6 min read

Feature

Visualizations can help you to see the bigger picture of your project, and with WorkCanvas, we mean this quite literally 😉

Whether you're creating diagrams, mind-maps, and retrospectives for your project, or want to use a creative tool for team-building and workshopping. WorkCanvas is a one-stop product for all your creative needs.

Note: All WorkCanvas creations can be deleted directly from the home page. If you wish to retrieve the deleted data, our team can restore your deleted items. Alternatively, upon request, users can have hard deletion of data to ensure their permanent removal.  

Understanding your Toolbar

The Toolbar sits on the left-hand side of your canvas. From here, you will find all the tools you require to build, organize, and communicate on your canvas. Hover over the tool icon to see what it does, and click on the icon to select the tool for use. 

Tip: You can change the order of how elements appear on your canvas by clicking the three dots on the edit menu and choosing from the different layering options. 

WorkCanvas tools not covered in this article:

• Card Stack
• Gantt element
• Table element
• monday.com integration

The Select tool

By using the "Select" icon, you can click on any item or frame, which will open a menu with options to edit that item. Examples of editing functions available here include selecting the item's color, modifying text style, hiding the frame, adding a comment, and more. 

The Select tool also lets you rotate and move items around the canvas or within a frame to position them as needed.

Note: The editing options that appear with the select tool vary depending on your selection. For example, the editing menu for a shape and a frame offers different editing options. 

To navigate around your canvas and move the view, click the Select tool again. When the tool is no longer highlighted in blue, you can click on your canvas and drag to move around. You can also zoom in or out of your canvas, using the zoom option in the bottom right-hand corner to either hone in on a frame or see your canvas as a whole.

Tip: When the Select tool is unselected, you can only view the different areas of your canvas. To move a specific frame or item, you must reselect the Select tool.

The Template tool

You can add WorkCanvas templates from your home page in the "Template library" or via the Template tool in your canvas toolbar. Search templates using the search bar at the top of the template centre. Click a template to either "Preview" or "Use Template". After selecting a template, click on your canvas to input it and adjust its size to fit your layout.

The Text tool

Click the Text icon to add a box anywhere on your canvas. Select it to adjust size, placement, and content. Use the edit menu to change color and style, and click the three dots for more options.

The Sticky Note tool

Sticky Notes allow you to add content to visuals while maintaining a clean look. Drag and place notes on your canvas, then click to type. Use the edit menu to customize color and size or group notes for bulk editing.

Note: Selecting the "Lock" icon from the edit menu on any of the tools will allow you to restrict any edits being made to that item. To allow edits again, simply select the "Lock" icon once more.

Shapes, Professional libraries, and Connectors

In addition to the wide variety of templates to choose from, you can utilize the Shape tool to create your own quick diagrams and visuals or even add icons to bolster your templates!

• Shapes

Drag and draw the shape of your choice anywhere on your canvas. Then, using the edit menu, you can edit the shape's color, outline, and text. By selecting the shape option on the edit menu, you can change the shape you chose to a different one, making it easily customizable!  

When you drag a connector from a shape, a menu with various shape suggestions appears. From here, you can choose to add the same shape as the one you are connecting to, or choose an entirely different shape. 

Note: Refer to the section below on Connectors to learn how to connect your shapes to build diagrams and flowcharts.

• Connectors

Connectors enable you to link items, build on ideas, create a flow, and provide items with further context. Once connected, items can be dragged around the canvas without disconnecting.

To add a connector, select the "Connectors" tab from within "Shapes", click on one item, and drag the connector to the second item you want to attach it to.

You can also click on the anchor point on the side of your shape and drag the connector to another shape on your canvas. 

You can add text to each connector to label the link between the items and choose different arrowheads for your connector in both directions. To add your text, click on the connector's line and type in the text box that appears. You can change the arrowhead by clicking on the arrow icon in the edit menu. 

By using an "elbow connector", you can create more precise, flexible, and customizable connections between elements via configurable breakpoints. To adjust the angles and layout of these connectors, click on the breakpoint circles on the connector and drag the connector to create the angle and shape that suits your needs. 

• Professional libraries

Additionally, when clicking on the Shape tool and selecting "All shapes", a menu will open in the left-hand pane with further shapes and professional libraries to choose from. These include BPMN's, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud icons. 

Adding Icons 

Icons are a great way to help create clear, visually engaging diagrams. To add an icon, click on the  "Icons" option on your left-hand toolbar. The Icons library will open, allowing you to choose from a wide variety of options. You can also use the search bar at the top of the library to find the icon you want to add to your canvas.

The Mind Map tool

The Mind Map tool helps generate vertical or horizontal mind maps on your canvas to visualize structure and flows. To build your mind map, select the tool from the toolbar and click on your canvas to insert the starting centre node. From there, you can build vertically or horizontally by choosing its direction. To add a new node, click the "+" icon next to the previous node.

You can also split branches to build out your mind map more broadly. To split a branch, select the "+" at the base of the branch, by the previous node. To delete a node, simply select the node, click on the three dots on the menu bar, and select "delete".

Tip: You can change the color of your mind map branches by selecting the color icon on the menu bar that appears when you select that node. From this menu bar, you can also format the text from the "T" icon and find more editing options by selecting the three dots.

You can rearrange the nodes by dragging and dropping them to a different position within the mind map, ensuring dynamic flexibility in visualizing your workflow. 

The Pen tool

Ready to further your creative flair? With the Pen tool, you can write or draw on your canvas with a simple click and scroll. Select the Pen tool from the toolbar, and click to draw anywhere on your canvas. You can change the color and width of your lines, group your drawings together, and more, via the menu bar.

The Tasks tool

To assign a task, click on the "Task" icon in the Toolbar, and then on the area of your canvas you would like to insert the task. By selecting the expand arrow icon in the top right-hand corner of the task, you can title, describe, and assign the task to a team member.

You can use the clock icon at the bottom left corner of your canvas to time tasks or any action being done on the canvas. This is a very useful feature for workshops and team-building activities.

Tip: Another effective way to communicate with your team on the canvas is to leave a Comment. By selecting any item on the canvas, you can leave a comment attached to that item for either the whole team to see or specific teammates to mention.

The Files tool

With the Files tool, you can easily upload images and PDFs from your computer to your canvas. Click on the "Upload" icon, and a box will appear that allows you to drag and drop an image or PDF from your computer or browse your computer to locate the desired file.

Tip: Images can be linked via URL to a website or monday.com board so that references can be made to other platforms for further information or details. To embed a link, select the three dots on the edit menu and select "Link". You can then input a URL of your choice.

The Frame tool

Frames help organize your canvas by creating boundaries around items. Each frame can have a title for easy navigation. Moving a frame keeps the contained items inside. To add a frame, select the Frame icon, choose a size or custom, then draw it on your canvas around or near items.

The blue squares around the frame let you adjust its size and shape. Clicking the frame opens a menu that allows you to change the color, hide, comment, or lock the frame. The three dots reveal additional options, including the ability to delete the frame.

To move a frame around your canvas, use the Select tool, click on the frame, and drag it to your desired position.

Tip: The "Lock" option is a great way to ensure that objects on your canvas cannot be edited or moved while you build your imagery. This is a great tool to use if you're creating backgrounds for your frames 😍

Use the Sidebar icon at the bottom left to view all frames on your canvas and navigate easily. You can rename a frame by clicking and editing its name, or change its order by dragging and dropping within the Sidebar.

Tip: You can draw frames within other frames and name them accordingly. This can help hone in on certain information and aspects of the items within a frame.

Batch action edits 

Once you've added elements to your canvas, batch actions let you apply edits to multiple elements of the same type within a group. You can change shapes, connectors, fill colors, and font style and size.

To do this, drag your cursor around the elements, click the "filter" icon in the edit menu, and select which elements to edit from the dropdown. 

After selecting which elements you would like to change, you can choose different actions from the edit menu. Once you've chosen the desired edit, the change will apply to all the selected elements.