perform the hotspots corresponding action (hide, show, or toggle) in the editor by pressing command + shift and then clicking on the object. If you are in present mode or the published document viewer, you can trigger the action by simply clicking the linked object. For information on present mode, please see the Create a Presentation article.

Example: Organize Complex Diagrams With Layers

Layers empower you to create complex diagrams without the need to worry about how all the information will fit on a single document. With layers, you can hide or show parts of your diagram to control your documents design and ensure that your audience is never overwhelmed with information.

To demonstrate how layers can help you break down a complex diagram into more digestible parts, this section will walk through how one Lucidchart evangelist, Paul Bryne, uses layers to create complicated, but absorbable documents for his clients.

Paul Byrne is the founder of PropelFwd, a small but growing company that works with clients in the public and private sector to make their processes more efficient and effective. Paul formerly worked as a police officer for Jersey, a small British Isle off the coast of France, and was contracted by the States of Jersey Police to map Jerseys criminal justice system to uncover any inefficiencies. As you can see in the document displayed above, Paul didnt take this task lightly. Paul combined classic Lucidchart diagramming features such as text and lines with icons, custom images, and shape styles to create this professional visualization of Jerseys criminal justice system. What you fail to see in this image, however, are the 32 layers Paul added to the diagram to make it interactive. Instead of adding more text to an already text-heavy document to explain which IT systems are utilized by each part of the criminal justice system, Paul added lines to thethe "IT Map" bar shown above to connect every IT system shape to its users. Paul then placed these unique line connections on separate layers so that his clients could choose whether the lines are visible or hidden on the document. Obviously, it wouldnt make sense for Paul to add these line connections directly on the criminal justice map. The lines would cover key components of the map and ruin the documents clean design. However, by placing the line connections on separate layers, Paul successfully communicated important information about Jerseys criminal justice IT systems without creating a new document or drastically changing his existing work. Additionally, to make it even easier for his clients to find these layers, Paul used actions to create interactive buttons that toggle each layer on or off.

Not only did layers add an interactive element to Pauls diagrams, but more importantly, they allowed Pauls clients to identify inefficiencies in Jersey's criminal justice system. Paul pointed out how he likes Lucidchart because it lets him show how every part of Jerseys criminal justice system is delicately interconnected; We didnt want to lose sight of the fact that everything is connected and everything will have an impact on the next stage and even two or three stages down. Layers made it easy for Paul to visually represent the connections between seemingly disparate parts of the criminal justice system. By simply following the line connections, Pauls clients could quickly identify where two or more IT systems were trying to accomplish the same goals. Identifying these inefficiencies led Pauls clients to consolidate and, consequently, cut costs. Furthermore, Paul and his clients could collaborate in real time and continuously update the diagram as changes occurred.

The positive response that followed after Paul presented his work to his clients inspired him to continue building out multi-layered Lucidchart documents for clients. Paul notes, They were all blown away by the power of Lucidchart. Their responses ranged from amazing and jaw dropping to what is Lucidchart? One meeting included two senior executives from Microsoft who could not believe what they saw and acknowledged that Visio could not do what we have achieved with Lucidchart.

Since mapping out Jerseys criminal justice system, Paul has used Lucidchart to create interactive flows that walk through the investigative process for victims and witnesses. Comprising of seven pages and 34 layers, Pauls Victim & Witness Journey diagram documents the steps, context, and background information needed to process victims and witnesses through Jerseys criminal justice system. Each layer in Pauls document contains flowcharts and summaries which explain information that might be relevant in certain scenarios, but is not always needed. Through layers, Paul successfully separated the essential from the extraneous while still ensuring that all information remains accessible in one secure place. While Pauls 22 years of professional experience as a Jersey police officer taught him the complex processes involved in Jerseys criminal justice system, it was Lucidchart and specifically, Lucidcharts layers feature that provided the platform for Paul to communicate these nuances in an interactive, visual way that anyone can understand.

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Presentation mode in Lucidchart allows you transform your document into a slide deck presentation with just a few clicks! Read on to learn how to use presentation mode in Lucidchart and a detailed guide on how to make your diagram presentation-worthy. Please note: Presentation mode is a premium feature offered on Professional, Team, and Enterprise accounts. To upgrade your account, check out our pricing page or contact our sales team.

Presentation Mode Quickview

To access a document's presentation mode panel, click the slide deck icon in the dock. Questions? Ask the Community Click + Slide to add a slide to your presentation. An orange container will appear on your canvas around the contents of the slide. To move the slide container to a different location on your canvas, click and drag from the handle in the top left corner.

Customize Your Presentation

To adjust the duration and aspect ratio of all of the slides in your presentation, click the gear icon in the top right corner of the presentation mode panel. Check the box next to Always Show Slides to keep the slides visible on your canvas when you are not in presentation mode. To adjust the size of a presentation slide, select the slide by clicking on the handle in the top left corner, then click and drag from one of the other three corners. To unlock the aspect ratio of a specific slide, click on the shape options icon in the properties bar, then de-select the lock icon (it will be highglighted in blue by default) at the top. You can reorder your slides in the presentation mode panel by clicking and dragging. To adjust the layer visibility or duration of an individual slide, click on the pencil icon next to the slide thumbnail in the presentation mode panel, then select or de-select the layers that you would like to be (in)visible, and adjust the duration as desired.

Preview, Share, or Export Your Slideshow

Once you have created your presentation, you can preview it by clicking "Present" at the bottom of the presentation mode panel or in the top right corner of your editor. Use your arrow keys or the arrows at the top of the viewer to navigate through the slide show. To show your presentation to other Lucidchart users, click "Share" in the top right corner of your editor, then add your audience as collaborators to the document with "Can View" capabililities (unless you want them to be able to edit, comment on, or share the document themselves). To share your presentation with non-Lucidchart users, you can publish it to a unique URL. To export your slideshow to Google Slides, click "Send to Google Slides" at the bottom of the presentation panel.

Common Questions

How can I change the dimensions of my slides? To change the dimensions of one of your slides, select the slide by clicking on the number in the top left corner, then click the shape options (square) icon in the properties bar. You will see a lock icon that is highlighted in blue - simply click on this icon to de-select it and unlock the slide's aspect ration.

Before & After: Aesthetic Diagramming Tips

Once you finish building your perfect Lucidchart document (you visualized processes, added custom shapes, and even linked data ), there are two final steps before youre ready to showcase your document to others:

Make your document beautiful.

Present your document directly on Lucidchart with Presentation Mode.

Read on for a detailed guide on how to make your diagram aesthetically pleasing, so that it is ready to be shared with the world.

Design matters. See for yourself: which of these flowcharts would you prefer to follow? The one on the right immediately catches and keeps my attention what about you? Both diagrams contain the same information, but the second diagram uses color and other styling features to make its content attractive and easy to follow. Win, win! Weve collected a few sneaky tricks to help you transform your document from a black and white compilation of shapes to an intelligently designed, aesthetically pleasing presentation. Check them out!

1.) Color, color, and more color. The most evident difference between these diagrams is the addition of color. Color can really make or break your document a lack of color makes your document boring, while too much color can overstimulate your audience. There are also endless ways to incorporate color on your document. Whether youre using conditional formatting or replicating a Van Gough painting, our color palette tool makes finding the perfect colors fast and easy. As shown in the image below, the color palette tool allows you to import images and detect the exact RGB color code for that shade. Simply find an image online with a color scheme you like, drag-and-drop the image to your Lucidchart canvas, select the shape or line youd like to add color to, and click the icon in your color picker to identify the RGB color code from the image. Its best to choose just three or four colors per document to avoid color overload. If your document still looks too colorful for your taste, try adjusting the color opacity to reduce color contrast. 2.) Lines are your friends. Lots of lines are inevitable when creating a Lucidchart diagram, and thats especially true for complex process diagrams. Sometimes, it might seem like the lines in your diagram add more chaos than clarity. However, lines can help you if you let them. Simple changes to line styling make a significant difference. Take another look at the line styles in the before-and-after diagrams above. The default lines in the before diagram overlap and can be easily confused with the swim lane lines. However, in the after diagram, the curved line style and added color streamline the flow from one shape to the next. To make your lines curved, or apply another stylistic change, select the lines while holding down SHIFT on your keyboard. Then, select your preferred line preferences (width, type, roundness, style, and end arrows) in the properties bar at the top of your canvas. Psst: you can find more information on line formatting here! 3.) Fun with fonts. It can be easy to overlook the importance of fonts when aesthetics are not your priority. However, fonts are a great way to give your presentation personality and help you tell your story. Are you presenting a pitch to a new prospect? Impress their marketing team by importing a custom font to keep your presentation 100% on-brand. You can also add styling to text to emphasize key phrases or takeaways and drive your audiences attention in the direction you choose. Deliberate design keeps you in control. 4.) Break it down into parts Sometimes, a document can become so large or complex that when it comes to adding styling, you do not know where to begin. Luckily, Lucidchart offers ways to break down your haunting document into smaller, more digestible parts.

Layers. If your document seems too large to style, consider adding layers. Lucidchart layers allow you to show or hide certain contents of your diagram, so you only see the information you need when you really need it.

Groups. Another way to break your document down into simpler structural components is by dividing the shapes on your document into groups." Simply select the shapes you want in the group, then use the Command-G keyboard shortcut or right-click > Group. You can then move or add style to multiple shapes at a time. Onceyou'veadded the desired style to a shape or group, lock the shape(s) to prevent future modifications, as shown below.

5.) Get creative! Lucidcharts strength lies in its flexibility, sodon'tbe afraid to try new things. Do you usually add colored borders to your shapes? Try removing the border and add a shadow instead! Are you tired of the standard white background? Make it yellow in your page and document settings. Want to create new, unique shapes? Import a custom shape library ! Did you make a huge mistake? Dont worry! You can revert to previous versions of your document with Revision History!

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The Timeline shape library allows you to easily create timelines to show past events or future plans. Use them for project management, school projects, or presentations.

The Timeline shape library is available to users with a Professional subscription or higher. To upgrade, visit our pricing page or contact our sales team.

Access the Timeline Shape Library

To access the shape library:

Click on + Shapes in the Toolbox, or press the M key.

Select Timeline and press Save.

With the shape library pinned to your Toolbox, its easy to drag and drop elements of the timeline onto the canvas.

Timeline Elements

Timeline block or line These are the bases of your timeline. When you drag one of these shapes onto the canvas, you can set the start and finish dates of your timeline, specify date formatting, and choose the length of time markers (seconds, days, years, etc.). Questions? Ask the Community Milestone: This marker allows you to record a significant event. It will snap to position when you change its date in the Advanced Shape Menu or when you place it into position on the timeline. Interval: This shape allows you to show events that span over a period of time. Drag the interval onto your timeline block and then use the Advanced Shape Menu to enter start and end dates or change the length of the shape on the timeline until it reflects the correct timespan. Markers divide your timeline into regular intervals. They may have the value of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, quarters, or years. To mark your timeline using seconds, minutes, or hours, the total time interval of your timeline must be relatively small. If those options are not available to you, try setting the start and end times of your timeline a day, hour, or minute apart. Labels write the day and time below each marker on your timeline. Use the Labels Format drop-down menu to choose how your labels are written. You may also choose to turn labels on and off.

Modify Your Timeline's Settings

To set or change the start and end dates for a timeline block or interval:

Click on the timeline block or interval shape. The Advanced Shape Menu will drop down at the top of the editor.

A start time or date may never be later than a finish time or date, so change your finish time and date first. Click on the date or time listed above the word Finish. Use the dropdown menu to select your finish date and time.

Repeat step two to set a start date and time.

Stacking Timelines

Stacking timelines is useful when you need to show multiple projects of teams working at the same time.

To stack two or more timelines:

Drag a timeline onto the canvas. Set the start date and finish date, and choose your desired time marker.

Copy and paste your formatted timeline shape until you have the desired number of timelines. This step is important because it ensures that all of your timelines have the same start and finish dates and time markers. If these things are not the same, it will be impossible to format interval blocks correctly.

Turn the labels off on all of your timeline shapes except for one.

With the labeled timeline on the bottom, stack your timelines on top of each other. To hide the markers on a non-labeled timeline, select the timeline block and click Arrange > Send Item Backward.

You may choose to give each layer of your timeline a name using text boxes drawn to the side of your timeline.

Drag and drop time intervals onto each layer of your timeline and format them as normal.

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It can be helpful to import diagrams from other tools or platforms. Lucidchart allows you to import diagrams from MS Visio (.vdx, .vsdx, and .vsd), Gliffy (.gxml, .gliffy), Draw.io (.xml), and OmniGraffle (.graffle, .graffle.zip). The ability to edit imported diagrams is a premium feature offered on Professional, Team, and Enterprise accounts. To upgrade your account, check out our pricing page or feel free to contact our sales team.

Import a File

To import your diagrams, follow these steps:

On the My Documents page, click the Import dialogue box and select the diagram type you wish to upload. Questions? Ask the Community

Select the files you wish to upload and click Import.

Click the diagram link to open the imported diagram.

Visio Import: Common Issues

Here are some common issues you may encounter when importing Visio files into Lucidchart. Invalid Visio File If you attempt to import a file into Lucidchart that is not a valid Visio file, you will encounter an error message. Keep in mind that a non-Visio file can have a Visio file extension (e.g. .vsdx) if someone changed the extension manually. To verify that a file is a valid Visio file, try opening the file in Visio. If it is not a Visio file or is corrupted, Visio will not be able to open it (and neither will Lucidchart). Older Version You may get an error because you are uploading a file from a version of Visio that we do not support. Lucidchart currently supports the following Visio formats:

VSDX files made with Microsoft Visio 2013 or later

VSD files made with Microsoft Visio 2007 or later

VDX files made with Microsoft Visio 2003 or later

If you have an older Visio file, try re-saving it with a more recent version of Microsoft Visio as a .vsdx file. VSDX files tend to import with greater fidelity than other Visio formats, and are easier for us to diagnose if there are any issues. If your Visio file is not importing into Lucidchart, a good first step is to open the file in a recent version of Visio, re-save it as a .vsdx file, and import the new file into Lucidchart. File Size If the import process seems to be taking longer than a few minutes, your file might need to be modified because it's too large. Here are some steps you can take to reduce the size of your file:

Save it as a .vsdx file. VSDX files are generally smaller than VDX files so they should have an easier time uploading.

Compress images. Some failures are due to large images placed inside the diagram and can be resolved by optimizing the images to 72 dpi and ~1,000 pixels on the long side.

Split the document. If your Visio file has many large images, try splitting your document into multiple files that have fewer pages and/or objects.

No Shapes Detected If your Visio import has no detected shapes, this indicates a blank Visio document or a Visio stencil that was uploaded as a document. To verify that your file has shape content, open the file in Visio. If the file you've uploaded is a Visio stencil file that has been renamed, you will need to change the file extension back to .vssx, .vss, or .vsx and import it into the shape library manager. See these guidelines for renaming your file:

If your filename ends in ".vsdx", replace the ".vsdx" with ".vssx". For example, if the filename was "myfile.vsdx", rename the file to "myfile.vssx".

If your filename ends in ".vsd", replace the ".vsd" with ".vss". For example, if the filename was "myfile.vsd", rename the file to "myfile.vss".

If your filename ends in ".vdx", replace the ".vdx" with ".vsx". For example, if the filename was "myfile.vdx", rename the file to "myfile.vsx".

If you believe the file you've uploaded has shape content and you've gotten this warning in error, please contact support.

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School-Wide or District-Level Installation

Open the Admin panel on the left-hand side menu.

Navigate to Settings. Questions? Ask the Community

Click the Apps tab on the top.

Click "View App Configurations" on the upper right.

Click "+ App."

Change Configuration Type to By URL using the drop-down menu.

Name: type "Lucidchart."

Click here to generate your consumer key and shared secret.

Paste this url for config URL: http://lucidchart.com/lti/config.xml

Click "Submit."

You can use the same consumer key and shared secret to install Lucidchart.

Add the Lucidchart App in Canvas

To add the Lucidchart app in Canvas, follow these steps:

Open your Canvas Course.

Click on the Settings button on the left-hand side menu.

Click on the Apps tab on the top.

Type Lucidchart in the Filter search bar.

Click on the link to generate your key and shared secret.

Generate your key and shared secret by clicking Generate my API key pair.

In Canvas, click Add App and paste the generated keys.

For Teachers: Create an Assignment Using Lucidchart

Click on the Assignments button on the left-hand side menu.

Click on the +Assignment button on the top.

Edit the Assignment Name and any instructions.

In the editor, click on the Lucidchart symbol or open the External Tools menu and choose Lucidchart.

Hover over the document you want to link or embed and click "select."

Make sure Submission Type is set to Online and then chooseFile Uploads.

Complete the other assignment fields (Points, Group, Grade, etc.).

Assign and publish the assignment.

For Students: Complete an Assignment Using Lucidchart

Students click on the link in Canvas to create their own copy of the Lucidchart document. The first time they use the Canvas integration, they will be prompted to log in or create a Lucidchart account.

Once in Lucidchart, students can edit and share their work.

When students are ready to submit their assignment, they will do so in Canvas byclickingSubmit Assignment. A submit dialog will appear at the bottom of their Canvas page.

Students must then click the "Lucidchart" tab at the top of the dialog.

When students choose the Lucidchart option, their Lucidchart document page will appear, allowing them to select the document they wish to submit.

Teachers can then use the Canvas Speed Grader(TM) to grade the students assignment.

Frequently Asked Questions

It saysI'mnot a premium user.

The Canvas integration is a premium feature. You may choose to enroll in a 30 day trial for premium.

Whats the difference between linking and embedding the Lucidchart?

When students click the link provided, they create their own version of that document. They can then share that document with other students to collaborate, with the teacher to get feedback, etc. Embedded documents will show the document in Canvas. Students will not edit the document, but can interact with hotspots, videos, pages to learn.

How can my students complete group assignments?

Currently Canvas allows for group assignments where one student turns in the assignment but doesnt allow you to assign a separate document for each group.The easiest workaround would be to have one student from each group click on the link and create a document and then share it with the other group members.

How can I assign my students a Lucidchart document but let them choose their own template?

Use this URL.

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This article contains all you need to know about Enterprise licensing in Lucidchart. If you are the admin of a Team account and would like to upgrade to Enterprise, please contact our sales team.

View-Only vs. Can-Edit Users

To enable organizations to use Lucidchart as a hub for storing and sharing information, Lucidchart offers two types of licenses for Enterprise accounts: can-edit and view-only. Users with can-edit licenses are factored into your team license count and have full document creation and editing capabilities. View-only users are not factored into your license count. They can access documents made by other users on their account, but cannot create or edit them.

View-Only User Capabilities

View-only users can do the following:

Request a can-edit license

Own documents that have been transferred to them by a team admin or that they owned prior to joining the Enterprise account

Access their documents page and manage documents* (delete/restore and move into/out of folders)

Download documents

View, comment on, and share documents* via email and access links

*relevant document permissions required

View-Only User Limitations

View-only users cannot do the following:

Create documents and folders (includes import and duplication)

Edit documents (includes renaming)

Publish documents via URL or embed code

For Admins: How to Set Up View-Only Users

Click the Team hyperlink from the header of your Lucidchart account.

Click on the Licensing tile.

Select Do not automatically grant license under When a new user joins a team.

Select Administrator manually grants license (pending request) under When a user requests a license.

Click the blue Save changes button in the bottom right of the page.

After you have adjusted your Licensing settings to accommodate view-only users, you can add view-only users to your team. When you enter their information, make sure the box next to Grant available licenses to listed users is not selected before clickingAdd to Team. These users can request full-edit licenses by clicking the View only button on a document and selecting Request Edit Access. Depending on your teams licensing settings, they will either automatically receive a license or their request will become a pending request in the admin panel awaiting the permission of a team admin.

Manage Individual User Licenses

If you are the Account Owner or a Team Admin of your Enterprise account, you can manage the licenses of users on your account in the Users tile of the admin panel.

Grant a License to A User

Click the Team hyperlink from the header of your Lucidchart account.

Click on the Users tile.

Click on the users row in your user list.

In the panel on the right, click Edit next to Licenses

Check the box next to Lucidchart, then click Confirm

Remove a License From A User

Click the Team hyperlink from the header of your Lucidchart account.

Click on the Users tile.

Click on the users row in your user list

In the panel on the right, click Edit next to Licenses

Un-check the box next to Lucidchart, then click Confirm

Next to New Document Owner, enter the email address of another user on your account. The de-licensed users documents will be transferred to this user.

Click Delicense

Adjust the Licensing Settings for your Enterprise Account

You can adjust your teams licensing settings in the Licensing tile of the admin panel. Simply check the box next to the setting you want to adjust, and click Save Changes. The combination of these settings and your identity management settings will determine how your account grows. Read on to learn about the different settings you can adjust. Note: To grow your account in a seamless way, we recommend that you change all settings to auto. If you would like to supervise the growth of your account, it is better to disable auto settings.

When a new user joins a team

This setting determines what happens when a new user joins your team, whether added manually or via domain lockdown.

If you select automatically grant license, all users will come in as fully licensed users.

If you select do not automatically grant license, all users will come in as view-only users.

**Note: If you are setting up auto-licensing with SCIM, it is important to have auto-grant disabled, otherwise all users will be given full edit licenses when created, rather than the license type specified in their SCIM object.

When a user requests a license

This setting determines what happens when a user on your team requests a license.

They will either be automatically granted a license or become a pending request in your user list.

**Note: If you are using SCIM and would like users to come in as view-only users and then request licenses, you will want to have the setting admin approve the request enabled. Otherwise, the next time you make a change to your SCIM instance, license allocation will revert to reflect what your SCIM connection is sending over and strip any automatically assigned licenses.

Allow non-admins to invite new users to your team

This setting determines whether non-admins can invite new users to your team. A benefit of allowing non-admins to add new users is that anyone on your team will be able to share documents with anyone - even people who are not currently using Lucidchart.

When no more licenses are available

This setting determines how your team will grow.

With auto-grow enabled, your teams license count will automatically grow by 10 if someone requests a license when all existing licenses are used up.

Without auto-grow enabled, you will need to reach out to Lucidchart to grow your account.

If you are using a SCIM connection to auto-assign licenses to users and have auto-grow enabled, you will automatically add licenses. If you have it disabled, users that are licensed in SCIM will go into a silent queue within Lucidchart and will automatically be assigned licenses when they free up.

If you are configuring SCIM, you will need to enable auto-ugrade in order to generate a bearer token. You will then want to turn off auto-upgrade to prevent unwanted licensing during the configuration process.

Customize LC License Request dialog

This is what a user will fill out when they request a license to your team.

You can create a custom message as well as a button label and URL.

Setting up a custom license request dialog is particularly valuable if you are managing your licenses outside of Lucidchart and want to redirect user requests to a particular system (eg. servicenow, a mailto link, or any other internal system that you use).

Licensing Notifications

If your licensing settings are set so that users must request licenses, you can set your notification preferences to receive these emails immediately or in a weekly digest.

Common Issues/FAQs

What capabilities does a view-only user have?

View-only users can view, comment on, share, and download documents but cannot create or edit documents. See the View-Only User Capabilities section of this article for more detailed information.

What is the difference between de-licensing and deleting a user on my account?

When you de-license a user, they will remain on your account as a view-only user. When you delete a user, they will be removed from your Lucidchart account altogether. Either way, the users documents will be lost unless you transfer them to another user on the account.

Is it possible for admins to be unlicensed (view-only) users and keep admin rights?

Yes! You can have un-licensed admins on your Lucidchart account.

Account Owners and Team Admins can de-license Team Admins by following the steps in the Remove a License from a User section of this article.

If you are the Account Owner and would like to remove your own license, please submit a request to the Lucidchart support team.

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Start Diagramming Questions? Ask the Community

Create entity relationship diagrams (ERDs) with customized text, styling, and relationships between fields. Automatically generate database tables and schemas using our SQL import feature.

Watch this video to learn more about ERDs, then read the tutorial below to learn how to make one in Lucidchart.

Example: Design Relational Databases With ERDs

Design, plan, and understand relational databases with Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) in Lucidchart!

ERDs allow you to visualize the relationships between your databases so you can better understand your datas organization and functions. Our data import feature allows you to pull your data directly from Database Management Systems such as MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SQLServer, and even Salesforce. Alternatively, you can use our ERD shape library to manually build your ERD from scratch directly in Lucidchart.

This section describes how you can manually build an ERD to understand the relationships between six school databases:

Students

Groups

Teachers

Subjects

Subject Teachers

Marks

Each database contains information that relates to information in another database, but to avoid confusion, the data is organized into separate databases. However, there are instances where it could be useful to understand the relationships between the data. For example, you might want to see which students in one group have a specific teacher for their math class. You know this information is available somewhere in your databases, but without ERDs, it can be difficult to understand where this data is actually stored and how to find it quickly. ERDs set you up for success because they allow you to visualize and, in turn, better understand how your databases relate to each other.

For this example you would create an ERD like this: Questions? Ask the Community Here, you can find one entity shape for each database (Marks, Students, Groups, Subjects, Subject Teacher, and Teachers). Beneath each entity, you find various attributes, or additional information, that are directly related to the parent entity. These attributes correspond to columns in a database, while entities correspond to rows. Notice how each student has basic attributes such as a unique student ID, a first name, and a last name. Each student is also a part of a group, which is why you see a GroupID attribute under the Students entity. The same is true for the Teachers entity; each teacher has a unique ID (TeacherID), a first name, and a last name. These entity shapes give you a basic outline of the information you can expect to find in each respective database without the need to open databases individually.

You probably also noticed the lines that connect the entities to one another. These line connections represent the relationships between databases, or entities. Each line connection also contains different symbols to reflect the type of relationship between the entities.

Use this guide to understand the cardinality each symbol represents: By connecting your entity shapes with these lines, you create a simple visualization that specifically explains how databases relate to one another.

Take a look at the Groups entity in the ERD shown above, for example. You can see that although the Groups entity only contains two attributes (GroupID and Name), there are two lines which connect to the entity: one from the Students entity and one from the SubjectTeacher entity. You can see that both the Students and SubjectTeacher entities contain an attribute called GroupID, and the lines that connect from the GroupID attributes within each entity show a direct relationship to the Groups entity. In other words, the lines show that the GroupID attributes in the Students and SubjectTeacher entities are the same as the GroupID attribute in the Groups entity.

Additionally, you can reference the cardinality guide shown above to determine a few important details about the relationships between these entities.

For example, this ERD shows:

Each group has at least one student, but could have more students, as shown by the line connection.

Each student can be a part of zero to many groups, as shown by the line connection.

Each subject teacher has one group, as shown by the line connection.

Each group has many subject teachers, as shown by the line connection.

As you can see, ERDs empower you to understand key features about your databases through easy visualizations, and youdon'teven have to worry if something changes. Lucidchart allows you to change the line connection format in a few steps. For more complex database structures, you can even add colors and line styling to make your ERD easier to navigate. When youre done,don'tforget to export your ERD to your favorite DBMS or share your document with collaborators.

Try it today, and see for yourself how ERDs can improve your workflow and database organization! Click here to start from the blank template used in this example, or browse additional ERD templates here.

Import Your Database Structure

The ERD import feature uploads all of your database tables and schemas directly to your Toolbox. When you drag related tables onto the canvas, Lucidchart draws relationship lines automatically. You can import updated database files at any time, and the fields will be updated in the Toolbox and on the canvas.

To import your database components, follow these steps:

Open the Shape Library Manager by clicking + Shapes in the Toolbox or by hitting the M key on your keyboard. Make sure the Entity Relationship library is turned on.

Click the Import button inside the Toolbox. An import window will appear.

Select the Database Management System (DBMS) you use.

Use the provided query to generate shapes of the individual tables in your database.

Import your .CSV, .TSV, or .TXT file and upload it by clicking the Choose File button in the import window. Alternatively, copy and paste the query results in the open text area. Click Import.

Lucidchart immediately converts the imported query into a list of databases, tables, and schemas and organizes the list in your Toolbox. Each collapsible section of the Toolbox represents a database. The names inside a section correspond with database tables. An additional subsection would indicate a schema.

In the example below, a TSV file containing multiple databases was imported. When shard_servers and Shards were both dragged to the canvas, the relationship was automatically drawn.

Import Your Salesforce Schema

With the new Schema Import from Salesforce, admins can map out the architecture of their Salesforce instances.

Note: This feature may not be available to all account levels. If you encounter a paywall, please contact our sales team.

To import your schema, follow the steps below.

Click in the ERD shape library. Alternatively, navigate to File > Import Data > Salesforce > Schema Import OR File > Import Data > Entity Relationship > Salesforce Import.

In the dialog that pops up, click .

The next window will prompt you to sign in to Salesforce. Click "Continue."

If you have not linked to Salesforce before, the next window will prompt you to grant Lucidchart permission to access to your Salesforce account. Click "Allow" to do so. You can revoke access at any time in your personal settings. Note: If you encounter an error message after this step, please check your login IP Ranges under your Salesforce user profile and make sure that those ranges are not restricted.

In the next window, select which Salesforce objects you would like to import into Lucidchart. Search for specific objects using the search bar at the top. If no objects are found, you will be prompted to adjust your search term.

Beneath Import Options, select between Show only relationships or Show all object details. Click .

Manually Create an ERD

To create an ERD manually:

Open the Shape Library Manager and make sure the Entity Relationship library is turned on.

Drag the desired entity object onto the canvas.

Double-click on the text to enter text edit mode. Once you have selected a text box, you can easily move between text boxes by pressing Tab on your keyboard to go forward or Shift+Tab to go backward. Press Enter or click off the object when finished.

To change the size of an object, simply click and drag from one of the corners and extend to either side. As you move an object, the columns will auto-adjust to fit the content inside.

Add or remove fields

When you click on a table, the Advanced Shape Menu will drop down from the top of the editor. Use the Advanced Shape Menu to change the number of fields in a table.

Format Lines

Select the line you would like to modify.

Use the drop-down menu in the properties bar to select the cardinality or other formatting option of each of the line's endpoints. The default line for an ERD is pictured below.

Add style to ERD

You can use the property bar to easily style entity objects while they are selected.

Modify text formatting, size, color, font, and alignment.

Adjust line thickness and color.

Select a fill color, gradient, or image.

Add shading to alternate rows of a table or to the table header using the Advanced Shape Menu.

Create relationships between objects

You can create a relationship line by clicking and dragging from any dot on an object. You can drag the line to another shape and create a relationship to a specific field OR release the cursor over empty canvas to auto-prompt adding a new entity object. If you decide to add or subtract fields after you have created a relationship, any connected lines will move with the fields they are attached to. There is no need to redraw them.

Export to SQL

Export your ERD to the DBMS of your choice (with the exception of connections between tables).

To export your entire page:

In the Entity Relationship shape library found in the Toolbox, click Export.

A dialog will appear. Choose your DBMS from the menu. The text field below will produce the correct statement for the entire page.

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Lucidchart is dedicated to keeping your data private, secure, and safe. In order to protect your privacy, we fully and permanently anonymize your data and/or personally identifiable information (PII) when you tell us to. The following actions will automatically trigger anonymization:

An individual user permanently closes their account (PII and document anonymization)

An admin deletes a user from their account (PII anonymization)

A user or admin permanently deletes a folder or document (document anonymization)

Read the sections below to learn more about security in Lucidchart.

Lucidchart and GDPR

What is GDPR? The GDPR is a set of regulations established by the EU that went into effect on May 25th, 2018. These regulations apply to any company that collects and processes data for individuals in the European Union and were created to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals in the EU. The regulations outline both individual rights in relation to data protection (e.g. the right to be informed, right of access, etc.) and accountability and governance standards for personal data. See the full GDPR guidelines here. Is Lucidchart GDPR compliant? Yes, Lucidchart is fully committed to GDPR compliance. Please see this page for more details.

Trigger Anonymization (Individual Users)

If you have an individual Lucidchart account (professional, personal, or free), you can permanently close your account at any time to trigger the anonymization of your data and PII. Once your account is closed, we will no longer be able to retrieve the documents you have created and saved to our systems. Please download and save the documents you need prior to closing your account. To close your account, follow these steps:

Navigate to your Account Settings and click on the Close Account finger tab.

If you have a subscription, click Cancel Your Subscription and follow the subsequent prompts to cancel. Note: Cancelling your subscription in and of itself will not trigger anonymization; the files will still be accessible through your free account.

Click Close Account. Doing so will trigger the anonymization of all data and PII associated with the account.

Please note the following:

When you close your Lucidchart account, your Lucidpress account will also be closed if it is tied to the same email address.

You will not receive a confirmation email when your data has been removed.

If you only want to be removed from the marketing email list, please click on the unsubscribe link in one of the emails that you have received.

If you are a user on a Team or Enterprise account and would like to trigger anonymization for your PII, please contact your account admin so that they can remove you from the team.

Trigger Anonymization (Team/Enterprise Admins)

As an admin of a Lucidchart Team or Enterprise account, you can delete individual users from your account at any time to trigger the anonymization of the users PII. Closing your entire Lucidchart team or Enterprise account will also trigger the anonymization of all user PII from our system, as well as all documents (including custom shapes, shape libraries, and linked data) and folders associated with that account.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I renew my subscription after temporarily closing my account, will my documents still be there? If you cancel your subscription without closing your account, you will be downgraded to a free account and your files will remain in our system, fully accessible when you renew your subscription. However, if you cancel your subscription and permanently close your account, the data anonymization process will be triggered and it will no longer be possible to retrieve the files previously associated with your account. What does PII refer to? PII refers to personally identifiable information, such as name and email address. Where does Lucidchart host customer content and information? Lucidchart is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the industrys leading provider of secure computing infrastructure. How does Lucidchart encrypt data? All data is transferred between user devices and Lucidchart servers using up to 256-bit encryption via TLS 1.2 and a world-class certificate provider.

Further Resources: How to Remove Your Personal Data from Lucidchart Lucidchart Security Lucidchart GDPR Compliance Lucidchart Security Whitepaper

**For more information on CIDR notation, please navigate to the Identity Management article **

With a Lucidchart Enterprise account, you can collaborate easily with your colleagues and customize your security settings to best fit the needs of your company. All of your administrative work will be done in your Admin panel, which you can access by clicking on the TEAM hyperlink in the navigation bar of your documents page.

If you are the admin of a team account, many of the features in the admin panel will not be available to you. To upgrade to an enterprise account, check out our pricing page or contact our sales team.

Please see the following articles to learn how to manage your team as an Enterprise admin through the Lucidchart admin panel:

See The Admin Panel: User Management to learn about user and group management

See The Admin Panel: Licensing Settings to learn about the settings available for managing user licenses

See The Admin Panel: Collaboration Settings to learn how to adjust your team's the sharing and collaboration settings

See the Integrations Page to learn about the variety of integrations available to your Lucidchart account

To learn about Lucidchart's Key Management Service, please see our Key Management Service information page or contact our sales team.

To learn how to configure team attributes, see Custom Tags and Team Attributes, and to learn how to configure custom status values and colors to improve organization across your team, see this article.

To learn how to manage the sign-in and authentication settings of your team, see The Admin Panel: Identity Management or watch the Identity Management video.

Create mind maps easily in Lucidchart with the mind map shape library! Questions? Ask the Community The mind map shape library is a premium feature available to Professional, Team, and Enterprise accounts. Please see our pricing page or contact our sales team for more details.

Introduction to Mind Maps

A mind map, or concept map, is a hierarchical diagram used to visualize the components of a theme or idea. The central theme or idea of the mind map is represented by a shape that lives at the center of the diagram, and the lines that stem from this shape represent offshoots of the central idea. Here is some helpful nomenclature to keep in mind when working with mind maps.

Nodes are shapes, often containing text, that represent pieces of information in a mind map.

The root or base is the node at the center of a mind map, representing a central theme or idea.

The branches of a mind map refer to each of the node-line offshoots that make up the diagram.

Nodes are connected by lines in parent-child relationships, in which the parent is the node that is closer to the mind map root and the child is the node that is further from the root. Nodes that are children of the same parent are referred to as siblings.

A level of a mind map refers to all of the shapes that have an equal amount of degrees of separation from the root. By default, all nodes that are at the same level in a Lucidchart mind map will be the same color.

Get Started Mind Mapping in Lucidchart

Create a Mind Map from a Template

Lucidchart offers a variety of mind map templates that you can build from. To create a mind map from a template, follow these steps:

From your docs page, click the triangle icon on the right side of the + Document button to open the template gallery.

Select Mind Map from the left sidebar.

Click on a template thumbnail to preview and learn more about it.

Click Create Document. The template will open as a new document in the Lucidchart editor.

Access the Library

To add the mind map shape library to your document, follow these steps:

From the Lucidchart editor, press M on your keypad or click Shapes to open the shape manager.

Scroll through the shape library list or search for "mind mapping," then check the box next to Mind Mapping. The mind map shape library will be saved to your toolbox.

Start Building a Mind Map from Scratch

Once you have added the mind map shape library to your toolbox, you can easily start building your mind map from scratch by following these steps:

Drag a shape out of the mind map shape library and drop it anywhere on your canvas. This shape will become the root of your mind map.

Type the central idea or theme of your mind map into the shape, then press enter.

Press tab on your keypad to add another shape to your mind map that will appear as an offshoot of the original shape. Type a sub-idea into this shape, then press enter.

Press tab to create an offshoot of the second shape, or press enter to create a sibling to that shape - another child of the original shape. Type a note or sub-idea into this shape, then press enter.

Repeat step 4 as needed until you have built out your mind map.

Style and Format Your Mind Map

Node Color

The color of every new shape added to your mind map will be set automatically based on the level colors shown in the advanced shape bar. You can select different colors to correspond with each level from the advanced shape bar at the top of the editor. To modify the color of an individual node, select it and use the fill color setting in the properties bar.

Layout

Click and drag a node to move it along with all of its children nodes and branches. You can resize and rotate mind map shapes the same way you would shapes from other shape libraries. Click Auto Layout in the advanced shape bar to automatically adjust the layout of your diagram so that the branches are evenly spaced.

Mind Mapping Hotkeys

Use the following hotkeys to build and navigate your mind map. Tab: Create child idea Enter: Create sibling idea Arrow Keys: Navigate through your mind map Z: Collapse or expand children of a parent node

You can also accomplish this by clicking the - symbol in the bottom right corner of the node

Note: Children branches cannot be expanded or collapsed if the document is in view-only or comment-only mode.

Import and Export Mind Map Outlines

Generate a Mind Map from an Imported Outline

If you have an existing outline you can easily turn it into a Lucidchart mind map. To generate a mind map from an outline, follow these steps:

Save your outline as a .txt file.

Click Import from the Mind Map shape library.

Choose your .txt file or copy and paste your outline into the text box.

Click Import Mind Map

Note: Lucidchart recognizes tab or space indented outlines. We recommend choosing one indentation style for a single outline. See Formatting below for more information.

Export a Mind Map as an Outline

Lucidchart quickly converts any mind map into a Plain Text or HTML text outline. To export your mind map text, follow these steps:

Click Export from the Mind Map shape library.

Select your desired outline formatting (Plain Text or HTML).

Highlight the text and use Command-C to copy the outline to your clipboard.

Formatting

Lucidchart recognizes tab or space indented outlines. We recommend choosing one indentation style for a single outline. Below are examples of both styles that you can copy (Ctrl or Command + C) and paste (Ctrl or Command + V) to test.

Tab indented mind map outline

Root

Parent 1

Child 1a

Child 1b

Parent 2

Child 2a

Child 2b

Space indented mind map outline

Root

Parent 1

Child 1a

Child 1b

Parent 2

Child 2a

Child 2b

Sample .txt file

Troubleshooting

Import problems

Bulleted or numbered lists: Currently, Lucidchart does not support outlines with bulleted or numbered lists. Your outline must use either Tab or single space indentation.

Copying from Google Docs: There is an odd behavior with Google Docs where Tab separators must be added to each line as you are building your outline. If you create a list and then indent lines of text with the Tab button afterward, Lucidchart registers those lines of text as still being on the previous indentation. To add indentation after creating a list, use the spacebar.

Export problems

Multiple parents: One idea can be connected to multiple parents. However, when the file is exported to a text outline, Lucidchart only attaches the idea to one of the parents.

Multiple mind maps: If there are multiple mind maps on one page, Lucidchart will generate a separate outline for each mind map and they will all appear in the export text box.

Non-mind map shapes: It is possible to draw lines from mind map shapes and connect them to non-mind map shapes. However, non-mind map shapes will not appear in the text outline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is one of the shapes in my mind map bold? When you drag out the first shape of your mind map, Lucidchart will automatically make its border thicker than the other shapes to signify that it is the root shape of your mind map. It is not possible to remove the boldness from this shape. Why does the entire mind map move when I move one shape? When you move a shape of your mind map, all of its children will move with it. Your entire mind map will move if you drag it from the root shape. Can I move a shape without moving its children? To move a shape without moving its children, you will first need to hide the children. You can do this by pressing z on your keypad.

Example: Use a Mind Map To Plan A Marketing Campaign

Lucidcharts flexible mind mapping feature empowers you to organize your ideas through visualizations. Import an existing text outline to start, or use keyboard shortcuts and create a mind map as you brainstorm. Either way, mind maps allow you to keep an organized record as your creativity flows. As you probably already know, you can use mind maps for anything from brainstorming a screenplay to planning a business. Mind maps are especially useful for documenting stream-of-consciousness thinking because they allow you to connect your thoughts as you jump back and forth from one idea to another. Instead of taking pictures of a messy whiteboard or stuffing sticky notes into a folder, Lucidcharts intuitive canvas lets you skip the mess and make as many changes as you want. Brainstorm with collaborators in real time or publish your mind map on a blog. Regardless of what you choose to do with your mind map, revision history ensures you nodon'tneed to worry about fleeting ideas or lost work!

The template above demonstrates how mind maps can also help you organize the various components that make up a comprehensive digital marketing campaign. Large marketing campaigns and most business projects require collaboration across various teams. Yet, sometimes its hard to remember all the departments, teams, and stakeholders, especially at the beginning of a project. This template demonstrates how mind maps help you can break down daunting projects or tasks to better understand each individual component.

Lets say you need to plan a budget for your new business venture, for example. Youve secured investors and feel excited to begin, but youre still unsure how to divide the business budget between departments. Instead of arbitrarily assigning amounts to departments, you can use a mind map to break down each team in the department, as shown above. For example, you can see that content marketing, paid search, social media, email marketing, affiliate marketing, and SEO all fall under the digital marketing umbrella. Althoughthey'resimilar, each of these teams has a different headcount and resources they need to succeed. Mind maps let you parse out the details so that you understand each departments needs in context. Maybe you forgot about Snapchat ads when you began brainstorming marketing techniques. By breaking down the social media umbrella into specific platforms, you can catch silly mistakes and better estimate exactly how much money the marketing department needs each quarter.

If you want to add complexity to your mind maps, consider using conditional formatting and icon set on your mind map to save time when formatting your document. You can set simple rules such as if a shape text contains the word digital change the shape color to blue, or you can link spreadsheet data to your mind map and create complex rules that react to changes in a live data source like Google Sheets.

Once youre done, easily transform your mind map into a professional slide deck with Lucidcharts presentation mode. If youd rather switch your mind map back into a text outline, you can also export your mind map.

Click here to use the digital marketing mind map explained in this section, or browse additional mind map templates here !

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Improve the organization of your process diagrams by adding swim lanes. Read on to learn how to work with swim lanes in Lucidchart.The swim lane shape library is a premium feature available to Professional, Team, and Enterprise accounts. Please see our pricing page or contact our sales team for more details.

Introduction to Swim Lanes

Swim lanes divide your flowcharts into meaningful sections. You can use swim lanes to sort responsibilities by person or to separate a process into phases. Here is some helpful nomenclature to keep in mind when reading through this article.

A swim lane is a container shape used to organize objects in a diagram, typically a process flowchart.

A swim lane diagram is a diagram created using one or more swim lanes, including the contents of the lanes.

A pool consists of one or more swim lanes combined as a single grouped shape.

Swim lanes can be identified with text labels. The section that contains the label is called the header.

The original lane of your pool is the base lane, and the side of the base lane that does not touch other lanes is called the base side of the pool.

Work with Swim Lanes in Lucidchart

Access the Library

To add the swim lane shape library to your document, follow these steps:

Press M on your keypad or click Shapes to open the shape manager.

Expand the Flowchart Shapes library.

Check the box next to Containers. The containers shape library will appear in your toolbox.

Note: You can also access swim lanes through the UML shape library. These swim lanes have slightly different functionality from those found in the Flowchart Shapes library. To learn how to access and work with UML swim lanes, see the section below.

UI Overview

The basics

You can start building your swim lane diagram by dragging out the vertical or horizontal swim lane shape from the containers shape library. Questions? Ask the Community Note: You can change the orientation of your diagram at any point (see next bullet to learn how).

When working with swim lane shapes, an advanced shape bar will appear above your canvas. Use the settings on this bar to add more swim lanes, change swim lane and text orientation, and modify header or lane color.

Modifying lanes

When you add more lanes to your diagram, the swim lanes will group together to form a pool. Click once on a swim lane's header or border to select and make changes to the entire pool. Double-click to select and make changes to the specific swim lane.

Moving and Resizing Lanes

When you hover over the header or base side of your swim lane, your cursor will display as a 4-pronged arrow. Click and drag to move your swim lane. When you hover over the border of your swim lane, your cursor will display as an arrow perpendicular to the border. Click and drag the border to resize your swim lane.

Format and Style Swim Lanes

Modify Labels

To change the label within a swim lanes header, double click anywhere inside the header so that the text is highlighted, then type the new label over the existing text. To change the orientation of a swim lanes label, select the swim lane, then click the desired Text Orientation option from the advanced shape bar.

Add Color

To change the lane color of a swim lane, follow these steps:

Select the swim lane.

Click the Lane color swatch in the advanced shape bar.

Select your desired color.

To change the header color of a swim lane, follow these steps:

Select the swim lane.

Click the Header color swatch in the advanced shape bar.

Select your desired color.

Magnetization

You can magnetize objects to a swim lane so that when you move it, they move with it. To magnetize a swim lane, select the lane, then click the magnet icon on the right side of the properties bar.

UML Swim Lanes

To access UML swim lanes, follow these steps:

Press M on your keypad or click Shapes to open the shape manager.

Search UML and expand the UML Shapes library.

Check the box next to UML State/Activity. This library will appear in your toolbox, with the swim lane options as the last three shapes.

FAQs

How can I create a multidimensional swim lane? Lucidcharts UML State/Activity shape library contains multidimensional swim lanes. See the section above to learn how to access these shapes. How do I select a the swim lane in my diagram? Since swim lanes are container shapes, it is not possible to select them by clicking inside the container. To select a swim lane that is on your canvas, click on its header or anywhere along its border. How do I resize the swim lanes in my diagram individually? When you add an additional lane to your swim lane diagram, it will be added on top or to the right of the existing lane(s). It is only possible to adjust an individual lanes width from its top or right-side border. When you click and drag on the bottom/left border of a lane, you will move the lane and resize the width of any lanes below or to the left of it. Is it possible to re-order the swim lanes in my diagram? No, it is not currently possible to re-order the swim lanes in your diagram. If I delete a swim lane from my diagram, will the contents be deleted too? No, when you delete a swim lane, its contents will remain on the canvas.

Example: Organize An Activity Diagram With Swim Lanes

Are you trying to visualize a process that includes multiple steps and actors? Do you struggle to represent which actor is responsible for each step? Dont worry swim lanes provide a flexible framework to help you organize process diagrams and flowcharts. To demonstrate exactly how swim lanes help organize your diagrams, this section will focus on the ATM activity diagram example shown below: This activity diagram template explains all of the steps that occur when a customer uses a bank ATM to withdraw money. Although the customer initiates the transaction process, there are a lot of "behind the scenes" steps that the customer might not see or understand. However, its important for these steps to be documented somewhere so that if there is a problem, the bank can pinpoint exactly where the transaction failed.

Swim lanes are useful in this case because they break down the transaction process into three categories of actors: customer, ATM machine, and bank. Each vertical swim lane represents the actor that completes the steps in that lane. You can locate the actors names at the top of each lane, so when you look at the diagram you can easily determine the steps each actor owns. Swim lanes are particularly useful in cases like this where two steps might occur simultaneously, but fall under different actors. For example, although the customer only experiences the Enter Pin step, the swim lane structure shows that another step occurs at the same time on the banks side. Not only does the customer need to enter their pin, but the bank must also authorize the pin. Regardless of what process or activity you want to visualize, its important to make sure your diagrams represent not only the steps, but also the order and owners. Without swim lanes, its possible that you could demonstrate ownership by color coding individual step shapes, but this alternative would force your audience to constantly reference a color-coded ledger. Instead, swim lanes save time and bring clarity to your most complex processes.

Depending on your diagram, it could be useful to try horizontal swim lanes instead of the vertical lanes shown in this example. We know processes are constantly changing, so Lucidchart makes it easy to modify the format or style of your swim lanes. Add or delete lanes, adjust lane sizes, or add color to your diagram as you go, anddon'tworry if you make a mistake. You can always revert to a previous version with revision history. Once youre done, share your work with collaborators, publish your document, or quickly transform your diagram into a slideshow deck with presentation mode.

Try it today with the template shown in this section, or browse additional swim lane templates here ! For more information on how to begin diagramming, check out our Introduction to Flowcharting article.

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Integrating Lucidchart with Azure enables your users to authenticate using SAML single-sign on through Azure. Azure also offers a SCIM connection that allows you to provision users in your IDP. The following tutorial walks through the process of integrating Azure with Lucidchart.

The Azure SAML and SCIM integration is only available to Enterprise accounts. To upgrade, please contact our sales team.

Note: You will need admin privileges in both Azure and Lucidchart to set up this integration.

Configure the SAML Integration for Lucidchart via Azure Portal

Add the Lucidchart Enterprise application to your Azure instance.

In Lucidchart, navigate to the Identify Management section of your Admin panel by clicking Team > Identity Management. Check the box next to Allow SAML authentication, then click Save Changes If you would like to set SAML as the default authentication method for users on your account (i.e. what they encounter when they click next after typing their email address into the log in page), you can do so in theDefault authentication dropdown below. Questions? Ask the Community

On the same page, click Configure to navigate to your SAML activation page in Lucidchart.

Under Lucidchart Sign in URL, enter your Domain name, then click Save Changes.

In Azure, navigate to Quick start > Configure Single sign-on.

Under Single Sign-on Mode, select SAML-based Sign on.

Enter "https://lucidchart.com/saml/sso/" followed by your Domain name (the same one you entered into Lucidchart in the previous step) into both the Sign on URL and the ACS URL text fields (e.g."https://lucidchart.com/saml/sso/acme.com"). Note: The ACS and sign on URLs are going to be the same. The sign on URL is used to create an IDP-initiated sign on. The Lucidchart button in Azure will direct users to this URL. The ACS URL works as a reply URL and specifies where to send the SAML response.

Enter lucidchart.com into the Identifier field.

Confirm that user.userprincipalname is the User Identifier.

Click Save at the top of the page.

Select Metadata XML under the SAML Signing Certificate to download the IDP metadata. You will upload this file to Lucidchart in the next step..

Back in Lucidchart, scroll down in the SAML Activation page of Lucidchart and click Add Identity Provider. Upload the .xml file that you downloaded from Azure in the previous step.

Click Test SAML connection to verify that Lucidchart is properly communicating with Azure. Note: The connection will only work if the Lucidchart app has been assigned to your test user in Azure. You can assign the app to users in the Assignments section of the app page.

Create Users Upon Log-In with SAML

Once you have configured SAML with Azure for your Lucidchart account, you can set up Just-In-Time provisioning so that users assigned Lucidchart access in Azure who do not have a Lucidchart account will have an account created for them upon their first log-in. To enable new user creation for users assigned to the application, you will need to navigate to the Properties tab in your Lucidchart application page within Azure. From there, scroll to the bottom of the page and toggle the User Assignment request to Access Application to Off. Then, select Users and groups from the Manage menu. Select and assign users and/or groups to access the Lucidchart application. You can then set up Just-In-Time provisioning in the Lucidchart Licensing Settings section of your Lucidchart admin panel.

If you would like all users to come onto your Lucidchart team with full-edit licenses, set the setting for When a new user joins a team to Automatically grant license.

If you want all users to come in as view-only users, set the setting for When a new user joins a team to Do not automatically grant. Your users will then be able to request full-edit licenses. Depending on the When a user requests a license setting, you can have licenses automatically granted to users upon their request, or you can have the requests turn into pending requests in your user list.

Note: We strongly recommend that you have a custom request dialog if you have users requesting licenses from an admin.

Configure SCIM for Lucidchart with Azure

You can enable SCIM with Azure by following the steps below. Please note that the Lucidchart app for Azure supports auto-provisioning with SCIM but not auto-licensing. This means that you can use SCIM to create Lucidchart users before their first log-in but you cannot assign them a specific license type (eg. full-edit vs. view-only). Please see the Auto-Provisioning and Auto-Licensing article for more information about this distinction. Before configuring SCIM, you will need to do the following:

Confirm that you are on an Enterprise account with an up-to-date pricing plan. To upgrade, please contact our sales team.

Contact your Lucidchart Customer Success Manager so that they can enable SCIM for your account.

Note: Your CSM would be happy to jump on a call to walk you through the SCIM configuration process, so pleasedon'thesitate to reach out! Once you have followed the pre-configuration steps listed above, you can configure SCIM for Lucidchart in Azure by following these steps:

In Lucidchart, go to Team > App Integration > SCIM.

Click generate token. Lucidchart will populate the Bearer Token text field with a unique code for you to share with Azure.

In Azure, go to the Provisioning tab and use the Lucidchart Base URL and Bearer token to configure SCIM for the Lucidchart Azure app.

FAQs/Common Issues

What are the benefits of integrating with SAML? Lucidcharts SAML integration allows users on your Lucidchart team to authenticate quickly and securely. Additionally, if you enable user provisioning, a SAML connection will create users in Lucidchart automatically upon their first log-in if they are assigned the Lucidchart app in your IDP. What can I do with the Azure SCIM connection? The Azure SCIM connection supports auto-provisioning, which means you can use SCIM to create Lucidchart users before their first log-in but you cannot assign them a specific license type (eg. full-edit vs. view-only). What is the difference between Microsoft SSO and Azure SAML Sign-On? Microsoft SSO and Azure SAML Sign-On are both managed from the Azure portal. SAML uses SAML2.0 protocol while MS SSO uses OAuth2.0 OpenID. Generally, SAML set-ups are considered more secure because the encryption is on the transport layer (SSL).

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Start Diagramming

Lucidchart is dedicated to keeping your data private, secure, and safe, and is fully compliant with GDPR requirements.

The GDPR is a set of regulations established by the EU that went into effect on May 25th, 2018. They apply to any company that collects and processes data for individuals in the European Union and were created to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals in the EU. The regulations outline both individual rights in relation to data protection (e.g. the right to be informed, right of access, etc.) and accountability and governance standards for personal data. See the full GDPR guidelines here. As stated in the GDPR, you have the right to request that your information be permanently deleted from our system. Individual Users As an individual user, you can close your account at any time. Doing so will send a message to our systems to delete the personal data associated with the account.Once your account is closed we will no longer be able to retrieve the documents you have created and saved to our systems. Please download and save the documents you need prior to closing your account.

Note: If you merely want to be removed from the marketing email list, please click on the unsubscribe link in one of the emails that you have received.

To close your account, you must first cancel your subscription (if you have one). Then, navigate to your Account Settings and select Close Account in the left navigation bar. Lucidchart will then remove your personal data from our systems in accordance with the GDPR requirements, as specified within our Privacy Policy.Closing your Lucidchart account will also close a Lucidpress account tied to the same email.

Note: You will not receive a confirmation email when your data has been removed. Enterprise Users As an admin of an enterprise account, you can delete individual users from your team and transfer their documents to another user on the team, as detailed in the Admin Panel: User Management help center article.

Tired of the tedium of working off of multiple spreadsheets containing massive amounts of data? Youve come to the right place. Import data sets from Google Sheets, Excel spreadsheets, and CSVs into Lucidchart and use them to create powerful, data-driven visualizations. Whats more, see live updates from your data when you work with Google Sheets, as Lucidchart will automatically pull any updates to your spreadsheet data into your visualizations.

Data linking is only available to users on Professional, Team, and Enterprise accounts. To upgrade, visit our pricing page or contact our sales team.

Import a Data Set to Lucidchart

To import a data set into a Lucidchart document, open up the document and follow these steps:

Click Questions? Ask the Community in the right bar and then click or click File > Import Data > Data Linking.

In the window that appears, click .

Select the data set type (Google Sheets, Excel, or CSV) that you would like to import, or select to choose a file that you have already uploaded to Lucidchart. Click .

If you are importing data from a Google Sheet, you will need to grant Lucidchart permission to access your Google account. Click, select your Google account, and click to grant this permission.

Select an Excel or CSV file from your device and click or select a sheet from Google Sheets and click .

Select which pages of your spreadsheet you want to import and click .

After importing your data, Lucidchart will prompt you to identify the header row of your data set. Select a row and click .

In the next window, Lucidchart will prompt you to select a column of your data that contains reference keys, that is, unique identifiers for the contents of each row. Reference keys allow Lucidchart to keep track of your data even after you make structural changes to it, such as removing, adding, or reordering rows. Select a column and click .

Manage Your Data Sets

Once you have imported a data set, its data will display in the bottom section of the data panel to the right of the canvas. You can open or hide this panel at any time by clicking . Change Header Row or Reference Key Column The header row and reference key column will be highlighted in grey. To assign/remove header functionality to/from a row, right-click on the number label to the left of the row and click or . Correspondingly, to assign/remove reference key functionality to/from a column, right-click on the letter label above the column and click or . Manage Multiple Data Sets Lucidchart allows you to import as many data sets as youd like into the same document so that you can visualize data from multiple sources at once. Click on the name of the data set currently displayed to view a list of all of your imported data sets. View a different data set by clicking on its name and import a new one by clicking . Update a Data Set If your data set comes from a Google Sheet, updates to your spreadsheet will automatically sync to Lucidchart every 30 seconds. You can also refresh your data set to pull updates manually by clicking . Though updates to Excel spreadsheet or CSVs will not automatically be synced to Lucidchart, you can easily replace your data set with an updated one. To do so, hover a data sets name in the list view and click or right-click and select Replace Data Set. You can also delete a data set from this menu. Note: Make sure to replace your data set, rather than delete and re-upload, if you would like to preserve any data mappings you have applied to your chart.

Custom Data If you do not have a data set to link to your diagram, you can create custom data fields directly in the data panel and link that data to shapes or other parts of your diagram. To create custom data fields, select a part of your diagram and click or in the top right of the data panel. Fill out the custom fields, and click for each new field you would like to add.

Assign Data to Document Components

Once you have imported a data set, you can easily assign data to objects, groups of objects, or to your document as a whole. To assign data to an object, simply drag and drop a row or cell of data onto the object or select the object and drag and drop the data into the top half of the data panel. To assign data to your entire document, click on the canvas background and then drag the data into the top half of the data panel. Note: To allow you to customize the appearance of your data, Lucidchart will not automatically display this data on your document components. If you drop a row or cell onto an empty part of your canvas, you will be prompted to auto-create an object from the data. You can assign multiple data fields to the same document component. When you drag a data field onto an object that already has data linked to it, you can opt to replace the existing data field or keep both. If you opt to keep both, the second data field will show up below the first one in the top half of your data panel. After assigning data to a shape, you can save the linked shape to one of your custom shapes library by right-clicking on the shape and then selecting "Add to Custom Shape Library."

Display Data on Document Components

When you assign data to part of your document, Lucidchart will not automatically display it. Instead, Lucidchart will store the association between the data and the object in the data panel, allowing you to customize how the data appears on your canvas. The easiest way to display a data label or value on an object is to select the object and click the corresponding in the top half of the data panel. The label or value will appear as regular text that you can style and embed in longer text strings. If you replace the data linked to an object with a new row or cell of data, the new data will automatically take on the format and style of the old data. Pull Fill Color from Google Sheets If you add fill color to a cell, column, or row of data in a linked Google Sheet, the color will automatically import to Lucidchart. To display the fill color on a linked object in your diagram, click next to a value or label and select "Apply Imported Fill Color."

Data & Collaboration FAQ

What is considered a data-linked document? In this section, we refer to any document that contains imported data as a data-linked document. This includes ERDs, org charts, smart containers, account maps, and any other document to which you have imported data from Excel, Google Sheets, BambooHR, AWS, SQL, Salesforce, or a CSV file. What happens to my data when I share a data-linked document? If you share a data-linked document with another Lucidchart user, then your collaborator will be able to see the full data set linked to your document. What if I share my data-linked document as view only? If you share a document as view-only, then your collaborator will still see any datayou'velinked to your document, including data that has not been attached to shapes on your canvas. Your collaborator can access this data by making a copy of your data-linked document. What happens if my collaborator makes a copy of my data-linked document? If your collaborator makes a copy of your data-linked document, then they will gain full access to the data set linked to your document. How can I control who can see the data linked to my document? If you do not want your collaborator to have access to the data set linked to your document, we recommend that you make a copy of the document (File > Make A Copy) and completely remove any sensitive data before you share the document. Alternatively, you can also export your document to a PDF, PNG, JPEG, or SVG file and then share this file with your collaborator. Additionally, you can publish your document and use the area selection feature if you only want to share a portion of your document. What are the best practices for data protection in Lucidchart? We recommend that you use password protection whenever you publish your documents to secure your documents and data. Furthermore, please be cautious if you use public access links because anyone who finds the link will gain access your document and data. You can find more information about the security features available for enterprise accounts here.

Example: Create A Product Roadmap With Linked Data

Whether youre in a basement brainstorming your best startup ideas or finishing up your fifth round of funding, Lucidcharts data linking functionality empowers you to create data driven product roadmaps. Product roadmaps are a great way to communicate your organizations priorities to different teams and even investors. However, creating a product roadmap typically requires substantial organization, as you need to think through the strategic steps required to accomplish these goals. On top of that, there are usually various stakeholders and teams that work cross-functionally to make gradual improvements to the product over time. This makes the creation of a product roadmap difficult because teams might have conflicting priorities and timelines to consider.

However, with Lucidchart, you can visualize the many variables that go into the creation of a comprehensive product roadmap. Rather than writing vague statements about your organizations vision, you can import data directly into Lucidchart to show exactly what projects each team is working on when.

For example, the product roadmap example template shown above demonstrates how you can link your data sets to Lucidchart, display data on shapes, and arrange the shapes on your canvas into a timeline. To build this product roadmap example, we took a simple spreadsheet that organized product objectives by team and Epics (aka: a big chunk of work that has one common objective). Then, we imported the data set into Lucidchart and linked data to individual shapes on the canvas. Spreadsheets like the one shown above are useful to reference, but they fail to paint a full picture about the product vision or timeline. However, when you combine spreadsheet data with Lucidcharts flexible diagramming tools, the possibilities multiply.

For example, you can add conditional formatting rules to make the document easier to navigate. This template added four easy conditional formatting rules that color-coordinate the roadmap by team. Not only does this make the document a more visually appealing, but also it makes sure that your collaborators aren'toverwhelmed with information. The possibilitiesdon'tend there! For more complex projects, you might want to consider adding actions and hotspots to create buttons that link out to other document pages or external resources. If you want your product roadmap to double as a progress dashboard, you can use layers and add dynamic shapes to track how far along teams are on their objectives. Additionally, if you pull data from live data sources such as Google Sheets, then you can rely on Lucidchart as your source of truth because Lucidchart automatically updates your data every 30 seconds. Onceyou'vefinished building the product roadmap, you can easily shift to presentation mode and showcase your work to employees, investors, or anyone who might be interested.

Try it yourself click here to get started with our product roadmap example template, or click here for a blank product roadmap template!

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Save time when diagramming by creating a custom template in Lucidchart! Custom templates allow you to create multiple documents from one template, so youdon'tneed to waste time building a document from scratch every time.

Click here to learn how to use Team Folders to organize your team's templates!

Create A Custom Template

To create a custom template, follow these steps:

Open a blank document.

Build your custom template on your canvas.

Once you are done building your template, navigate to your documents page.

Locate the document you just created.

Right-click on the document name.

Select Convert to Template. Browse Diagramming Ideas

Select a template category and add a description for your template.

You have now created a custom template. You will see the word template above the documents name. To create a new document using this custom template, hover over the template name and select new or select your custom template from the "personal" section of your templates gallery.

Watch this video for a demonstration of how to create a custom template.

Share Your Custom Template

Afteryou'vecreated a custom template, you can share your template with collaborators or a team. To share a custom template, follow these steps:

Locate the template on your documents page.

Hover over the template name and select the Share icon.

Enter your collaborators name or email and choose their sharing permissions. You can also share the template with your team by typing in your team name.

If you want your collaborators to be able to change the template, make sure to grant them edit access.

If you do not want your collaborators to change the template, make sure to only give view access. This will allow collaborators to edit the template once they create their own new document from the template, but they will not be able to change the template itself.

Click Share.

This template will appear in your collaborators Shared With Me folder. They can create a new document from this template by hovering over the document name and selecting new. If they have edit permission, they can make changes to the template itself by double-clicking on the template document.

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Create complex, interactive diagrams with action-linked shapes!

Add an Action to a Shape

To add an action to your document, follow these steps:

Click on a shape on your canvas.

Click on the lighting bolt icon in the properties bar. Questions? Ask the Community Note: You can also add an action by right-clicking on a shape and selecting Add Action.

Click Choose an Action, then select an action from the drop down menu.

Follow the prompts that correspond with the selected action. (See the section below for information about the supported actions).

Click Done to apply the action to your shape.

Overview of Available Actions

Toggle Layers Toggle the visibility of layers (i.e. hide/show). Show Layers Make layers visible. Hide Layers Hide layers from view. Link to Page Navigate to another page of the Lucidchart document. External Link Navigate to an external site. Link to Email Navigate to specified email account.

Example: Use Actions To Create Buttons

Transform your Lucidchart documents into interactive diagrams with actions and hotspots! Actions allow you to turn any shape on your canvas into a button. Read on to learn how actions can help you organize complex documents.

Well start with the company fact sheet template to demonstrate how you can improve any document with a few easy steps. The company fact sheet template sets up a brief visual summary of your company for prospective clients, investors, or employees. The template provides spaces for you to showcase your companys history, products, and goals, as shown below: Although this template acts as a great starting point, actions allow you to go the extra mile to really impress your audience. Instead of a simple text box with your companys social media handles, add an action with an external link that sends them directly to your pages. By reducing your audiences effort, you can increase engagement.

Similarly,don'tjust add logos to show that your top clients are ING, Amazon, and CVS. Add an external link action to the logos that takes your audience directly to your clients corporate websites. Additionally, if you want to highlight specific accomplishments or projects completed for that client, you can add a page to your document by clicking the icon at the bottom of your canvas. Then, showcase your best work on that page and add an action to the logo that opens the page, as shown here: (You can learn more about how to use pages in this article.)

Whether you want to display client projects, connect photos to LinkedIn profiles, or toggle additional content with layers, actions help you organize your document to avoid overwhelming your audience. Try it out for yourself with the blank company fact sheet template, or any other Lucidchart document!

Frequently Asked Questions

Whats the difference between actions and hotspots? Hotspots are shapes to which you attach an action. You can drag hotspots from the standard shape library and drop them on your canvas, and they remain independent from any other shape. Actions, on the other hand, are attached to a specific shape. Can I add multiple actions to the same shape? Yes! You can add a second (or third, etc.) action to a shape by following the same steps you did to add the first action. How can I trigger the action associated with a shape when I am in the Lucidchart editor? To trigger the action associated with a shape from the Lucidchart editor, press command/ctrl > Shift, then click on the shape.

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Lucidchart allows Enterprise admins to control how their users are Provisioned and subsequently given a License. This article will explore the differences between Auto Provisioning and Auto Licensing.

Auto Provisioning

Auto Provisioning is available in a variety of forms through Lucidchart and your IDP. This functionality allows admin to create users in Lucidchart, but not determine their license type (Licensed vs. View Only) via these connections. If you are looking to determine License type via your SCIM connection, please navigate to the Auto Licensing Tab below for more info. In this scenario, user's licensing is determined by Lucidchart. See the last bullet in this section for specific details and implications for Licensing set up in the Admin Panel in Lucidchart.

SAML implementations allow for Just In Time provisioning. This means users who are assigned access via your IDP and do not have a Lucidchart account, will have an account created for them upon their first log in. See the last bullet in this section for the implications of your Licensing settings on how users will request/receive a license

SCIM allows administrators to create, update, and deactivate users in Lucidchart directly from your SCIM instance. SCIM creates users in your Lucidchart account without them having to log in. You can update user attributes via SCIM, and our connector lets you deactivate users so they do not have a license, can not log in, and do not have access to any documents. Once a user is deactivated you can delete them in Lucidchart and transfer their documents to another user of your choice. Please see the Transfer/Delete resource for more information. See the last bullet in this section for the implications of your Licensing settings on how users will request/receive a license.

G-Suite allows GSuite Admin to roll out Lucidchart to your whole GSuite instance. If you do not specify a canEdit attribute in your provisioning section of GSuite,then Lucidchart will determine a users License type. See the last bullet in this section for the implications of your Licensing settings on how users will request/receive a license. Note: You are configuring GSuite, make sure you follow all the steps listed in our Gsuite set up article and THEN allow Google SSO as a sign on method in your Identity Management admin section in Lucidchart. Enabling Google SSO as a sign on method first without setting up GSuite will break domain lock down, so new users on your domain will not be directed to your target account and will be added as free users.

Implications for Licensing set up in the Admin Panel in Lucidchart.. You can find these settings in your admin panel under the Licensing section. There are two scenarios for when users are created via a Provisioning actions. For more info on Licensing Settings please see the Help Center resource.

If you want all users to come in as a full editing licensed user, you will need to set first Licensing option (When a new user joins a team...) to "Automatically Grant."

If you want all users come is as view only, you will need to set first Licensing option (When a new user joins a team...) to "Do Not Automatically Grant."

Implications for users Requesting a License.. If you have users being created as Licensed users this section is less important. If you want your users to come in a View only and then request a license from an Admin, you can set the second part of the Licensing options (When a user requests a license...) to either Auto Grant when users request, or to have Admin approve the request. We strongly recommend that you have a custom request dialog if you have users requesting from an admin. The custom dialog can link to your internal software request page and contain any information you deem pertinent to your users. For more info on Licensing and Custom Dialogs please see the Help Center resource.

Implications for Auto Grow. It is important to note that if you have licenses being auto assigned due to your licensing settings, you may at some point run out of Licenses. If you have "Auto Upgrade" (When no more licenses are available...) enabled, you will auto add licenses based on how many licensed users you have added. Please see the Auto Grow resource for more information on how your team will grow. If you have this option turned off once you have used all of your licenses, the remaining requests go into a silent queue so that when a license is freed up the license is given to the first user in that silent queue.

Auto Licensing

Auto Licensing lets Admin determine what kind of License a user should get via SCIM. Users can receive either a full Editing license or a View Only license. This license type is determined by an attribute call canEdit.

canEdit is a boolean attribute that we expect to either be true/false or not to be included in the user attributes. canEdit = false (user gets a View Only license) canEdit = true (user gets a Full edit license)

The canEdit attribute is pre-built into the Okta and OneLogin SCIM connectors. You can also create your own SCIM application with these attributes if you have experience doing so. Take a look at the OneLogin and Okta set up resources for more information. If you are looking to build your own SCIM applications please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or submit a support ticket for more information.

Implications for Licensing set up in the Admin Panel in Lucidchart when using canEdit.You will need to set first Licensing option (When a new user joins a team...) to "Do Not Automatically Grant." This setting ensures all users are not given a license after being created.

Implications for users Requesting a License.If you have users being created as Licensed users this section is less important. If you want your users to come in a View only and then request a license from an Admin, you can set the second part of the Licensing options (When a user requests a license...) to have Admin approve the request. If you let all users receive a license automatically, the next time you make a change in your SCIM instance, license allocation will revert to reflect what your SCIm connection is sending over. Thusly stripping any autumnally assigned licenses. We strongly recommend that you have a custom request dialog if you have users requesting from an admin. The custom dialog can link to your internal software request page and contain any information you deem pertinent to your users. For more info on Licensing and Custom Dialogs please see the Help Center resource.

Implications for Auto Grow. It is important to note that if you have licenses being auto assigned from your SCIM connection, you may at some point run out of Licenses. If you have "Auto Upgrade" (When no more licenses are available...) enabled, you will auto add licenses based on how many licensed users you have added. Please see the Auto Grow resource for more information on how your team will grow. If you have this option turned off once you have used all of your licenses, the remaining users that show as licensed users in your SCIM instance will go into a silent queue within Lucidchart so that when a license is freed up, that license is given to the first user in that silent queue rather than staying freed up for another user.

If you are an admin of a Lucidchart Enterprise or Team account, you can install the Lucidchart App to your Confluence Cloud or Server instance. If you do not have a Lucidchart account, a free team trial is available on the pricing page. If you have already completed a trial and currently have a Free, Personal, or Professional account, go to the Subscription Level page within your account and select the appropriate team license tier.

Install the Lucidchart App for Confluence Cloud

Before you can configure the Lucidchart app to your instance, you must first install the app. Please follow these steps to do so:

Log in to your Confluence instance as an admin and navigate to your Settings. this article

Click "Manage Apps" to navigate to your App Marketplace.

Click "Find new apps."

Search Lucidchart and click on the Lucidchart Diagrams Connector tile.

Click "Get app."

In the window that pops up, click "Get it now." You should see a confirmation message stating that you have successfully added the app. Click "Configure" and follow the instructions in the next section to configure the app for your Confluence instance.

Configure the Lucidchart App for Confluence Cloud

After installing the Lucidchart Diagrams Connector, you will need to configure it to your Confluence instance. Follow these steps to do so:

Log in to your Confluence instance as an admin and navigate to your Settings.

Under "Lucidchart Add-On," click "Configure."

Log in to your existing Lucidchart team account if you are not already logged in.

In the next page of the dialog, click Grant Access to allow Confluence to access your Lucidchart account. You should see a confirmation message stating that you have successfully configured the Lucidchart app.

Install the Lucidchart App for Confluence Server

Before you can configure the Lucidchart app to your instance, you must first install the app. Please follow these steps to do so:

Log in to your Confluence instance as an admin and open the Administrative menu.

Click Add-ons, then "Find New Add-ons" on the left sidebar.

Search the Atlassian Marketplace for Lucidchart and click Install.

Click Accept & Install, wait for the download, and close the dialog box.

Configure the Lucidchart App for Confluence Server

Once you have installed the Lucidchart app, follow these steps to Configure the app to your instance.

Click Manage and Configure to grant Lucidchart access to Confluence.

Log in to your Lucidchart account if you are not already logged in.

Select Link Account to connect your Confluence instance to your Lucidchart team.

Manage Your Team (Confluence Server)

Manage Your Team Manage your Lucidchart team directly in Confluence with the admin dashboard. Visit the General Configuration age to ensure that your account is linked, then click the User Management tab.

Lucidchart Team Users This table is a list of users that are currently on your Lucidchart team and indicates whether they have connected their Lucidchart account with Confluence. Users that appear in this table are on a paid Team or Enterprise account. You can manage additional team settings from your Lucidchart account on the Subscription Level, or using the second table on the User Management page.

Lucidchart Users (not on your team) This table is a list of all users from your instance who have clicked Add Lucidchart Diagram from inside Confluence and were auto-provisioned accounts but were not automatically placed on the paid Team or Enterprise subscription. They are not on the Team or Enterprise subscription because either the team is full or the checkbox below the table is unchecked. Simply click Add to team to place them on the paid Team or Enterprise subscription so they can enjoy the full functionality of Lucidchart.

Auto-provision Settings This checkbox at the bottom of the page makes it easy to control how users from Confluence are able to join Lucidchart. Check the box if you want the Team or Enterprise subscription to fill up on a first-come-first-serve basis. Uncheck the box to be able to individually select which users will join the team. Use the information in these tables to determine which Lucidchart team users are connected to Confluence and which Lucidchart users have connected their accounts to this Confluence instance but are not yet on your team Click the blue Add to Team link to start managing these users. Choose automatically add new users to your Lucidchart Team. If youdon'thave licenses available, click the blue link to go to your Lucidchart Team Management Page and reassign licenses. Or, visit your Lucidchart Subscription Level page to upgrade to the next license tier.

Collaboration and Permissions

Once your Lucidchart account is configured to your Confluence instance, you will be able to insert Lucidchart diagrams directly into the Confluence editor. To allow collaborators to use the Lucidchart app, you will need to invite them to join your Lucidchart team. You can add users and manage their licenses through the Lucidchart admin panel. Sharing permissions for documents in both Confluence Cloud and Server will be inherited from the Confluence page. This means that if you can view and edit a Confluence page, you will be able to view and edit the documents on that Confluence page.

Migrating Instances

When migrating instances, your inserted diagrams will carry over, but theywon'tdisplay. The frame will either be blank or display an error message: "Diagram not found. This diagram is linked to a page or an attachment that has been deleted." In order to have your inserted diagrams display after you migrate instances, you will need to reinsert them or select to update them. When you do so, the URL associated with a diagram will be redirected to point to your new instance, rather than your old one, and allow it to display correctly in the frame again. If you are migrating to or from our OnPrem application for Confluence, please see for guidance on how to do this.

Cant get enough of Lucidchart?! Bookmark this page to stay up to date with our monthly product releases and share your feedback with our team here.

October 2019

Expand and Collapse for Org Charts

Quickly expand or collapse branches of an org chart by hovering over active org chart shapes that have direct reports assigned to them. This update can help you create focused views of teams and departments in your organization. Learn more about org charts.

Data Service API

Data Service API: Lucidchart now has published Data Service API documentation, allowing you to bring in any data source and visualize it.

SCIM Group Management in Okta and OneLogin

SCIM group management in Okta and OneLogin: Save time and eliminate manual work by managing your Lucidchart groups in Okta or OneLogin. Learn how to enable with Okta SCIM or OneLogin SCIM.

September 2019

Bulk Photo Upload for Org Charts

Now its even easier to put a face to each name on your org chart. With a few clicks, you can upload photos in bulk that Lucidchart will match to your org chart data by employee name or employee ID. Learn more!

Copy Relative Links

Link your processes and subprocesses together using shape actions. Save time and use your existing linked process documents as a starting point when you need to create new processes or projects. Create duplicates of your linked process and subprocess docs, and Lucidchart will maintain the linked connection between the duplicated docs. If modifications need to be made (as it pertains to that particular view or project), the original versions are not affected.

Learn more!

August 2019

Updated Salesforce Data Panel (Lucidchart Sales Solution)

Our Salesforce data panel has been updated in the Lucidchart Sales Solution to reflect the design style and elements within Salesforce. Because these objects are now associated with the icons sales professionals have come to know inside Salesforce, bringing in account, opportunity, and contact data from Salesforce has never been easier.

Bulk Sticky Note Import

Get your ideas into a Lucidchart document quickly and easily with bulk sticky note import. With a few clicks, you can import any list in CSV or .TXT format to automatically generate sticky notes for each list item. Whether youre visualizing a Jira epic or your personal to-do items, bulk import makes it quick and easy to organize your lists in Lucidchart. Learn More!

July 2019

Collaborative Cursors

When you collaborate in real time to build a diagram with your team, each cursor is now labeled with a name so you can see exactly where each person is working. Cant find a collaborator? Simply click the users initial icon in the top right-hand corner of the editor to automatically zoom to their location. If youd like to opt out of collaborative cursors, you can easily turn them off in the View menu.

Learn More!

Smart Fields

Automatically bring Salesforce account or opportunity data into Lucidchart. By adding the desired Salesforce object fields to a new or existing template, the fields will populate with the respective data every time the template is used. For accounts with multiple opportunities, users will need to identify which opportunity should be referenced. Note: This feature is released to Lucidchart Sales Solution users only. Learn More!

Kubernetes Shape Library & Updated Cloud Computing Shapes

Create accurate architecture diagrams with our new Kubernetes shape library. We have also updated our existing AWS, Azure, and GCP shape libraries. Learn More!

June 2019

Starred Items

Bookmark your favorite or most used diagrams, folders, or team folders to the new "Starred Items" section in your documents list to easily access them from a central location. Learn More!

Default Styles for Org Charts

Apply default styles to org chart shapes so that your formatting changes stay consistent for every new shape you create.

Learn More!

API Refresh for Org Charts

With our API refresh, you no longer need to replace your CSVs each time theres an update to your org chart data. Instead, you can simply click the refresh button in the org chart menu.

Smart Tables

Bring tabular Salesforce data into Lucidchart. Smart Tables can be added to new or existing templates. When opening an account planning document, the Smart Table shape is pre-populated and filtered to the desired view. Note: This feature is released to Lucidchart Sales Solution users only. Learn More!

May 2019

Visual Reasoning Engine

The Visual Reasoning Engine powers our data integrations, automated layout, and data visualization. This engine is the foundational support system that enables Lucidchart to 1) connect and support other data sources, 2) interpret data sets and automatically lay out diagrams/visuals, and 3) alter shapes based on data.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator Integration

This integration allows you to view and take action on LinkedIn profile data, all within the context of your Lucidchart account maps. Note: This feature is released to Lucidchart Sales Solution users only. Learn More!

Zapier Integration

Send live data from Zapiers 1000+ connected apps to Lucidchart. Monitor your most important metrics visually, show data in the context of a process, and bring live data into Lucidchart. Learn More!

Group View for Org Charts

Group the contacts in an org chart by any field in your data set, such as location or team, or manually group employees to organize new cross-functional teams. Learn More!

Smart Containers

Group spreadsheet data into specific categories. Even if youre not starting with a data set, you can still drag empty smart containers onto the canvas and add shapes to each category. Learn More!

Dynamic Shapes

Show progress, completion, or growth with dynamic shapes that respond to data or can be adjusted manually. Learn More!

Team Folders

Team Folders enable Enterprise accounts to store documents in one location so that documents can be better organized and accessible to all team members. Documents in a Team Folder are owned by the account, not the individual. Note: This feature is released to Lucidchart Enterprise users only. Learn More!

Data Overlay for Org Charts

Add more data to your org chart. Lucidchart allows you to overlay your original org chart data set with a second data set. Learn More!

Expanded Template Gallery

Save time by using one of our 800 diagram templates rather than building from scratch, or browse our gallery to get inspiration specific to your role. Templates include brief tutorials and links to additional resources. Check it out!

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The Lucidchart Sales Solution

Import and Export Your Diagrams

Account Types

Get Started with Lucidchart

Try it now in Lucidchart Questions? Ask the Community

When you enable the new offline mode for Lucidchart, your browser will cache your recent documents so that you can make changes to them offline! Read on to learn how to enable and work in offline mode.

How to Enable Offline Mode

You can enable offline mode at any time by following these steps (works on Chrome and Firefox):

Navigate to your account settings from the top right of your screen.

Open the Offline tab.

Toggle the switch to Make recent Lucidchart documents available on this computer. The next time you reconnect to the internet, Lucidchart will begin caching your documents.

For Admins: Enable or Disable Offline Mode for Your Team

Since offline mode works through an individual users device, each of your users will need to turn on the feature for their own Lucidchart account if they wish to use it. That said, as the account admin, you have the ability to disable the option of offline mode for all users associated with your account. To disable offline mode, or re-enable it after it has been disabled, follow these steps:

Navigate to the admin panel by clicking Team in the top right of the document page. Questions? Ask the Community

Click on the identity management tile.

Open the Offline (Beta) finger tab.

Toggle the switch to Give users the option to store and access Lucidchart documents offline.

Click Save changes.

How It Works

After you enable offline mode, Lucidchart will begin caching your documents. The length of time this will take will vary based on number of documents, document size, and internet connection. Most users will have all documents cached within minutes. Lucidchart will start by caching your 10 most recently opened documents and any docs that you opened in the last week. It will then cache your documents by their modification date up to 1 GB. (99.9% of users have less than 1 GB of documents, so it is highly likely that all of your work will be covered!) You will be able to tell which documents are available offline in the documents page. When you are disconnected from the internet, documents that are not cached will appear greyed out, while those that are cached will appear as they do when you are online. If you see at the bottom left of a document thumbnail, this means that a sync is pending. The sync will take place once you reconnect to the internet. When you are editing a document in offline mode, you will see this banner at the top of the editor:

Offline Feature List

The following features are available offline:

iOS compatibility

Presentation mode/Google slides export

Hotspots and actions/links

Internal linking

Layers

Themes

Comments and notes

Conditional formatting

The following features arenot available offline:

Android compatibility

Shared templates, images, and shape libraries

Revision history

Doc sharing and real-time collaboration

Publish to URL, embed, or social media

Diagram imports (Visio, Gliffy, Draw.io, OmniGraffle)

Diagram exports (VDX,PDF, PNG, JPEG, CSV)

AWS architecture import

Backup/restore

SVG/Visio stencil import

Chat

Custom shape library creation

Access to images

Data imports (org chart, ERD, mind map, process diagram from CSV)

Data linking

UML markup

FAQs

Will Lucidchart save new documents that I create in offline mode? No. Lucidchart will not cache new documents created in offline mode - it will only cache changes to existing documents that have been saved offline. Does offline mode work on all browsers and operating systems? Offline mode is currently supported on Chrome and Firefox, and will soon be available on Safari. It is compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, and iOS. What happens if I clear my browser cache (or browse in an incognito/private window)? This will clear the cached Lucidchart documents. However, once you login to your Lucidchart account again it will recache your documents. Will this use disk space on my computer? Yes. When Offline Mode is enabled, Lucidchart will use roughly 130MB* of disk space on your computer for your documents and for the resources it needs to run the Lucidchart editor while offline. *This amount may vary depending on the number and size of your documents. Why don't I see Offline (Beta) in my account settings? First, check browser compatibility. Some browsers are not supported. If you are on a supported browser and you do not see the offline tab, you are likely on a team or enterprise account where your administrator has turned off the account's access to offline mode. Contact your account administrator about turning it back on.

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Get Started with Lucidchart

The Document Page

Import and Export Your Diagrams

Try it now in Lucidchart

Welcome to the improved org chart experience! Features such as auto-layout, individual employee overrides, group view, filters, and data overlay make mapping out your organization easier than ever. Please note that the old version of org charts has been discontinued, so it is no longer possible to access the old org chart shape library. If you have existing documents that contain the old org chart shape library, you will still be able to use the shapes in it.

Org Chart Basics

You can find the new org chart shape library in the shape library manager. See the Access More Shapes article for information on how to enable it. Questions? Ask the Community When the shape library is enabled, it will appear in your toolbox to the left of the canvas. You can either create an org chart from scratch or auto-create one from imported data. To create from scratch, simply drag out the org chart shape from the shape library. Unlike the previous org chart experience, org charts now exist as grouped shapes that you can edit as a single entity when you are on the page level of your document. If you click anywhere on your org chart, a blue outline will appear around it, allowing you to move it around the canvas and make universal changes to its style. Double click anywhere on your org chart to enter the org chart group. The org chart data panel will appear on the left of the canvas, replacing the toolbox. The body of this panel will display a bullet point tree of your org chart, and the top will display options for modifying the org charts layout and shapes. You can close this panel by clicking in the top right corner, and you can return to the page layer of your document a by double clicking on the canvas outside of the org chart or by pressing ESC. When you are in group editing mode, you can select an employee by clicking on its shape in the diagram. The employee options bar will appear at the top of your canvas, providing options to make shape-specific modifications that will override the universal settings of your org chart. To clear the overrides applied to a shape, click . See the sections below to learn how to create an org chart from imported data; add, move, and delete org chart shapes; edit shape data; and modify the style and format of your chart.

Import Data

Before importing data, it is essential to make sure your table meets these two requirements:

Every column of your table has a header.

Every employee has a supervisor indicated by either an employee ID or by name.

Every supervisor also needs to be listed as an employee. Even the CEO will be listed as an employee with a blank corresponding supervisor cell.

If you are using employee names to indicate supervisors, make sure to place employee first and last names in the same cell. This First Last format also applies to the supervisor column. Make sure that every supervisor is also listed as an employee.

Example spreadsheet:

Example with possible additional columns:

Your spreadsheet is now ready for import.

To import org chart data, follow these steps:

Click "import data" from inside the org chart shape library or navigate to File > Import Data > Org Chart.

Select the data set type (Google Sheets, Excel, or CSV) that you would like to import, or select to choose a file that you have already uploaded to Lucidchart. Click.

Select the file you would like to import.

In the next window, select which column of your dataset contains Employee and Supervisor ID numbers. Click . Note: With the new org chart experience, it is not possible to identify employees and supervisors by name.

In the next window, match the rest of the columns of your dataset to the org chart fields. Click Next.

The next window will give you the option to create separate org charts for each group or location in your dataset. If you would like to do so, select "Create Separate Org Charts for each:" and then select a column from the dropdown.

When you have finished importing your data, your org chart will appear on its own page(s) in your document. By default, Lucidchart will only display the employee name and role on your org chart shapes, but you can add or remove fields at any time, as described below.

Import Data from BambooHR

With the new BambooHR integration, you can generate Org Charts automatically in Lucidchart with employee data imported from your BambooHR account. To import your data, follow these steps:

Click "import data" from inside the org chart shape library or navigate to File > Import Data > Org Chart.

Select BambooHR as the data source and enter your BambooHR domain.

Log in to BambooHR.

Select the data you would like to import (you will only be able to import data you have permission to use).

Proceed as normal with org chart import, as described above.

Refresh, Replace, and Overlay Data

Easily update your Org Charts data through the Manage Data icon, found in the right corner of your Org Chart data panel. Here, you will find the option to either Refresh Data Set, which will update your Org Chart with any changes made to the data on your connected Google spreadsheet, or to "Replace Your Data, which completely replaces your existing data with a new data source. If you choose to Refresh your data, then your Org Chart will update to reflect any changes made to your Google spreadsheet. If you choose to Replace your data, then your Org Chart will remove information from the previous data source and update to reflect the new data source. If you add, delete, or edit employee data on your Lucidchart Org Chart and these changes are not reflected on the Google Sheet, then you will receive a message asking how you want to handle these conflicts. You can choose to keep your changes, which will update the Org Chart to reflect the changes made on the Google Sheet, but will not discard any edits made directly on Lucidchart. Alternatively, if you choose to discard your changes, then it will update the Org Chart to reflect the Google Sheet and erase any changes made to your Org Chart directly on Lucidchart which are not reflected on the Google Sheet. Overlay Additional Data You can now overlay additional data on your org chart by importing multiple data sets. Data overlay allows you to consolidate all your employee information into one org chart. To add a new data set to your org chart, follow these steps:

Double-click on your org chart so that the left data panel appears.

Click the Manage Data icon.

Select Overlay New Data Set.

Follow the prompts to import your new data set.

Select the unique identifier by which you want to merge your org charts. Please note: in order to overlay data, all data sets must have the same unique identifiers (such as Employee ID or Name).

You can now visualize both data sets directly on your org chart. Find more information on how to manage which fields from your data sets are shown on your org chart in the "Manage Employee Fields" section of this article.

Add, Move, and Delete Employees

Add, move, and delete org chart shapes directly on the canvas or in the bullet point tree in the org chart data panel. Any changes you make to the tree will be automatically reflected in your diagram and vice versa. On the Canvas

When you hover over an employee shape, red + signs will appear on each side of it. These icons function similarly to regular connection points; clicking on one will automatically add a new shape to your diagram that is connected to the original shape with a line.

Move an employee to a new place in the org chart by dragging and dropping it. The employees reports will remain connected to it and change positions with it.

To remove an employee from your org chart, select it and press delete. Any reports of that employee will become reports of its supervisor. If you delete the CEO (top) level of your org chart, its reports will become "orphans" that are not connected to a supervisor.

In the Org Chart Data Panel

Click on an employees name in the tree to select their shape and center them on the canvas.

Press enter to add a direct report to a selected employee.

Press tab to move the selected employee one step down in the org chart hierarchy.

Move an employee by dragging the handle () to the left of the employees name and dropping it to a new place in the tree.

Delete an employee by deleting its row from the tree.

Manage Employee Fields

Manage the fields of all employees at once in the data panel or manage the fields of a specific shape using the employee options bar. Manage Fields Universally

To hide or show all employee photos, click and toggle the switch next to Show Photo.

To apply a field to all shapes on your org chart, click theicon next to the desired field.

Add a static value in the Add value here text box or apply a formula. You can learn more about Lucidchart formulas in this article.

To rearrange employee fields in all of the shapes of your org chart, click and drag and drop the handles () to the left of the field name.

To toggle field labels, hide empty fields, or delete a field on your org chart, click and click next to the desired field. Then, select one of the following options:

Note: if you already have the label as shown, then you will see an option to Hide Label.

Manage Fields of a Specific Shape

To hide a field from a shape, select the shape, click in the employee options bar, and de-select the field.

To edit the text of a shapes data field, select the shape and highlight and type over the field. You can also edit the name of an employee in the tree of the data panel.

Manage Employee Photos To manage an employee image, select the shape and click in the employee options bar.

Toggle the switch next to Show Photo to hide or show the image from that shape.

Upload an image file from your local device by clicking or call a publicly hosted image by clicking and pasting the URL into the text field.

Click to remove the image associated with a shape.

To bulk upload org chart photos, click and click the upload icon next to Upload Photos. Then, choose the files from your local device. Please make sure the file names contain the employees names or employee IDs. Names can be separated by hyphens, underscores, or other punctuation.

Format and Style Your Chart

Modify Chart Layout To change the layout of your org chart, click in the data panel, select one of the arrangement options from the menu that appears, and adjust the horizontal and vertical spacing of your org chart shapes. Modify Shape Format

To change the style of all shapes in your org chart, click in the data panel and select an option beneath shape style.

To change the style of a specific shape, select the shape, click, and select an option from the menu that appears.

Expand and Collapse Branches You can expand and collapse the children of an org chart employee by hovering over the employee shape and clicking the grey icon that appears in the corner. Modify Style

You can apply a stylistic change to your entire org chart or to an individual shape or line. To apply a change to the entire chart, make sure you are editing the chart while on the page layer of your document. To apply a change to an individual shape, make sure you are editing from within the org chart group. You can also set a default shape style to save time when styling your org chart.

To set a default shape style, select a shape, set your desired style, and click Set Default Shape Style on the properties bar at the top of your canvas. This will set the current visible fields, color, and other styling options for that shape as the default for all existing and new org chart shapes on your document.

Please note: The Default Shape Style set on an org chart does not apply to Group View shapes, however, you can also set Default Shape Styles for Group Views.

You can modify the following stylistic elements of your org chart using the properties bar at the top of your canvas:

Fill color and opacity

Line/border color

Line/border thickness

Line/border style

Line/border rounding

Text formatting

Text style

Please see the following articles for instructions on how to make these changes:

Style a Shape

Work with Lines

Work with Text

Filters

Filters make it easier than ever to search your org chart without changing the structure of your document.

Double-click anywhere within your org chart to access the org chart data panel on the left side of your canvas. Then, select the icon to begin using filters.

Then, youll be prompted to determine the parameters of your filter.

There are various ways to use filters, and how you use filters depends in part on the employee fields in your dataset. For example, if you want to filter by the HR department, then you would: Next, if you want to find all employees with the last name Smith within the HR department you would add another filter, like this: Filters were designed to save you time and empower you to make the most out of your org charts by allowing you to find the information you need fast. In this example, you can see how filters allow you to find the data you need within your org chart without actually changing the structure of your document. Once you find the information you are looking for, you can remove filters by clicking the icon next to the filter: Please note: existing filters are not automatically cleared when adding a new filter. This means that every additional filter you add will narrow the specificity of your search. As in this example, if you have a filter to only show the HR department, and then you add a filter to for employees whose the last name is Smith, then your results will show only employees in the HR department whose name contains Smith.

Group View

You can now visualize the non-hierarchical relationships in your organization with Group View for org charts. Group View allows you to separate your org chart into various groups based on department, location, SCRUM team, or any other category from your dataset. To begin using Group View, follow these steps:

Double-click on any element in your org chart so that the org chart data panel appears on the left of your canvas.

Click Layout.

ClickCreate Group View.

Click Next.

Choose the field from your data set by which you want to group your organization.

You can select any field with repeated values to create a group. Otherwise, if you select a value which is not repeated, only one contact will appear in that group.

If there are employees which do not have a value for the field you selected, they will be grouped into a non-categorized group.

Please note: If you have added a filter to your org chart, then you will be prompted to choose whether you want to apply the filter to the group or ignore the filter.

Select Create Group View. This will create a new page on your document named Group View: name of grouping field" You can access this page at any time by clicking on the page tab found at the bottom of your canvas. For example, if you group by department, the page tab will look like this: To rename the page, simply double click on the tab.

You have now successfully added a Group View to your org chart!

To add a new Group View, follow the above instructions again. This will create a new My Group View page and will not replace the previously created Group View. To add a new group to your Group View, double click into your group view so that you are in group editing mode. Then, select the blue icon, found on the left of your groups. You may also click the icon that appears at the top of your group view data panel to add a new group container. To add a new employee to your group, double click into your group so that you are in group editing mode. Then, hover over a group and select the blue icon that appears at the top of the group. You may also click the icon that appears by each group heading in your group view data panel. To move employees between groups, double-click on the group to enter group editing mode, select the employee on your canvas, and drag and drop the employee to your desired group. To delete employees from a group, click on the employee shape so that it is highlighted in blue, then click the delete button on your keyboard or right-click and select delete. To change the grouping field, click on the drop down that appears at the top of the group view data panel. Then, select a different field by which to group your employees. Please note:All group containers are automatically sized equally, which means all group containers will match the size of the largest group. There is not currently a way to resize group view containers.

Example: Org Chart Use-Case and Template

Whether youre a new employee or the head of HR, thoroughly understanding your organizations structure sets you up for success in the workplace. Not only does it help you remember who reports to whom, but it can also help with the hiring process by letting you easily identify gaps within your organization to see which departments need more resources, to name one example. Usually, employee information is stored in a spreadsheet or organized through a third-party HR software such as BambooHR. However, if you keep this information hidden where only a handful of employees can access it, then you dismiss the potential value of sharing such information. Lucidchart org charts aim to provide a solution to this problem by bridging the gap between your data and its potential value to employees. If you store your employee information in Excel, Google Sheets, a CSV, or BambooHR, then you can easily import your data to Lucidchart. We will automate the perfect org chart for your organization, and you can then format and style it to fit your personal preferences. Dont worry if youre just getting started we also provide the tools to build your entire org chart from scratch directly in Lucidchart. Additionally, as employees of a growing company ourselves, we understand the pain-points that come with a constantly evolving organization; positions change, people leave, new employees join, and frankly, its hard to keep track. Thats why we made it as easy as possible to make sure your data remains consistent across platforms. If you import data to build your org chart, then you can simply click refresh data to sync changes from your data source to your Lucidchart document. This means you never have to worry about updating multiple platforms and data sources when organizational change inevitably occurs. Instead, you can save time and rely on Lucidchart as your source of truth when you need it most. We also understand that modern organizationsdon'talways fit into the typical top-down hierarchical model. In particular, hierarchical org charts fall short when you want to visualize the cross-functional ways team members often work. For example, at Lucid, our product development team works in SCRUM teams. Each SCRUM team consists of a product manager, 2-3 software developers, 1-2 quality assurance specialists, and a UX designer. This means that individual members from four different departments will collaborate on a project, but, unfortunately, this collaborationisn'teasily represented by traditional, top-down org charts which are usually divided by department. Thats why we created Group View, which allows you to separate your org chart data by any unique values in your data source. To understand how this could be useful, consider the following example. The org chart template shown below provides most of the information one would need to understand the organizations structure: You can quickly identify the CEO and executive team, and you can follow the lines to see all direct reports in each department. This example even uses conditional formatting to color-code employees according to SCRUM team. Although the conditional formatting makes the employees on SCRUM teams stand out, it does not help much if you want to plan, organize, or adjust SCRUM teams. Group View solves these problems through an intuitive framework that lets you to visualize your org chart data in a completely new way, without ever changing the original data source. In this case, if you separated employees according to SCRUM team, then youd create a Group View that looks like this: Now, you can not only see which team members belong to each SCRUM team, but also you can drag-and-drop unassigned employees to a team. The beauty of Group Views flexibility is that it empowers you to do anything from organize project teams to breakdown employees by seniority, location, or any other factor thats important to you. Other features such as filters, field management, and collaboration make it easy to incorporate org charts into your daily workflow, or you can also export or present your document to showcase your org chart to investors. No matter how or why you use org charts, Lucidchart aims to make it as easy as possible to create a professional, data-driven visualization of your organization that anyone can use. Click here to start working from the SCRUM team org chart template or browse additional org chart templates here !

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Try it now in Lucidchart

Lucidchart offers several collaboration tools that allow you and your team to work together on documents effectively. Learn how to use these tools below.

Note: If you need to publish your document for non-Lucidchart users to see, read our Publish Your Document tutorial (as long as you plan to praise the benefits of Lucidchart to those colleagues later).

Document Sharing

Follow the steps below to share your document with other Lucidchart users:

Open the Lucidchart document you would like to share.

Click the orange share button in the top right corner of your screen.

Type in the email address(es) or names of collaborators, and select which permissions they should have.

Click the blue Send button. Your collaborators will see the shared document in their Shared with Me folders.

To notify your collaborators that you shared a document with them via email, click the Share button, click Advanced, click notify via email, and click the blue Share button.

Browse Diagramming Ideas

Note: Team admins can force automatic email notifications, so if youdon'thave the option to disable notifications it is likely that your Team admin set email notifications as mandatory.

Easy peasy. From this area, you can also create a shareable link to your document by clicking "Get Shareable Link." For more advanced options, click Advanced in the bottom left corner of the screen. The menu that appears will allow you to publish or embed your document or share it on social media.

Note: When you share a linked diagram with other Lucidchart users, they will have access to the linked data sheet. You can prevent them from having this access by deleting the linked sheet from your document prior to sharing. When you do this, your data values and inserted text will be preserved. Please see the Linking Lucidchart Diagrams to Spreadsheet Data article for more information about data linking.

If you change your mind and want to unshare a document, simply click the orange Share button again, click edit next to the collaborators name, and then click the X to remove the collaborator. You can also adjust your collaborators editing permissions here.

Folder Sharing

When you share a folder with collaborators, you will give them access to every document within that folder. To share folders, follow the steps below:

Log into Lucidchart and stay on the Documents tab, where you can see the grid of all your documents and folders.

Hover your mouse over the desired folder, and click Share.

Type in the email address(es), and set the desired permissions for collaborators.

Click the blue Share button.

Note: You can also follow these steps to share documents from the Documents tab.

Real-Time Collaboration

If you share your document with a collaborator and give them editing access, you can both edit the document at the same time. Any changes on one account will be reflected on the other account immediately.

Collaborative cursors allow you to view exactly where on a document your collaborators are working in real-time. To locate a collaborator's cursor, click on their initials in the upper right corner of your canvas. To enable or disable collaborative cursors, navigate to "View" > "Use Collaborative Cursors."

Chat

The chat feature allows you to talk to your collaborator(s) while youre online and editing the document. Anyone currently working on the document will have access to the conversation. To start a conversation, select the Chat tab near the bottom of the Dock (found on the right side of the editor).

Need a face-to-face conversation to finish your diagram? Start a Google Hangout. Simply click the green Start a Hangout button in the Chat menu.

Warning: Lucidchart does not store chat messages, so be sure that you save important messages elsewhere before you close the document! Wedon'twant to see any crying over lost conversations.

Commenting

If you and your collaborator(s)aren'tworking on the document at the same time, or if you would like to store your conversations, use the commenting feature. You can attach comments to a specific shape by following these steps:

Click the shape where you want to leave a comment.

Select the Comment tab from the right-hand Dock.

Click + New Comment.

You can also add comments to the entire documentjust click +New Comment without selecting a shape. Users can see all comments in the document from the Comment menu on the right-hand side of the screen. Collaborators can respond to individual comments by clicking on a message in the Comment menu first.

Need to get someones attention? You can mention other team members in comments by typing @ followed by the persons name or email address.

If youdon'tknow what object a comment is associated with, simply select the comment and click the locate button (looks like a pinpoint).

Collaborate With Integrations

Add Lucidchart to the collaborative platforms you already use and love such as Slack and Microsoft Teams. Learn how to use Lucidchart in Microsoft Teams in this Help Center article ! Or, learn how to integrate Lucidchart with Slack in this Help Center article !

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Transfer Files

Revision History

Publish Your Document

Create a Presentation

Try it now in Lucidchart

Away from your computer and need to access Lucidchart? Dont worry! Our Lucidchart iOS app allows you to access and edit your documents from any iOS device. While you can view your documents on the Lucidchart mobile website, we recommend using our app for full functionality.

How to Download

You can find our app by searching for Lucidchart directly in the Apple App Store or by following this link.

Signing In

Onceyou'vedownloaded the app, you can use your existing login information to access your Lucidchart account. If you use a single sign on method (such as Google), just type your email into the username field and leave the password field blank. Our app will automatically redirect you to your SSO login platform. New to Lucidchart? No problem! You can sign up for a free Lucidchart account right on our app. Just enter your email and click the sign up button to set up your account. You can also use your Google account to easily create a Lucidchart account. Questions? Ask the Community

Inside the App

Onceyou'vesigned into your account, you will find our mobile documents page. Here, you can access all your existing folders and documents. To return to this page later, just click the My Documents tab on the bottom left corner of the app. Next to the My Documents button on the bottom of the app, you will find buttons labelled Recent, Shared With Me, and Search.

The Recent button will redirect you to your most recently viewed or edited documents.

The Shared With Me button will allow you to access documents and folders created by other users which have been shared with you.

The Search button allows you to search your Lucidchart account for specific documents, folders, or shared files by keywords.

On the upper left hand corner of the app, you will find a icon. Clicking this icon will open a drop-down menu where you will find the following options:

Settings:

Click here to access your Account Settings.

Here, you can view your email address, enable/disable push notifications on your mobile device, enable/disable offline storage, view your mobile storage usage, and view your account level.

Recover from Trash:

Click here to access deleted documents or folders.

Note: files will remain recoverable for only 7 days after being deleted.

Get Support:

Are you experiencing trouble using Lucidchart? Click here to contact our world class support team for help with any issues you may be experiencing.

Send Feedback:

Do you have suggestions for how to improve the Lucidchart iOS experience? Click here to submit feedback to our mobile team.

Privacy Policy:

Concerned about your data and privacy? Click here to read Lucidcharts Privacy Policy and learn about how Lucid collects, uses, and discloses your personal information.

Log Out:

Click here to log out of your Lucidchart account.

On the upper right hand of the app, you will find an icon. Select this to create a new document. Clicking this button will open a drop-down menu where you will find the following options:

Import:

Click here to browse and import files from your mobile device.

Create Blank Diagram:

Click here to create a new document from scratch.

Create From Template:

Click here to browse our Template Gallery and create a new document using a Lucidchart template.

Create Folder:

Click here to create a new folder to organize your Lucidchart documents.

Please note: the iOS app will appear slightly different on an iPhone than an iPad.

iPhone Portrait view:

iPhone Landscape view:

iPad Portrait view:

iPad Landscape view:

Using the Lucidchart Mobile Editor

Once you create a new document or open up an existing document, you will be directed to the Lucidchart mobile editor. In the mobile editor, you will find functionality similar to that of the Lucidchart web editor. After you open a document, an editing menu will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. At the bottom of the menu, you will find buttons to access your documents Comments, Styles, Shapes, and Settings. Read on to learn more about these features.

Comments:

Open the Comments tab to view comments on your document. You can browse through Active Comments, which are comments that have not been resolved, My Comments, which are limited to comments you added, and Resolved Comments, which are comments that have been marked as resolved.

Styles:

Open the Styles tab to customize the style of objects in your document. To use this feature, click on any object on your canvas. A list of styling options specific to the selected object will pop-up.

For example, if you select a line, you can adjust the lines weight, style, shape, and color. If you select a shape, you can adjust the shapes border weight, corner style, border style, fill color, border color. You can also edit any text within the shape by adjusting the texts font, size, alignment, color, and emphasis.

Shapes:

Open the Shapes tab to create diagrams by adding different shapes to your document. Depending on whether you opened a template or a blank document, different shapes will show up in your Shapes menu. Click on thearrows next to the Shape names to expand or close Shape libraries.

You can always adjust what shapes libraries are shown in the menu by clicking the Manage button found in the upper right corner of the editing menu. Here, you can manage which shape libraries show up in your mobile document editor. While most shape libraries offer full mobile functionality, some more advanced shape libraries such as Org Charts, Tables, and ERD have limited mobile support. We recommend using the web version of Lucidchart to access the full functionality of advanced shape libraries.

Furthermore, you can import your own images to your document menu by clicking the camera icon in the upper left corner of the editing menu and selecting your image.

To add a shape to your canvas, simply click on the shape you want to add and it will automatically show up on your canvas. You can then move the shape by selecting it and dragging the shape around your diagram.

Settings:

The Settings tab will direct you to your page settings. Here, you can adjust page size, change the page orientation, enable/disable auto paginate, change the background fill color, enable/disable the grid, adjust grid spacing, enable/disable snap to grid, enable/disable margins, adjust margin size, and change page units.

For more information on page and document settings, see this Help Center article.

To share your document with collaborators, click the found on the upper right side of the mobile editor. You can connect your mobile contacts to the Lucidchart app, get a shareable link, or simply enter their email addresses to share documents. To export your document as a PDF, PNG, or Visio file, click the export icon found on the upper right hand side of the mobile editor. To add pages to your document, click the icon found on the upper right side of the mobile editor. Then, click the + icon in the bottom right of the Pages pop-up to add a new page. Return to the Page icon to switch between document pages. To undo your most recent change, click the icon found in the upper right corner of the mobile editor. To exit a document and return to your documents page, click the icon in the upper left corner of the app.

Lines, Shapes, and Text

Lines:

To delete a line, select the line and then click the trash can icon marked with an X

To resize a line, select the line, click any of the + icons on the line, and drag the line to the desired size.

To copy, duplicate, reorder, or lock a line, select the line and keep it selected until a popup menu appears.

Shapes:

To delete a shape, select the shape and then click the trash can icon marked with an X

To rotate a shape, select the shape, click the arrows icon on the upper right corner, and drag the shape in the direction you choose.

To add lines from a shape, select the shape and click any of the + icons to create a line from your shape.

To resize a shape, select the shape, click the diagonal arrows in the bottom right corner, and drag the shape to the desired size.

To copy, duplicate, reorder, or lock a shape (or shapes), select the shape and keep it/them selected until a popup menu appears.

Add Text:

To add text to a line, select the line and then click on the circle text icon marked with a T and type in the desired text. To add text to a shape, double click on the shape and edit the text in the text editor that appears.

To select all objects on the canvas, select one and keep it selected until a popup menu appears. Then, choose select all.

Common Issues

Apple Stylus:

While you cannot currently use the Apple Stylus Pen to draw directly on the Lucidchart canvas, the stylus can be used to create diagrams through the standard drag and drop interface by holding down the button to pan across the canvas.

Hotspots and Links:

The Lucidchart iOS app does not currently support hotspot and link functionalities. Links and hotspots on existing documents will be visible in the iOS app, but their redirect actions will be disabled.

Layers:

Layers are not currently supported in the Lucidchart iOS app. Multi-layered documents will automatically show all layers when opened in the app.

Revision History

Revision history is not currently supported in the Lucidchart iOS app. To recover a previous version of a document, you will need to open it in the Web version of Lucidchart and restore it there. You will then be able to access the restored version in the iOS app.

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Lucidchart's drag and drop interface and simple styling tools make it easy for you to build beautiful diagrams from scratch. Whether you are looking for shape styling basics or more advanced tips and tricks, this article will teach you how to work with shapes in the Lucidchart editor so that you can build beautiful visuals to match your specific needs.

For information on how to use shape libraries to organize your shapes, please see the Create and Manage Shape Libraries article.

Shape Styling FAQs

How do I change the style of a shape? You can customize a shape's style by selecting it and modifying the settings in the properties bar at the top of the editor. See the "Shape Styling Basics" section below for more information about shape styling. How do I change the default style for new shapes added to my canvas? If you would like to change the default properties applied to new shapes added to your canvas, un-select any selected objects by clicking anywhere on your canvas and then change the style settings. Any new shapes added to the document will display this custom style. Can I change a shape on my canvas to a different shape while retaining its style properties? Yes! You can change a shape on your canvas to another shape in the same shape library. To do this, right-click on the shape and select "Change Shape." Choose the new shape from the menu that appears. Can I apply the style properties of one shape to another shape on the canvas? Yup! To apply the style of one shape to anohter, right-click the first shape and select "Copy Style." Then right-click the second shape and select "Paste Style." How do I lock down a shape's properties to prevent further modification? To lock down a shape's position, size, and/or style, select the shape and click the lock Questions? Ask the Community icon in the properties bar OR right-click on the shape and select "Lock" from the dropdown menu. How can I remove a border from a shape? You can remove a shape's border by making it transparent. To do so, select the shape, click the Line Color icon in the Properties bar, and click on the top left color swatch.

Add a Shape to Your Canvas

There are several ways you can add a shape to your canvas.

Drag a shape from one of the shape libraries in your toolbox and drop it onto the canvas.

Drag a line from a shape that is already on your canvas and select a new shape from the auto-prompt menu.

Upload a shape from your device.

Move, Resize, and Rotate a Shape

After adding a shape to your diagram, you can move, resize and rotate it directly on the canvas or in the Shape Options menu of the properties bar. To move a shape, simply drag it with your cursor or select it and move it using your arrow keys. Hold down "Shift" while using your arrow keys to move your shape in smaller increments. To resize a shape, select it and drag one of the blue squares along its border. Hold down "shift" to maintain the shape's dimensions while resizing. To rotate a shape, select it and drag it clockwise or counter-clockwise using the handle in the top left corner of its border.

Shape Styling Basics

Shape Fill To add a fill color to a shape, select the shape, click the Fill Color icon, and select one of the color swatches. If you do not see a color that you want, you can click the color wheel and manually pick a color by adjusting the HSB and RGBA values in your color space, or by typing the hexidecimal code of the color you desire into the text box next to the # symbol. To match your shape's color to an exisitng color on your canvas, click the wand and then click the object to which you want to match. Adjust the opacity of the shape fill by sliding the blue dot along the opacity bar or adjusting the value to its right. Border Color, Style, and Thickness To modify a shape's border color, select the shape, click the Line Color icon, and select one of the color swatches. Use the Line Style and Line Width menus to the right to modify the border style and thickness. Shadow To add a shadow to a shape, select the shape and and then click the Shape Options icon. Click "Shadow" at the bottom and then toggle the shadow option from off to on. You can then adjust the shadow's distance from the object, blur, color, and angle with the surrounding settings. Roundedness To round the corners of a shape, select the shape and then click the Shape Options icon. Toggle the arrows or type a pixel value in the "rounded" box at the bottom.

Fill a Shape with a Gradient or an Image

In addition to solid colors, you can fill a shape with a color gradient or an image. You can find these options by clicking "More" at the bottom of the Fill Color window. You can add more color stops to your gradient by clicking on the color bar. You can move these stops by dragging them and change their color by clicking on them and selecting a new color swatch. You can also adjust the angle and radius of the gradient with the options below the color bar. Adjust the scale of an image with the "image scale" menu. You can also adjust the saturation, contrast, and brightness of the image by clicking the "effects" icon. Click the "crop" icon to crop the image.

Create Advanced Custom Shapes

In addition to the basic shape styling options described above, here are some advanced ways to use Lucidchart to create custom shapes. Group Multiple Shapes into One You can combine two or more shapes into one by selecting them, right-clicking on the selection box, and then selecting "Group." Right-click on the shape and select "Add to Custom Shape Library" to save the shape for future use. Link Data to Custom Shapes Want to link data to custom shapes? You can find instructions on how to create custom shapes in the Link Lucidchart Diagrams to Spreadsheet Data article. Modify the Flex Polygon You can create a custom shape using the Flex Polygon, which you can find under "Shapes" in your toolbox. You can adjust the shape of your Flex Polygon by dragging the purple squares along the edge of the shape.

Visualize Data with Dynamic Shapes

The new Dynamic Shapes shape library allows you use data to dictate the display of your shapes. Please see the Visualize Data with Dynamic Shapes article for more informaiton!

User Story: Design Medical Concepts with Lucidchart Shapes

There are many creative ways to customize shapes in Lucidchart. A medical student named April, for example, uses Lucidchart to create intricate, visual notes for her classes. In one section of her notes, she modifies the standard circle shape to build representations of complex cell formations and other medical concepts. Take a look at the cluster of antibodies that she created below. Here is a cluster of antibodies that she created. While designing something like this from scratch might seem daunting, it really only takes a few easy steps and a splash of creativity. Dont believe us? Follow these steps to try it yourself:

Drag out a basic circle and resize it to form an oval.

Increase the border thickness and add a fill color.

Duplicate the shape by holding down alt while clicking and dragging.

Group the duplicated shapes together.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as needed.

See this blog post to learn more about April's story!

Onceyou'vefollowed the above steps and understand how to stretch and style shapes, the possibilities become limitless. As you know, the visible world around us is comprised of endless combinations of colors and shapes, and like any other artistic medium, Lucidchart provides a platform for you to experiment with visual representations of our geometric reality. For example, you could create a moon shape that looks like this: Although youwon'tfind this moon shape in standard shape libraries, you can easily create this exact moon by combining four circle shapes: a green circle, a dark yellow circle, and two light yellow circles. The dark yellow crescent moon is actually a normal circle shape with a larger light yellow circle shape behind it and a smaller light yellow circle above it. By placing multiple shapes above one another, you can add depth to your diagrams and even recreate masterpieces like Van Goghs Starry Night: No special tools or skills are needed to design a diagram like this one. All you really is a vision and some patience to combine multiple small shapes together on the Lucidchart canvas. Click on the image above to take a closer look at all the shapes that make up this masterpiece. Whether you want to ace your medical school exams or replicate your favorite painting, custom shapes empower you to use your imagination and create dynamic, collaborative, and beautiful visualizations with Lucidchart.

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Try it now in Lucidchart More Templates

Doggos aren't the only aninmals with their own language. Kitteh, kitter, and catto are some of the internet names for cats. This chart gives you a thorough explanation of language you might find in popular cat memes. There are many similar themes shared with doggos, but this template is for all the cat lovers out there.

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Share your diagrams!

Are you experiencing trouble accessing your Lucidchart documents?

I can't find my document

Before panicking over lost work, there are a few things you can do:

Check Your Account: The document(s) may still be there. Have you double checked that you're in the correct account? Sometimes users will use single sign on while signed into a different email account, which can produce errors. We suggest that you make sure you've checked any and all Lucidchart accounts that might be under your email address(es). Contact support if you have email addresses you are unsure about and we will help you check Check Your Trash: It is easy to accidentally delete documents. Please check that the documentsaren'tin your trash. You can access your trash at the bottom of your folder manager found on the documents page. Check Ownership: If the documents were shared with you and now you no longer see them in your account, it is possible that whoever shared it with you rescinded your access. We recommend reaching out to the document owner to have them re-share it with you. Check Browser History: Your documents might be hiding in your browser history. If you carefully look through your browser history when you last worked on the document, you might be able to find it. If you are able to find it please contact support with the document URL and we will help you track it down. Contact Support If none of these options work, please contact support with details and the document name or URL if possible. We may be able to locate the document that way.

I can find my document, but my edits disappeared

Try Incognito Mode: If you can find your document, but document changes are not updating as expected, try opening the document in a Chrome Incognito browsing session. This often improves performance by starting a fresh cookie session and disabling your extensions. Use Revision History: If you have a Professional level account you can also check the revision history to see if the changes are there. Please see this article for information on how you can restore from a previous version. Contact Support: If the issue persists, please contact support and provide as much of the following information as you can:

The document URL.

The time (and time zone) you opened your document to begin editing.

The time you finished editing and closed the document.

Which edits were not saved.

A detailed account of the time frame when you noticed your edits were not saved.

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If you are running Confluence 5.x, you may run into an issue where SVG import fails and it asks you to install another add-on. This occurs because Confluence 5.x only partially includes certain functionality that SVG import needs to work. To resolve this, you can either upgrade to Confluence 6.x, which supports SVG import, or install an additional add-on.

Before you install the add-on, please make sure each file you selected has .svg at the end of the filename. Additionally, double check that you're on Lucidchart's Confluence OnPrem connector version 1.16.7 or newer. Then, to install the add-on, follow these steps:

Download the importer add-on. Once you have downloaded the ZIP file, please extract the files (depending on your operating system, right-click > Extract All or double-click the file) and then upload the OBR file in the unzipped/extracted folder to Confluence.

Upload the add-on to your Confluence instance.

As an admin, open the Confluence administration menu and select "Add-ons."

Select "Manage Add-ons" in the left panel.

Click "Upload Add-on" and then select the file you downloaded in step #1. The add-on will be uploaded and automatically installed.

Reinstall Lucidchart Diagrams OnPrem for Confluence.

You're done. SVG import works!

NOTE: If you upgrade Confluence to 6.x, uninstall the importer add-on as it is no longer needed.

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Start Diagramming Questions? Ask the Community

Lines are essential to diagramming, which is why Lucidchart strives to make working with them as simple and intuitive as possible. Find instructions on how to incorporate lines into your diagram and format them to meet your needs below.

Add Lines to your Canvas

There are three ways to add lines to a Lucidchart diagram.

First, if you already have an object on your canvas, you can create a line from it by following these steps:

Hover over the objects border. A red circle will appear on the border beneath your cursor.

Click on the circle and drag your cursor away from the object. A line connected to an arrow will extend from the object as you drag.

If you want to connect your line back to the object it came from, or to another object on your canvas, drag the arrow to the second object. An object can be any shape, line, or image on your canvas. A red dot will appear on the objects border when the arrow touches it, indicating that the line will attach to the object when you release your cursor. Questions? Ask the Community If you do not want to connect your line to an object that is already on your canvas, drag your cursor until the line is the length you desire. When you release, a window filled with shapes will appear beneath the arrow. Select a shape to attach to your line or click out of the window if you do not want to connect your line to an object. Note: If you move an object that is connected with a line to another object, the line will move to maintain the connection.

If youdon'twant to be prompted to add a shape after adding a line to your document, you can disable auto-prompt in your Account Settings Preferences. Under After Drawing Lines, simply change Prompt for next block to Do nothing to disable auto-prompt.

Second, you can add a line to your canvas by dragging the line and arrow icon out of the Standard section of your shape library and dropping it onto your canvas. You can then move it by dragging its body or lengthen it by dragging one of its ends.

Third, you can draw a line by right-clicking on your canvas and selecting Draw Line from the drop-down menu that appears OR by pressing the L key on your keyboard. You can then click and drag your cursor across your canvas to draw your line.

Note: You can hold down Shift on your keyboard when drawing a line to make its path follow a straight line of 45 increments.

Create Smart Lines

When drawing a connecting line between two objects, you can connect it to the second object in such a way that will make the line smart. If you move an object that is attached to another via a smart line, the line will automatically adjust its connection points to form the most efficient path between the two objects.

To create a smart line, follow these steps:

Drag a line from one object to another.

When you reach the border of the second object, hold down your cursor until the object is highlighted in blue.

Release your cursor before the blue outline goes away. Voila! You have given your line a brain.

Modify Line Path

To modify the path of a line in your diagram, follow these steps:

Select a line by clicking on it. A blue box will appear in the center of each of its legs. If you hover over a section of the line, a lighter blue box will appear at the quarter mark of that leg.

Click and drag one of these blue boxes to change the path of that section of the line.

To create a line that moves independently from a shape, toggle off "line connections" in your Page Settings (File > Page Settings) on the right of your canvas.

Turning off line connections will allow you to move a line in isolation by clicking your arrow keys.

However, lines already connected to shapes cannot be moved in isolation.

Struggling with overlapping lines? Enabling Line Jumps helps you manage overlapping lines by making it easier to follow a lines path. Simply toggle on Line Jumps to begin using Line Jumps in your document.

Add Text to a Line

If you double-click on a line, a text box will appear into which you can type. Click on and drag the text box to move it to another place on your line or directly above or below it. To delete the text box, highlight the text inside of it by double-clicking and press Delete.

Format Your Lines

Lucidcharts many line modification options give you control over how your lines look. To make a change to a single line, select the line and navigate to corresponding section of the Properties bar above your canvas. Alternatively, click on the background of your canvas and make changes to your documents default line settings to regulate the appearance of future lines you create.

Modify Line Shape

Lucidchart offers three different options for line shape: Straight, Curved, or Elbow. The default setting for line shape in a new document is Elbow, which means that your lines directions will correspond with the background grid of your canvas and only bend at 90 angles.

To change line shape, follow these steps:

Select a line or click on your canvas background.

Click the Line Options icon in the Properties bar, indicated by an arrowed line. A window will appear displaying the available line shapes.

Select one of the three angle types available.

If you are modifying a single line and have selected Elbow, you can add rounding to your lines angles by toggling the up and down arrows in the ROUNDED box in the line options window.

Modify Line Color

To change the color of a line, follow these steps:

Select a line by clicking on it.

Click on the "Line Color" option in the Properties bar, denoted by a pencil icon.

Select the color you want by clicking on the corresponding color swatch. Alternatively, click on the color wheel to manually pick a color by adjusting the HSB and RGBA values in your color space, or by typing the hexidecimal code of the color you desire into the text box next to the # symbol. See below for instructions on how to identify the RGB values of a color that is already used in your diagram.

Select your desired opacity by moving the blue dot horizontally across the OPACITY bar or by inputting a percentage to the box on its right.

To identify the color of an object on your canvas, click on the wand to the left of the color wheel. A magnifying lens containing a grid will appear on your canvas. Hover over the object in question and the RGB coordinates of its color will display within the magnifying lens.

Modify Line Thickness

To change the thickness of a line, follow these steps:

Select a line or click on your canvas background.

Toggle the up and down arrows in the Line Width box in your Properties bar to increase or decrease the width of your line OR manually type in your desired width. Note: Lucidchart allows line thicknesses ranging from 0.5 to 10 px, and rounds inputted measurements to the nearest tenth of a pixel.

Modify Line Style

To change the style of a line, follow these steps:

Select a line or click on your canvas background.

Click on the Line Style box in your Properties bar for a display of the available line style options.

Hover your cursor over the different line styles to see how they will appear on your line. Click to select your favorite! If you are modifying a single line, you can select the DOUBLE option at the bottom of the window to turn your line into two parallel lines. If your selected line crosses another line on your canvas, you can make it jump over the other line by selecting the JUMP option.

Add and Modify Arrows

The default arrow setting for lines in a new document is one-sided and filled in. However, you can easily change the default arrow setting of your document or of a single line by following these steps:

Select a line or click on your canvas background.

Click on one of the Endpoint boxes in your Properties bar for a display of the available arrow options.

Select None or the arrow icon with the style you desire.

You can also swap the endpoints of a selected line by clicking the double arrow icon next to the Endpoint Boxes.

Special Cases: ERD and UML Lines

To add multiplicities or reverse line direction for ERD or UML lines, select a line by clicking on it. A pop-up will appear and give you two options: Add Multiplicities and Reverse Line Direction.

After selecting a line, go to the Properties bar to change the line endings. Youll notice that certain shape libraries offer additional line endings that are common for those shapes.

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Introduction to Flowcharting

Draw Lines and Objects

Try it now in Lucidchart

Once you are in the Lucidchart editor, you can easily add objects to your canvas by dragging them from the left panel and dropping them anywhere on the canvas. You can manage the layout of these objects using Lucidcharts wide variety of arrangement tools. Read on to learn how to leverage these options to easily create an organized diagram.

Position Objects with Coordinates and Grid Lines

When you move an object around your canvas, the objects X and Y coordinates will display beneath it in the units specified in the page settings panel. You can use these coordinates as a guide to place the object in the proper position on the canvas. Questions? Ask the Community Grid lines are another great tool to facilitate the positioning of objects on the canvas. You can turn grid lines on and off in the page settings panel, and use the snap to grid feature to force objects to adhere to these lines. Learn more about grid lines in the Page and Document Settings article. Please note: Snap to grid is overridden if you right-click a shape and use the "arrange" or "align" options.

Align Objects with Guides

When you drag a new object onto your canvas or move an existing object, blue guide lines will automatically appear to help you align it to other objects. If the edge of the object lines up with another objects edge, dotted lines will appear between the two objects. Similarly, a straight blue line between two objects indicates that their centerpoints are in alignment. If you place one objects edge directly against anothers, a solid blue line will appear where the two edges meet. Lucidchart will also help you arrange objects on your canvas by displaying measurements indicating the distance between two objects. These measurements will appear in blue along the guide lines between the objects, and their units will correspond to those specified in the page settings panel.

Rearrange Overlapping Objects

If you have two or more overlapping objects on your canvas, their arrangment will correspond to the order in which they were added, with the newest object at the front and the oldest at the back. You can easily adjust this arrangement by right-clicking on one of the objects, hovering over Arrange, and selecting one of the following: Bring to Front: Bring an object to the front of all overlapping objects. Send to Back: Send an object to the back of all overlapping objects. Bring Item Forward: Bring an object to the front of the object directly in front of it. Send Item Backward: Send an object to the back of the object directly behind it.

Use Shortcuts to Align and Distribute Objects

With Lucidcharts align and distribute shortcuts, you can easily reposition objects on the canvas so that they are aligned or evenly distributed. To apply these shortcuts, right-click on the object(s) you would like to reposition, hover over Align or Distribute, and select one of the following: Align Objects Left/Right: Send a single object to the left or right of the canvas, or align a group of objects with the object in the group that is furthest left or right. Align Objects Horizontally (Center): Send a single object to the horizontal midpoint of the canvas, or align a group of objects with the midpoint between the objects in the group furthest left and right. Align Objects Top/Bottom: Send a single object to the top or bottom of the canvas, or align a group of objects with the object in the group that is closest to the top or bottom of the canvas. Align Objects Vertically (Middle): Send a single object to the vertical midpoint of the canvas, or align a group of objects with the midpoint between the objects in the group closest to the top and bottom of the canvas. Distribute Horizontally/Vertically: Spread a group of objects evenly out between the objects in the group furthest left and right. Distribute Vertically: Spread a group of objects evenly out between the objects in the group closest to the top and the bottom of the canvas.

Related Articles

Get Started with Lucidchart

Page and Document Settings

Style a Shape

Work with Lines

Start Diagramming

Your Lucidchart Account Settings can be found at the top right corner of your Documents Page, in the drop down menu under your account email. Questions? Ask the Community

User Settings

From the User Settings panel you will be able to change the following information associated with your account. Note that if you are using Google SSO or another single sign-on method, you will first have to set a password, which you can do by scrolling down and clicking "Forgot your password?"

First and last name

Username, email address

Language Settings

Password

Communication Preferences

Team information (if you are associated with a team)

If you have forgotten your password, click on the "Forgot your password?" link and an email will be sent to the email address associated with your account with instructions on how to reset it.

Preferences

The preferences panel gives you the capability to customize your experience in the Lucidchart Editor.

You can:

Set the default zoom

Adjust the default line binding

Set the default page units (inches vs. centimeters)

Determine what happens after drawing lines

Set the default page size and format

Toggle grid lines

Enable page tiling

Enable IconFinder search

Enable template header

Enable tips

Google Drive

For information on how to integrate with Google Drive, please see the Lucidchart in Google Drive help center article.

Notifications

The notifications panel allows you to adjust your notification settings. You can choose to enable or disable notifications for document comments, document changes, and document/folder shares. You can also choose if you want to receive desktop notifications from Google Chrome.

Please note: these settings refer to the notifications posted to your activity feed, found under the icon on your Documents Page. You can learn how to adjust notification settings for specific documents here. You can learn how to manage your email notifications here.

Backup/Restore

To save your Lucidchart files locally, download a backup of your documents by clicking download. You can then restore these files to any account by uploading the file under "Restore" and clicking Restore from backup.

You can learn more about how to transfer files via Backup/Restore here and how to backup your files to Google Drive here.

Payment History, Invoices, and Billing Information

How To View Your Current Subscription:

Navigate to your Account Settings.

Select "Payment History."

Under Current Subscription Level you will find your subscription level, cost, and next renewal date.

Who can access invoices? The account owner and billing admin can access and download invoices. How to view and download the most recent invoice for your account:

Navigate to your Account Settings.

Select Payment History Here, you will find a list of your past payments.

Click details to view more details about your payment.

Click Download Invoice as PDF.

Please note: you can only download the latest invoice for your account. To access previous invoices, please contact support. How to modify future invoices to include the company name:

Navigate to your Account Settings.

Select Payment History

Under Invoice Settings, check the box next to Include company name so that it turns blue, then type the company name in the text box below.

Click Save Changes.

How to add an additional CC to future invoices:

Navigate to your Account Settings.

Select Payment History

Under Notification Settings, check the box next to Other email address... so that it turns blue. Then type the email you would like CCd on future invoices in the text box below.

Click Save Changes.

How to change your billing information:

Navigate to your Account Settings.

Click Billing Information.

Enter your new billing information on this page:

Click Save changes.

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Renew or Cancel Your Subscription

Lucidchart Top Contributor Program

Account Types

Start Diagramming

Can't get enough of Lucidchart or want to take a diagramming break? No worries! You can renew or cancel your subscription at any time. Questions about your current subscription, past payments, invoices, or billing information? Find answers here!

Renew Your Subscription

Both monthly and annual licenses will automatically renew unless they are cancelled or the payment collection fails.

Cancel Your Subscription

Were sad to see you go! To cancel your subscription, follow these steps:

Click your username in the top right corner of your document page.

Select Account Settings from the drop down menu.

Click the Close Account finger tab on the left.

Select Cancel Your Subscription and follow the subsequent prompts to cancel.

After cancellation, your subscription will not renew and your account will automatically downgrade to a Free Account at the end of your paid subscription period. After the end of your subscription period, you will still have View-Only access to your documents, but will not be able to edit them with the same functionality as before. You can resubscribe at any time and regain editing rights to all of your documents.

If you would like to completely close your account, and delete your personal information and documents permanently from our system, you can do so after you cancel your subscription. Please see the How to Remove Your Personal Data from Lucidchart article for information about what happens when you close your account.

Note: There is a no-refund policy for all cancellations.

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Account Settings

Account Types

Team Management

Get Started with an Educational Account

Return to Lucidchart Questions? Ask the Community

Read on to learn about the system requirements for Lucidchart. Please note that we will not perform maintenance for operating systems or browsers that are no longer supported. You are welcome to use those systems; however, we recommend that you update to the most recent version for an optimal experience.

Operating Systems

Mac: OS X Yosemite 10.10 or later

Windows: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 or later

Linux: 64-bit Ubuntu 14.04+, Debian 8+, openSUSE 13.3+, Fedora Linux 24+, or later

Chrome OS: We support the latest stable version of Chrome OS.

iOS: iOS 11, iOS 12, or later

Android: Android 5.0 or later

Note: Android devices must be WebGL compatible. WebGL is the technology we use for rendering. You can check if WebGL is supported on your device by opening Chrome, navigating to chrome://gpu, and checking the "Reset notification strategy". 0x8252 is required for using WebGL.

Web Browsers

We support the three latest versions of the following web browsers:

Google Chrome

Mozilla Firefox

Apple Safari

Microsoft Edge

Please note that this information does not apply to mobile web browsers. If you are on mobile, we recommend using our iOS or Android app.

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Basic Troubleshooting

Contact Support

Revision History

Get Started with Lucidchart

Try it now in Lucidchart Questions? Ask the Community

After logging in to Lucidchart, you will find yourself on the document page, which is the home page of your account. From this page you can create, organize, and share documents and folders, import Visio and other files, and access all parts of your account. Read on to learn all about the document pages components and the actions that they can help you perform. Questions? Ask the Community

The Header

The header of the document page will link you to the following resources within your Lucidchart account. Lucidchart website Click on the left to navigate to the home page of the Lucidchart website where you can learn all about the product and its wide range of use cases. Document viewer Click to return to your document page if you navigate away from it. Integrations manager Click to navigate to the integrations manager. Hover over a tile in the manager to learn more about an integration or install it into your account. Integrations flagged by are only available to team and enterprise accounts, so clicking will take you to your account settings page where you can upgrade your account. Help center Have questions about Lucidchart? Click to go to the Help Center where you will find a pool of articles and videos about Lucidchart features, integrations, and settings. Notifications feed Click to access your notifications feed. You must be on the document page to see this icon.

Click in the top right to navigate to your account settings panel where you can select what kinds notifications you want to receive. You can turn notifications on or off for the following events:

A user comments ona document to which you are subscribed

A user makes editsto a document to which you are subscribed

A user shares a document or folder with you

In addition to the optional notifications listed above, you will always be alerted when a user has invited you to join a Lucidchart team.

If you receive a notification that a document has been shared with you, you can open that document by clicking on the notification in your feed. You will not be able to access shared folders through this feed, but you can locate a shared folder by searching its name in your document page.

You will also get email notifications for events you are subscribed to.

You can remove items from your notification feed at any time by clicking to the right of a notification.

To subscribe to a document, right click the document and select "Get Change Notifications."

More Click on your email address on the right side of the header to access your account settings, log out of your account, or navigate to the wonderful brand management platform of Lucidpress.

The Folder Manager

On the left of the Documents Viewer you will find your Folder Manager. Here, you can locate, create, and manage all folders associated with your Lucidchart account.

The first folder group you will see is My Documents.

Under My Documents you will find all document folders you created. If you expand the My Documents group by clicking the grey triangle to the left of My Documents, you will find all the folders and subfolders you have created.

The second folder group is Shared With Me.

Under Shared With Me you will find all documents that have been shared with you. These are documents to which you have been granted access, but do not own.

Next, you will find folder groups for integrations and premium features.

Here, you will find a Salesforce folder if you have the Lucidchart Sales Solution enabled for your account. In the Salesforce folder, you will find all your Salesforce Account Maps and related documents. You can learn more about the Lucidchart Sales Solution here. Additionally, if you are on an Enterprise account which uses Team Folders, you can access your Team Folders by clicking Team Folders. You can learn more about Team Folders here.

Lastly, you will find your Trash folder.

This folder contains any documents that you have deleted within the past 7 days. You can restore a document to your account and its previous folder by right-clicking on its thumbnail and selecting restore.

You can expand or collapse a folder's contents by toggling the triangle next to its name. To move a folder into another folder, drag the folder you want to make a subfolder onto the main folder and drop it. Right-click a folder label or click next to a folders name to access the following options:

New Folder: Create a subfolder within the folder.

New Document: Create a new document within the folder.

Share: Open the share dialog, where you can invite collaborators to edit, comment on, or view the documents within the folder.

Rename: Rename the folder.

Delete: Move the folder into the trash, where it will be deleted permanently after 7 days. You can also manually drag the folder into the trash.

Details: Open a dialog that displays the name, number of items, and owner of the folder.

Underneath your Folder Manager you will see the following:

: Here you can find the documents that you or a collaborator have recently opened, organized from newest to oldest.

: Here you can find any documents or folders you have starred. To add an item to your Starred Items, right-click on the item and select Add to Starred. To remove an item from your starred items, right-click on the item and select Remove from Starred.

: Here you can enter text into the search bar at the top right of your document viewer, and then a list of matches will display. If you click out of the search results page, you return to it by clicking search results.

The Template Banner

Underneath the header, you will see a row of templates that are customized to the persona that you selected upon first logging in.

Click on one of the thumbnails to open an editable copy of it.

Click to create a document from scratch.

Browse the Lucidchart template library by clicking .

To hide the template banner, click in the top right corner and select hide templates." You can re-enable it at any time in the preferences tab of your account settings.

The Document Viewer

The heart of the document page is the document viewer, which displays all of the documents and subfolders within a selected folder. By default, this viewer will display the contents of the My Documents folder. Create documents and folders and import files

Click to create a blank document.

Click to open up the template library.

Click to create a new folder.

To import a file from a different platform and open it in Lucidchart, click and select a file type. After importing a Visio, Gliffy, Draw.io, or OmniGraffle file, a new document containing the diagram will appear in your document viewer. After importing AWS architecture, a new document with the contents of your import will automatically open in the editor.

Search for documents and folders

Search your account for a document or folder using the search bar at the top right. The viewer will display any items with names that contain the the search bar's contents.

If you click out of the search results display, you can re-enter it at any time by clicking at the bottom of the folder manager.

Organize the document viewer

By default, your documents and folders will appear as thumbnails sorted from newest to oldest, but you can adjust these settings with the icons to the right of the search bar.

Click to shift from a thumbnail view to a list view.

Click to pull up the following organization options:

You can also toggle between A - Z and Z - A organization by clicking Title in list view, and between New - Old and Old - New by clicking Modified.

Share documents and folders

Hover over a document or folder and click to open the sharing dialog. Alternatively, click and select "Share."

In the dialog pops up, enter an email, username, or group name and click .

The item will appear in the user(s)' folder.

Items that have been shared with you, or that you have shared with other users, will be marked by .

More Hover over a document or folder and click or to access the following options:

Open: Open the document in the editor or view the folder's contents. You can also hover over the document or folder and click .

Rename: Rename the document or folder.

Copy: Create a copy of the document or folder.

The copy will appear as the most recent item in your viewer.

The original folder's contents will copied into the new folder; however, it may take a few minutes for the contents to load.

Delete: Move the document to the trash, where it will be permanently removed after 7 days.

Manage Attributes: Add attributes to your document, or edit or remove existing ones.

Assign Status: Give a status to your document, or edit or remove the existing one.

Share: Invite collaborators to edit, comment, or view your document or folder.

The following options are only available to documents:

Set reminder: Set a recurring reminder to update your document after a specified number of days.

Get change notifications: Elect to receive notifications whenever an edit has been made to your document.

Convert to Template: Convert your document to a template.

In the dialog that opens, select a category for the template, enter a description, and click . You can modify these details by clicking and selecting "Edit Template Details."

This option does not make a copy of your document, but rather converts your document to template form.

You can find your templates in the "Personal" section of the template library.

To create an editable copy of a template, hover over its thumbnail and select or click on its thumbnail in the template library.

To edit a template, click and select "Edit Template."

Details: Open a dialog that displays the name, size, creation date, last modified date, and folder location of the document. Click the folder name to navigate to that folder.

Advanced Search

Locate documents and folders with ease when you use advanced search. To open the advanced search modal, click next to the search bar in the document viewer. Learn about the different components of advanced search below. Location With the location filter, you can narrow down your search to a particular folder location. Select everywhere to search your entire account; select my documents or shared with me to narrow your search based on document ownership, and select current folder to limit your search to the folder that is currently open in your document page. Type With the type filter, you can specify the file type (folder or document) that you are searching for. Document Attributes If you are on an enterprise account, you will see a list of search options based on the attributes configured by your team admin. Fill out any of these categories to filter your search based on team-wide criteria. Regardless of your account type, you can search for a document or folder based on the custom tags that you or another user have attached to it.

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Start Diagramming

With our sequence markup tool, you can create and edit sequence diagrams with ease. Since Lucidchart auto-generates a sequence diagram from the text you enter, you can use the time you save to return to your code or watch Star Wars.

Questions? Ask the Community

Example: Okta Case Study

When we met with Okta the San Francisco-based identity management cloud software company to learn about how they use Lucidchart in their day-to-day work, our team was pleased to discover how deeply they value visualizations.

Okta uses Lucidchart to create all types of visualizations. From wireframes to timelines to sequence diagrams, Oktas teams rely on Lucidchart to communicate the complexities of security software to their clients. Dan Marma, a sales architect at Okta, explained how Lucidchart diagrams inspire confidence with the customer so they can say, Hey, these guys have done this before. These diagrams look good. They make sense. Theyre readable. What were doing is no longer this confusing thing. Remove that element of confusion, and people feel better about their decision." Not only does Okta create custom templates to encourage the use of visualizations, but they also take advantage of the extensive shape libraries available on Lucidchart. Specifically, they use the UML shape library to create sequence diagrams with UML markup.

Sequence diagrams allow you to visualize how operations occur over time. You can use UML markup to create a sequence diagram that represents anything from backend code to how security systems interact with each other. These diagrams are particularly useful when you need to visualize both how objects work together and in what order. In Oktas case, they use sequence diagrams to illustrate their multi-factor identification feature, as shown below. This sequence diagram demonstrates how Oktas multi-factor authentication process functions and therefore allows potential Okta clients to see each step involved. By documenting this process through a collaborative sequence diagram, Okta sets their sales representatives up for success because sales reps are able to quickly reference the visualization to answer clients most technical questions. Additionally, once the sales rep closes the deal, the diagrams remain relevant because Oktas customer success team will update the diagrams with more details that explain exactly how Okta will interact with the clients current infrastructure and security systems. From the sales pitch to implementation and training, Oktas visualizations save time for both parties as they eliminate the need for extensive video calls and conferences.

According to Oktas Regional Director of Professional Services, Oktas number-one company value is customer success, and the visual documentation Okta creates with Lucidchart sets their clients up for a successful Okta experience from the very beginning of the relationship. See how visualizations can help you too! Build your own sequence diagrams with UML markup or browse our templates here. Once youre done,don'tforget to showcase your work with Lucidcharts presentation mode.

Creating a Sequence Diagram Using Markup

Follow these steps, and Lucidchart will auto-generate a sequence diagram for you:

Activate the UML shape library. Click Shapes at the top of the Toolbar or use the hotkey M. Under the Software section, check UML or UML Sequence. Hit Save.

Under the UML Sequence category in the Toolbar, click Use Markup.

In the pop-over, type your markup.

Click Build when you are ready to generate the diagram.

To create a new diagram, click Use Markup in the UML Sequence shape library again.

Supported Markup

Category

Syntax

Description

Example

Lines

Alice -> Bob

Alice <- Bob

Draw a solid line (you can draw lines in both directions).

Alice -->

Draw a dotted line.

Alice -> Alice

Draw a solid arrow to and from a participant.

Lifelines

activate Alice

Start participant activation with lifeline.

deactivate Alice

End participant activation ending the lifeline.

Arrows

->

Close arrow

-> >

Open arrow

-

No arrow

Text

Alice->Bob: text

Add a label to messages between participants.

Alice->Bob:text\nmore

Add a label with a line break between participants.

Notes

note left of Alice: text1

Add a note shape on the left of Alice (if there are only two characters, "of Alice" could be omitted).

note right of Alice:

Add a note shape on the right of Alice.

note over Alice: text3

Add a note shape displayed over Alice.

note over Alice, Bob:

Add a note shape displayed over Alice and Bob.

note over Bob, Alice: This is an example of a

long note

\n

with a line break. End note

Add a note shape with multiple-lined notes, displayed over Alice and Bob.

Grouping

alt successful case: Bob -> Alice: data accepted; else some kind of failure. Bob -> Alice: data

Build a grouping message with "alt" (alternative) and "else" to show different situations.

opt text1

Alice -> Bob: text2

end

Build a grouping message with the keyword "opt."

You can change "opt" to other keywords as well. We support four key words in this pattern:

- opt (means "optional")

- par (means "parallel")

- loop

- critical

Note: These four keywords don't support "else." Only the keyword "alt" can be paired with "else."

Alias

participant A as Alice

Give participants aliases so you can write faster.

participant A as "Alice Jones"

Put quotation marks around alias to give participant an alias longer than one word.

Comments

'comment text

Single line comment

/' comment text '/

Multiple line comment

Editing a Sequence Diagram

Dont worry if your sequence diagramisn'tperfect on the first try. You can still edit the markup of a diagram you have already built, as long as you have not manually adjusted or ungrouped the diagram on the canvas.

Simply click on the diagram, and the sequence markup dialogue will appear on the left side of the editor.

Styling a Sequence Diagram

Select the sequence diagram, and use the Properties bar at the top of the editor to style your diagram. If you would like to style individual blocks/elements on your diagram, you must first ungroup the diagram. Select the diagram, right-click, and select Ungroup.

Note: If you ungroup your diagram, you will not be able to edit the markup again.

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Try it now in Lucidchart

Lucidchart now allows you to import your AWS infrastructure to easily create diagrams that represent your AWS architecture.

Import via Docs List

To import your AWS architecture into Lucidchart, click the Import button on the Documents page and select the AWS Architecture option. Questions? Ask the Community

Import via Cross-Account Role

To import your AWS infrastructure into Lucidchart via cross-account role, follow these steps:

In Lucidchart's AWS import modal, select "Cross-Account Role," then click "+ Add AWS Account."

In your AWS account, create a cross-account role with the stated policy.

Back in Lucidchart, enter the ARN and external ID associated with your role. Give your account a name, then click "Add Account."

Select the account and region you wish to use for the AWS import. Click "import."

Note: Lucidchart only supports the import of one region at a time. Additionally, Lucidchart does not currently support the import of all AWS regions.

Import via IAM Credentials

To import your AWS infrastructure into Lucidchart via IAM credentials, follow these steps:

Create an IAM user with the stated policy. We suggest creating a new user for your Lucidchart import credentials and adding an inline policy to that user. The inline policy will allow you to easily control or revoke access as needed. OR, if it is not possible to create an IAM user, you can use a command line script. Choose AWS CLI Script.

Enter the IAM keys for the newly created user manually, OR upload a CSV or config file to enter the keys. Then select the region you wish to use for the AWS import. Currently, Lucidchart only supports the import of one region per document.

Note about security: Lucidchart does not save these credentials and only uses them once at the time of import. Youll need to add your credentials again for every document you create. We hope this procedure reduces any security concerns.

Import your AWS architecture.

Import via CLI

To import your AWS infrastructure into Lucidchart via CLI, follow these steps:

Open your "My Documents" page in Lucidchart.

Click Import > Import AWS Architecture.

Click "AWS CLI Script" and then click "Copy to Clipboard" to copy the script.

SSH into an AWS machine with proper credentials.

Type "python" then paste the copied script. Note: Make sure to change the region in the script to region that corresponds with your AWS profile.

Enter "Ctrl+D" to exit python.

There will now be a file in your directory called "aws.json." Download this file to your local machine.

Return to your "My Documents" page in Lucidchart and click Import > Import AWS Architecture.

Click "Choose File" and select "aws.json."

Click "Import."

Note: these additional steps may be required to run Import via CLI on a Windows machine:

Install the AWS CLI.

Install Python

Run "pip3 install botocore". This installs a pre-req needed by the script.

Add these environment variables to your machine:

AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID = Your access key

AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = Your secret key

AWS_DEFAULT_REGION = Your default region

Run python.exe yourScriptName.py

Create Your AWS Diagram

To get started you will be prompted to either Auto Layout your diagram or manually create it. Both store your resources and connections, but if you choose Auto layout, each VPC and the resources it contains will be mapped on its own page. Connections are stored but not drawn.

A list of custom shapes that represents everything in your environment will appear on a separate left-hand panel below your shape library menu. Use the Search feature to search by component name and/or tag. You can also filter the list to display specific types of components. Our standard AWS shapes will be available to you by clicking M on your keyboard and checking the box next to the desired shape library.

To change how the connections are handled, you can select the "gear" icon that appears both when you select a shape and in the list of resources on the right-hand side of the editor. (Note: These connection option changes only apply to shapes added after adjusting these settings. If you would like them to apply to connections already drawn you will have to delete the connection and redraw using the red +)

View any metadata attached to the shape by selecting the shape and then clicking the Data icon in the bottom right-hand corner.

To add connections you can select the red "+" that appears when you hover over a shape. From here you can either add an individual connection between resources, or if you select "Connect to Resources on Page", all connections coming from that object will be auto-drawn.

Security Information

Secure, Limited Access for IAM Users

We request limited, describe-level permission for the IAM user you create. An IAM user created with these permissions cannot change settings in your AWS architecture or read data in your databases. We only use the IAM user to read the structural metadata of your AWS infrastructure. Please check out this article for information on how to create an IAM user.

CLI Script Alternative

If you wish to review and control the actions we take during our AWS infrastructure scan, you can download and use our provided Python script instead of creating an IAM user. In this scenario, your IAM credentials will never be passed to Lucidchart, and you can review both the code that will run in your environment and the resulting metadata before uploading the metadata to Lucidchart.

Safe Storage of Documents

Lucidchart stores the AWS imported documents and metadata using industry standard protections for confidential data. Imported AWS data is embedded as part of the Lucidchart document, so you can control access to the imported data using Lucidcharts standard sharing permissions. For additional information regarding how we protect your documents, please refer to our Content Security page or contact our sales team.

No Storage of Access Keys

Lucidchart will not store your AWS IAM credentials after performing the initial scan of your AWS infrastructure. Your credentials will be transferred to our servers using standard encryption methods. Clients may negotiate encryption protocols up to AES-256.

FAQ

Why is there a connection between two items I didnt expect to be connected?

Lucidcharts AWS import draws connections based on security groups and subnets, and it looks for ports to be open on both sides of a connection. If you see connections youdon'texpect between items, its likely that the items have open ports between them. For example, one item may have a port open to send traffic to all IPs, and the other item may have the same port open to receive traffic from all IPs.

Whydon'tyou make the diagram completely automatic?

Trust usweve thought this one through. The first version of Lucidcharts AWS import tool built diagrams automatically, but customer feedback showed that our users didnt find it helpful to create such large, complex diagrams. The current iteration of the tool provides all the resources for users to choose from, including the correct icons, names, tags, and all other metadata. This version allows users to quickly create diagrams for their specific use cases without any of the tedious work of typing out names or copying and pasting information from the AWS console.

Why are some of my instances not showing up?

Lucidchart represents instances within autoscaling groups with the autoscaling group itself, rather than show each individual instance, as they would all have the same connections. You can still see the instance IDs for those instances in the Shape Data panel.

How do I give Lucidchart access to my AWS architecture?

In order for Lucidchart to access your AWS infrastructure, youll need to give Lucidchart the credentials for a new IAM user with an inline policy. For an overview of how to create an IAM user with an inline policy, check out this article.

Can I export my AWS diagram?

Yes! Click File > Download As. You can now download your diagram as a CSV file. Choose CSV for Shape Data and a CSV will be exported with a row for every shape, page and layer.

Which resources do you support?

Auto-scaling Groups, EC2 Instances, Cloudfront Distributions, Application Load Balancers, Elastic Load Balancers, RDS Instances, S3 Buckets, SNS Topics, SQS Queues, VPC, Availability Zone, Subnet, and Security Groups.

What AWS regions does Lucidchart import support? Lucidchart currently supports the following AWS regions:

ap-northeast-1

ap-northeast-2

ap-southeast-1

ap-southeast-2

eu-central-1

eu-west-1

sa-east-1

us-east-1

us-gov-west

us-west-1

us-west-2

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Dreaming of showing off your cool Lucidchart diagrams with your friends via public or individual Slack channels? This tutorial will show you that dreams really do come true.

The Slack integration is a premium feature offered on Team and Enterprise accounts. To upgrade your account, check out our pricing page or contact our sales team.

Please note: this integration does not support Slack Enterprise Grid.

Installation

Follow this link, and click the Add to Slack button.

Login or register a Lucidchart account.

Grant Slack access to your Lucidchart account.

Grant Lucidchart permission to access Slack's list of names, channels, and the ability to send a message upon autocomplete (standard permissions).

Accept the installation.

Permission Uses

Add commands to (Your team name): Required to make the /lucidchart command work in your Team's Slack instance.

Send messages as Lucidchart: Required to allow the "Post to Slack" button, which sends an image of the diagram back to the Slack conversation.

Access information about your public channels: Required to pull the names of the public channels, and share diagrams directly into public Slack channels from Lucidchart's Share dialog.

Access your team's profile information: Required to pull the names of the users on the team, so we can autocomplete. If we do not autocomplete, the app cannot send a message.

Features

Share to Slack: Users can share their diagrams with public Slack channels or individual Slack users from Lucidchart's Share dialog.

/lucidchart command: Slack users can now use the /lucidchart command to instantly create and share diagrams for quick and easy collaboration. Just type /lucidchart in any Slack channel, and we'll post a link in that channel to a new diagram that anyone on your team can edit.

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Start Diagramming Questions? Ask the Community

Accessibility Compliance Report (ACR)

Coming Soon!

Create and Download an Accessible PDF

Download a tagged PDF for use with assistive technologies like screen readers. Accessing Accessibility Settings

To access accessibility settings, select the Accessibility Settings option from the file menu in the editor.

Alternatively, you can access accessibility settings directly through the download flow by selecting the Accessible PDF checkbox and then selecting the Accessibility Settings link.

Changing Reading Order

Reading order is initially based on the order in which shapes, lines, and other elements are added to the canvas.

To modify reading order, go to accessibility settings and drag and drop the tiles in the correct order in the reordering pane. This reading order will be preserved upon download.

Lines and Connectors

Once a line is connected to at least one shape node, it becomes a connector. For improved clarity, connectors use and export the following script: "[Connector] connecting [Shape A] and [Shape B]". For example, if a line contains the text "Yes" and connects with shapes that contain the text "Decision A" and "Process A", the script will read, "Yes connecting Decision A and Process A".

If a connector does not contain text, it will use and export the word "Connector" within the script. If a connected shape does not contain text, it will use and export the name of the shape.

Adding Alt Text

To add alternative text to images and graphics, go to accessibility settings, select the tile of the element where you want to add alt text, and then type the alternative text in the Alt Text box.

You can use this method to add replacement text to any type of element, including text elements.

Managing Links

When linking an image or shape, you can specify the purpose of the link and the destination using alt text.

When linking text, ensure the text itself conveys the purpose of the link. Use concise, human-readable text instead of a URL. For example, Weather in New York City is more user-friendly and descriptive than the associated URL: https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USNY0996:1:US

Download an Accessible PDF

To download an accessible PDF, select Download As > PDF in the file menu. In the download flow, select the Accessible PDF checkbox and then Download.

The publish feature makes it easy to share documents with anyone on the web. You can publish your diagram to a unique Lucidchart webpage or to a permanent PDF link, share it on social media, or embed a chart into your own webpage all from the "Share" button in the upper right-hand corner. Unlike static exported versions of documents, published documents are fully interactive, so you can add links to external sites or pages that viewers can click on.

Publish Your Document

Click the Share button in the top right corner, and a menu will appear. You can also click "Share" > "Publish" from the Menu bar.

Click "More Sharing Options" Questions? Ask the Community

Select the "Publish" tab and choose your publishing option(s) from the drop-down menus.

Click on the blue button (Generate Link, Publish Page, or Publish Selection) to generate a URL you that you can copy and paste.

Note: If you want to publish a selection of a page, click Area Selection from the drop down menu. Then click and drag your cursor around the area you want to publish.

Share on Social Media

Share your document on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn by clicking on the Social tab.

Embed Your Document

If you want to embed your chart in a website, blog, or wiki, use the Embed tab to create an embed code that can be used with a normal HTML img src tag. Be sure to click the "Activate Embed Code" button before publishing. If you have actions or layers in your document, users will be able to interact with them in the same way they would a published version of the document.

Security

All published documents created by users are not indexed by search engines because we disallow crawling by using the robots exclusion standard (robots.txt), so Google and other search engines are unable to crawl your published Lucidchart documents. For additional security, we recommend password protecting your shared and published documents. To add a password to your published documents, click the orange Share button, click Advanced, click Publish, enable Require Password, enter the desired password, and click Generate Link. To password protect your embedded documents, follow the above steps to generate a password protected document link. Then, copy-and-paste the password protected link into the embed code to replace the current document link found after src= in the HTML code (see screenshot below). Note: Password protection is a Team and Enterprise account feature. Please see our account types article for more information about premium features.

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It can be helpful to export your work to different formats for ease of sharing, publishing, and printing. Lucidchart allows you to export your documents as PDFs, PNGs, JPEGs, and SVGs as well as VDX (Visio) files and CSVs of shape data. Read on to learn how to export your documents to these different file types.

Export to PDF, PNG, JPEG, or SVG

To export a document as a PDF, PNG, JPEG, or SVG file, follow these steps:

Open the document you would like to export.

Navigate to File > Download As and select your desired file format. Questions? Ask the Community

Customize your download settings in the right panel of the download window that appears. Here, you can adjust the paper size, page format, alignment, and scale. Please see the Page and Document Settings Help Center article for more information about document formatting. Are you exporting a multi-layered document? To export each layer on a separate page, download your document as a PDF and select Include Layers next to Document Page(s) in the download settings. You can find more information about downloading multi-layered documents here. If you want to export only certain pages from a multi-page document, select the pages you want to export by clicking the drop-down menu under Document Page(s) and then select the check mark(s) next to the pages you want to export. If you only want to export a portion of your document, download your document as a PNG, JPEG, or SVG and select the Custom Crop feature found under Crop to choose which part of your document you would like to export.

Click Download. Your document will download to your local device.

Export a CSV of Shape Data

To generate a CSV of the shape data associated with your Lucidchart document, open the document and navigate to File > Download As > CSV of Shape Data. The corresponding CSV file will download to your local device, and it will include shape name, shape library, text fields, and data. See the Process Diagram Import from CSV article for more information about the shape data.

Export to Visio (VDX)

To export a document as a VDX file, open the document and navigate to File > Download As > Visio (VDX). Your document will download as a VDX file to your local device.

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Are you interested in freehand drawing, or would you like some information about diagramming basics? Please click on the corresponding accordion below.

Freehand Drawing

Free hand drawing is not currently supported in Lucidchart. If you are interested in using Lucidchart for freehand drawing, please fill out a feature request form.

Diagramming Basics

If you would like to learn how to add objects to your canvas, please see our Getting Started Guide.

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Read this article to learn how to set up the Lucidchart Sales Solution for your Enterprise account and to learn how to manage your users' Lucidchart Sales Solution licenses. To upgrade to an Enterprise account, please contact our sales team.

How To Set Up The Lucidchart Sales Solution for Salesforce Classic

Log in to Lucidchart.com.

Click the TEAM icon at the top of your Documents Page.

Click the App Integration tile.

Click the Salesforce tile.

You will be prompted to connect your Salesforce account. Select either Production instance or Sandbox instance, and click Sign In to sign into your Salesforce instance in a new browser window.

Once you login to Salesforce, you will see a message indicating you have successfully connected your Salesforce account to Lucidchart.

Click the TEAM icon again.

Select the Identity Management tile.

Ensure that the Allow Salesforce single sign-on box is checked. This allows you to open Lucidchart from Salesforce.

Login to Salesforce.

Click Setup from the top panel.

Navigate to Customize > Accounts > Buttons, Links, and Actions.

Click New Button or Link."

If you are setting up the button without a template, enter the following information:

Label: Lucidchart Account Map

Display Type: Detail Page Button

Behavior: Display in new window

Content Source: URL

URL for the large input:

Production instance: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}

Sandbox instance: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}?environment=sandbox

Note: There should be no returns or enters in the text for the large input. If there are any after copying this text into the input in Salesforce, remove them before saving the button. The text in the input should match the link shown above.

If you are setting up the button with a template, enter the following information:

Label: Lucidchart Account Map

Display Type: Detail Page Button

Behavior: Display in new window

Content Source: URL

URL for the large input:

Production instance: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}?template=<Your Template ID Here>

Sandbox instance: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}?template=<YourTemplate ID Here>&environment=sandbox

Note: Make sure to replace YOUR TEMPLATE ID HERE with the template document ID. You can find the document ID in the document URL. Copy and paste the numbers after the word edit. You do not need to include the /0 at the end of the URL. Please also note that you should not have the <> symbols in the link. So if your document ID were 123-456-789, then the link would be: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}?template=123-456-789

Click Save.

Navigate to Customize > Accounts > Page Layouts.

Find the row for the page layout to which you wish to add the button and click Edit.

Select "Buttons" on the left of the Account Layout box and drag the Lucidchart. Account Map button to the Custom Buttons area of the Account Detail section.

Click Save.

You will now find the Lucidchart Account Map button on your Account pages.

How To Set Up the Lucidchart Sales Solution for Salesforce Lightning

Login to Lucidchart.com

Click the TEAM icon at the top of your Documents Page.

Click the App Integration tile.

Click the Salesforce tile.

You will be prompted to connect your Salesforce account. Select either Production instance or Sandbox instance, and click Sign In to sign into your Salesforce instance in a new browser window.

Once you login to Salesforce, you will see a message indicating you have successfully connected your Salesforce account to Lucidchart.

Click the TEAM icon again.

Select the Identity Management tile.

Ensure that the Allow Salesforce single sign-on box is checked. This allows you to open Lucidchart from Salesforce.

Login to Salesforce.

Click the gear icon and select Setup.

Search for Object Manager in the Quick Find search bar.

Click Account.

Click Buttons, Links, and Actions and select New Button or Link.

If you are setting up the button without a template, enter the following information:

Label: Lucidchart Account Map

Display Type: Detail Page Button

Behavior: Display in new window

Content Source: URL

URL for the large input:

Production instance: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}

Sandbox instance: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}?environment=sandbox

Note: There should be no returns or enters in the text for the large input. If there are any after copying this text into the input in Salesforce, remove them before saving the button. The text in the input should match the link shown above.

If you are setting up the button with a template, enter the following information:

Label: Lucidchart Account Map

Display Type: Detail Page Button

Behavior: Display in new window

Content Source: URL

URL for the large input:

Production instance: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}?template=<Your Template ID Here>

Sandbox instance: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}?template=<Your Template ID Here>&environment=sandbox

Note: Make sure to replace YOUR TEMPLATE ID HERE with the template document ID. You can find the document ID in the document URL. Copy and paste the numbers after the word edit. You do not need to include the /0 at the end of the URL. Please also note that you should not have the <> symbols in the link. So if your document ID were 123-456-789, then the link would be: https://www.lucidchart.com/sfdc/accountMap/{!CASESAFEID(Account.Id)}?template=123-456-789

Account Map Template Setup Instructions

Read on to learn how to set up a template for new account maps created with the Lucidchart Sales Solution. Templates apply to any new document created via Salesforce, and do not affect existing documents.

Build the document you want to use as the account map template for your organization.

Navigate to your documents list, right-click on the document, and select Convert to Template.

Select Sales as the template category and click Save.

Share this template with your team and grant them view access.

Right-click on the template and select Edit Template to open the document.

Copy the templates document ID from the Lucidchart URL. The document ID is the string of numbers found after edit/ and before the final / mark.

Reference the Lucidchart Sales Solution setup instructions for Salesforce Classic or Salesforce Lightning to learn how to set this template as the default for all new account maps created by your organization.

Manage Lucidchart Sales Solution Licenses

To manage your Lucidchart Sales Solutions licenses, follow these steps:

Click TEAM to navigate to your admin panel.

Click the Users tile. Browse Diagramming Ideas

On the bottom left corner of the page, you will see how many Lucidchart, Lucidpress, and Lucidchart Sales Solution licenses have been used.

Click on a users name from the user list.

Right-click and select Edit Licenses.

Check the box next to Lucidchart Sales Solution to grant the user a Lucidchart Sales Solution license or uncheck the box to delicense the user.

Click "Confirm."

Purchase Lucidchart Sales Solution Licenses

Please contact our sales team to purchase Lucidchart Sales Solution licenses for your Enterprise account.

Phone: (844) 465-8243

Email: [email protected]

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Integrating Lucidchart with OneLogin enables your users to securely authenticate using SAML single sign-on through OneLogin. The SCIM integration allows admins to create users and provision and de-provision users within OneLogin itself, without having to sign in to Lucidchart. You will need admin privileges in both Lucidchart and OneLogin to complete this process. SAML and SCIM are only available to Enterprise accounts. To upgrade, please contact our sales team.

Configure SAML for Lucidchart in OneLogin

Add the Lucidchart application to your OneLogin instance.

In OneLogin, go to the Configuration tab and enter your domain under Application details, then click Save. Questions? Ask the Community Note: The domain you enter here must match the domain you enter in Lucidchart in step 7.

Go to the SSO tab and specify a SHA-256 encryption.

Click More Actions > SAML Metadata to download the OneLogin metadata. This will download as an .xml file with metadata containing instructions that Lucidchart will need to communicate with OneLogin. You will upload this file to Lucidchart in step 8.

In Lucidchart, navigate to the Identity Management section of your Admin panel by clicking Team > Identity Management. Check the box next to Allow SAML authentication, then click Save Changes.

On the same page, click Configure to navigate to your SAML activation page in Lucidchart.

Under Lucidchart Sign in URL, enter your Domain name. Note: This must match what you entered in OneLogin in Step 2. Click Save Changes.

Scroll down in the SAML Activation page of Lucidchart and click Add Identity Provider. Upload the .xml file that you downloaded from OneLogin in step 4. The metadata will populate the following fields:

Click Test SAML connection to verify that Lucidchart is properly communicating with OneLogin. Note: The connection will only work if the Lucidchart app has been assigned to your test user in OneLogin. You can assign the app to users in the Assignments section of the app page.

Create Users Upon Log In with SAML

Once you have configured SAML with OneLogin for your Lucidchart account, you can set up Just-In-Time provisioning so that users assigned Lucidchart access in OneLogin who do not have a Lucidchart account will have an account created for them upon their first log in. You can set up Just-In-Time provisioning in the Lucidchart Licensing Settings section of your Lucidchart admin panel.

If you would like all users to come onto your Lucidchart team with full-edit licenses, set the setting for "When a new user joins a team to "Automatically grant license."

If you want all users to come in as view-only users, set the setting for "When a new user joins a team" to Do not automatically grant. Your users will then be able to request full-edit licenses. Depending on the When a user requests a license setting, you can have licenses be automatically granted to users upon their request, or you can have the requests turn into pending requests in your user list. Note: We strongly recommend that you have a custom request dialog if you have users requesting licenses from an admin.

Configure SCIM for Lucidchart in OneLogin

If you would like to create Lucidchart users before their first log-in and determine their license type (full-edit vs. view-only) through OneLogin, you can set up the Lucidchart SCIM integration. Before configuring SCIM, please do the following:

Confirm that you are on an Enterprise account with an up-to-date pricing plan. To upgrade, please contact our sales team.

Contact your Lucidchart Customer Success Manager so that they can enable SCIM for your account.

Make sure that auto-upgrade is enabled in your Licensing settings. You will be unable to generate a bearer token to configure SCIM if this setting is not enabled. You will want to turn off auto-upgrade after generating a bearer token to prevent unwanted licensing during the configuration process.

Note: Your CSM would be happy to jump on a call to walk you through the SCIM configuration process, so pleasedon'thesitate to reach out! Once you have followed the pre-configuration steps listed above, you can configure SCIM for Lucidchart in OneLogin by following these steps:

In OneLogin, go to your Provisionings tab and click Enable under API Connection.

Open Lucidchart in a new window and go to Team > App Integration > SCIM.

Copy the Lucidchart Base URL and paste it into the "SCIM Base URL" text box in OneLogin.

In Lucidchart, click "Generate token." Lucidchart will populate the Bearer Token text field with a unique code for you to share with OneLogin.

Copy the bearer token from Lucidchart and paste it into the "SCIM Bearer Token" text box in OneLogin.

Assign Licenses to Users with SCIM

Using rules in OneLogin, you can specify what Lucidchart license type (full-edit or view-only) will be assigned to users based on OneLogin user attributes. You will use conditions to specify subsets of users and actions to specify the license assignment. To provision a subset of your OneLogin users with full-edit licenses, follow these steps:

Go to the Rules tab in OneLogin and click "Add Rule."

Add a condition that specifies the subset of users you would like to provision with full-edit licenses (eg. Department = Customer Operations).

Under "Actions," select "Set User can edit charts in Lucidchart" from the first dropdown and "Yes - Licensed User" from the second dropdown.

Click "Save."

Go to the Provisioning tab and check the box next to Enable provisioning.

Go to Parameters > User can edit charts and make sure that "Include in User Provisioning" is enabled.

Go to the More Actions menu and click reapply provisioning mapping to apply the new rule.

Please note:

You must reapply mappings any time you create or update users.

OneLogin applies rules using standard order of operations guidelines. The order in which rules are applied can impact your results. You can change the order of rules by clicking and dragging them.

If you are not using canEdit to assign licenses, make sure that Include in User Provisioning is not enabled under Parameters > User can edit charts.

FAQs/Common Issues

What are the benefits of integrating with SAML? Lucidcharts SAML integration allows users on your Lucidchart team to authenticate quickly and securely. Additionally, if you enable user provisioning, a SAML connection will create users in Lucidchart automatically upon their first log-in if they are assigned the Lucidchart app in your IdP. What can I do with the OneLogin SCIM integration? With the SCIM integration, you can sync user information between Lucidchart and OneLogin and make changes to users in your Lucidchart account directly in OneLogin. Some things you can do with this integration include creating, licensing, deactivating, and updating attributes to users on your Lucidchart Enterprise account. What license types are available to users on my Lucidchart team? Lucidchart offers two license types for users on Enterprise accounts: View-Only and Full-Edit. For more information on these license types, please see the Enterprise Licensing Help Center article. Does Lucidchart support group management through OneLogin? Yes! Please see OneLogins group management page for more information.

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In the User tile of the admin panel, you can add, view, and manage the users on your Lucidchart Team or Enterprise account. Administrator Roles Note that many team management integrations are only available to Enterprise accounts. To upgrade to an Enterprise account, check out our pricing page or contact our sales team

An Overview of the User Page

When you open the User tile, you will land upon your User page, which displays the current state of your Lucidchart Team or Enterprise account. User List In the center of the page you will see your user list, with each row representing a user on your account. You can export this list as a CSV by clicking Actions > Export CSV. To view a users information, simply click on their row in the user list. In the panel that appear, you can modify their license type, group, or role. You can filter your user list by selecting one of the following options from the "All Users" dropdown on the left:

All Users: All users regardless of license type

Licensed Users: Users who have a full-edit Lucidchart license

View-Only Users: User with view-only capabilities

Pending Invitations: Individuals invited to your organization's Lucidchart account who have not yet accepted the invitation to join

Requested Lucidchart: View-only users who have requested a Lucidchart license

Team Tree To the left of the user list is your team tree, representing the hierarchy of users on your account. Your team name will appear at the top of the tree, underneath which will display the groups and sub-groups that make it up. See the Manage Teams and Groups section below to learn how to create groups and populate them with users. License Count The orange and green bars beneath your team tree represent your teams license count. Click Add More to purchase more licenses. As an admin you can easily reassign licenses to users within your account. To do this, select a user by clicking on their name. Click "Edit" next to "Licenses" on the right-hand side of your screen. In the window that pops up, check or uncheck the box next to "Lucidchart" under "Licenses" to add or take away that users license. If you remove that users license, you will have the option to transfer the users files to another person within your organization by typing an email address in the "New Document Owner" field. This field will auto-populate with users currently on your account.

Add Individual Users to Your Team

You can add users individually or in bulk. To add an individual user by email, enter their email address in the text box below the user list and click Invite to Team. You can enter multiple emails by clicking +User or "Invite multiple users." If you would like to add more personalized information to the new users account, select the Add Manually finger tab. In addition entering the user's name and email, you can assign the new user to a group and set a password for them.

Add Users to Your Team in Bulk

If you would like to add a multiple users to your team at a time, you can do so by pulling a list of domains from your Google instance (if you are integrated with GSuite) or by CSV upload. To add users in bulk by CSV upload, follow these steps:

Create a spreadsheet in the following format and save it as a .csv file.

In Lucidchart, click Team > Users, then click Invite multiple users.

Select the CSV Upload finger tab.

Click Choose File and select your .csv.

Click Add to Team on the bottom right.

Grant or Remove a User's License

Account Owners and Team Admins can manage the licenses of users on their Enterprise accounts. Please see the Enterprise Licensing Help Center article for instructions on how to grant or remove a users license.

Create and Manage Groups

Use groups to divide your team based on relevant criteria, such as department or region. Groups promote easy user management and file sharing between users. To the left of the user list you will see a tree representing the organizational structure of your Lucidchart account. At the top you will see your team name - this is the parent group that encompasses all of the users on the account. Any groups and sub-groups will be nested beneath this. To create a group, click the pencil icon next to your team name, then select "create group." Click the name of a user to see what group they are in, then click edit to add them to another group. That user will be able to share and access documents and folders shared with that group.

Delete Users from Your Team

You can delete a user by right-clicking on the users name in your user list and selecting Delete Users. A dialog will display the users account actitivy. You will have the option to assign a new content owner to that users files within your organization. Notes:

If you do not transfer a users documents to another user upon deletion, all of their created documents will be lost.

When you delete a user, they will be removed from your Lucidchart account altogether. As an alternative, you can de-license a user. You will still have to transfer their documents, but they will remain on your account as a view-only user.

There are three different admin roles associated with Lucidchart Enterprise accounts: account owner, team admin, and billing admin. See the table below to learn about the capabilities involved with each role.

Account Owner

Team Admin

Billing Admin

Change subscription level

X

X

View billing history

X

X

Manage account-wide integrations

X

X

Manage account-wide settings (eg. collaboration, identity management)

X

X

Add and remove users

X

X

License and unlicense users

X

X

Modify the roles of other admins

X

X

Become an unlicensed (view-only) user

*see note below

X

X

*Please note the following:

Accounts can only have one account owner, but they can have an unlimited amount of team and billing admins.

While team admins can assign the billing admin role to other users, they cannot assign it to themselves.

While account owners and team admins can remove the licenses of other (billing and/or team) admins, they cannot remove their own licenses.

If you are an account owner and would like to become unlicensed, please contact [email protected].