Connecting Lines to Shapes
Most software diagrams involve connecting one or more shapes to each other using lines.
To connect two shapes, click on Connect Shapes in the SmartPanel. Your mouse will become a
pencil. Touch one end of the pencil to the shape you're trying to connect and without letting go of the mouse
drag the line to the edge of the other shape. When you see the anchor symbol, you can let go of the line and it
will attach to the object.
By default the connecting line will be a segmented line, but you can choose a straight line, an arc, or something else from the
the Line Shape drop-down menu on the SmartPanel.
Choose a line type
Adjusting Line Style
To adjust a line's style, select the line, then go to the Lines command in the
Shape Styles group and choose a thickness or a dashed line, or select a different color from
the palette.
Adding Arrows
To convert a regular line to an arrow, select the line, go to Arrowheads under the Tools group.
Click on Custom for more options and choose the appropriate arrowhead for the type of relationship you want to illustrate.
Connected Shapes
Once connected, lines and shapes stay connected, even if they are moved or stretched.
To detach a line from an object it is linked to, click on the line, then pull the end knob away from
the object.