Editor tutorial

Before you start

In just a few minutes, you’ll build this flowchart of a purchase request with the keyboard:

The Line9 editor comes with Line9 Pro. Without a Pro account you can still follow along: when Line9 offers a preview, choose Try it. Nothing you make in the preview can be kept.

Open the diagram and enter the editor

1. Open the starting diagram. It has one node, Request.
2. Press Enter. The editor opens, and a blue ring, the cursor, goes round Request. The mode button at the bottom shows EDIT.

Rename the first node

1. Press cc. The label clears, ready for you to type.
2. Type Purchase request received and press Enter.

Add nodes

o adds a node after the cursor’s node, joined to it by an edge. The cursor moves to the new node.

1. Press o, type Check the budget and press Enter.
2. Press o, type Within budget? and press Enter.
3. Type :shape diamond and press Enter. The node becomes a decision.
4. Press o, type Raise purchase order and press Enter.
5. To label the edge into it, press ce. A short code appears on the edge: type it, then type Yes and press Enter. The cursor is now on the edge.
6. Press l or → to move the cursor on to Raise purchase order.
7. Press o, type Order goods and press Enter.
8. Press O (Shift+O) to add a node that leads into Order goods. Type Approve extra spend and press Enter.

Jump to any node: Press f, and a short code appears beside each node in view, except the cursor’s. Type a node’s code to move the cursor to it. If a node has no code, it is out of view: press ⌘0 (Mac) or Ctrl+0 (Windows) to fit the whole diagram in view, then press f again.

Connect two nodes with an edge

1. Press f, then the code on Within budget?.
2. Press >, then f and the code on Approve extra spend. A new edge joins the two, and the cursor moves onto it.
3. Press cc, type No and press Enter.

The other way: > makes an edge from the cursor’s node to the node you move to. To make an edge the other way, into the cursor’s node, press < instead.

Give a node a class

A class names a role, such as a team. Each class gets its own colour: see Colour-code with classes.

1. Press f, then the code on Raise purchase order.
2. Type :class Finance and press Enter. The node takes a colour, and a legend appears.

Add a comment

1. Press f, then the code on Within budget?.
2. Press o, type Over budget needs the department head and press Enter.
3. Type :shape comment and press Enter. The node becomes a sticky note beside the decision.

Group two nodes

1. Press f, then the code on Check the budget.
2. Press v to start a selection. Then press f and the code on Within budget? to add it.
3. Type :group Budget check and press Enter. A group now holds both nodes.
4. Press Esc to end the selection.

Delete a node and undo it

1. Press f, then the code on Order goods.
2. Press dd. The node is deleted.
3. Press u. Order goods comes back, and the bar at the bottom says what was undone.

Leave the editor

Type :q and press Enter. The mode button shows VIEW again.

With Line9 Pro, Line9 writes your changes into the diagram’s text. Press ⌘U (Mac) or Ctrl+U (Windows) to see it. In the preview, the diagram goes back to how it was before using the editor.

What you used

Next

• How the Line9 editor works: modes, the cursor, and how to find what to press.
• Editor reference: every command, with its keys and mouse action.