RELATED ARTICLES
Here we're going to take a look at a blank diagram so that we can get acquainted with the layout and interface and what each general section does. There are some slight variations depending on what type of diagram you create but to keep things simple we are going to be looking at a process diagram and what each button does.
This is just to get a starting idea, if you are interested in looking at the specifics and how they can be used try looking above at our RELATED ARTICLES and click on the Basics link, here you'll be able to find more information, for now let's just look at the general layout of things.
Below we have a number corresponding with a new area of the diagram, we'll use these numbers as a way to map out each section. On this image we've divided the interface into seven broad sections.
#1 | Nav Bar
The navigation bar or "nav bar" is the first section we'll look at; it is the white bar running the length of your screen. The nav bar will always be at the top of the page no matter what view you are in. We'll break this down a bit and go over each section, going from left to right (these are a simple and quick explanations we’ll cover these elements in deeper articles later on) :
First we see the nav menu, it's the three black bars on the far left hand side of the screen; we've already covered this more in-depth in other articles, but generally this is a menu that let's you move around to the main views of the application, including a list of all your diagrams or to jump back to your main dashboard.
Next we see the TeamFlow logo, a small trick is that you can click this logo anytime you want and it will always take you back to your dashboard.
To the left of that we see our diagram title, clicking this will allow you to change the name.
After that we see the "+new diagram", this is to start a new diagram, if you already have data in the current diagram and click this button, your data will save automatically and begin a new diagram.
To the left of that is our "support" dropdown that lets you access these articles as well as contact our support team.
Lastly we have your account dropdown - this is where you will click to upgrade, change cards associated with your account, add a profile image, as well as many other abilities, we'll cover this and more in a different more in-depth article later on.
#2 | Tool Bar
The tool bar is the bread-and-butter of the diagram building process, meaning it will be the place you spend most of your time when contracting a diagram. The tool bar is the grey bar just below the nav bar and it has many of the node buttons, settings, and tools you need. We'll cover all these buttons more specifically in another article in the "Basics" category, for now we'll just give a brief rundown of the main groups within the tool bar.
On the far left is a dropdown for "modes"
The next nine buttons are all node drag-and-drop buttons, these are for pulling into your diagram under swimlanes to form your diagram.
You'll then see a small spacing break in the tool bar and here you'll see the Undo and Redo buttons
Following this is our swimlane popup to help quickly edit and add your swimlanes
Next is the animate button, this is a toggle to see the "flow" and direction of your diagram
After this another small spacing break and you'll see the two Up & Down buttons, these are for navigating between your higher and lower layers within a node.
As mentioned, this is just a simple explanation, we'll get a deeper look at what these buttons do in another article.
#3 | Quick Tools
Here is where we'll see a large spacing break to the group of buttons on the far right of the tool bar, these buttons are tools that allow you to share, modify, and make changes to your diagram that fit your specific style, such as settings.
#4 | Add Team
Here you can add in team that you have already created, edit a team you've already made, or you can click the Teams/Recent toggle and see all your most recently placed nodes and swimlanes.
#5 | Add Swimlane
This button allows you to add in a single new swimlane - clicking this will bring up a popup for you to input the swimlane for the modal.
#6 | Canvas
The "canvas" is just a general name for the large area of the diagram that holds all your nodes, links, and data.
#7 | Status Bar
This bottom bar on the screen is your status bar, it can provide quick information on your diagram along with "at a glance" information you can use in emails or updates. This data in the status bar is dynamic as well, so when data changes in your diagram the status bar will automatically update as well.