How It Works

Starting the Edraw Program

The Edraw interface has a similar look and feel to that of Microsoft Office 2007 programs. This makes it easy to locate features and easier for you to use Edraw with Microsoft Office programs, such as Microsoft Word PowerPoint. After you have installed Edraw, simply open it as you would any other Windows program. The following illustration shows the default Edraw window.

If you don't get the above screen, then follow these steps: Click Edraw Ribbon Button in the Top-Left corner , then New and then Choose Drawing Type.

To familiarize yourself with the many Edraw templates available, click a Template Category and hover your mouse over the Template pictures. Edraw will display a short description of the selected template in the lower-left corner of the window. To begin working with a template, simply position your pointer over the corresponding graphic and click.

Choosing a Template

The first step in creating any diagram is to choose your template. The template is your starting point ¨C it provides you with the drawing tools (e.g., shapes, arrows, titles, and backgrounds) that you can use to create your diagram.

Selecting the Basic Flowcharting Template

In this tutorial we will be doing program flowcharts. The template we will be using is the Basic Flowchart.

1. Click Flowchart under the Category list on the left side of the Choose Drawing Type window pane.
2. Click Basic Flowchart.

The Drawing Environment

After you open a template, you'll see the Edraw drawing environment, which includes menu category, template with shapes, the drawing page, and a help pane to the right of the drawing page (F1).

You create your drawing on the drawing page, which represents the printed page and includes a grid to help position shapes. Edraw menus are similar to those in Microsoft Office 2007 System programs, so you'll find familiar ways to open, print, and save your diagrams.

Creating a Flowchart

First you add shapes (process, decision, data shapes) and text to the shapes. Then you add the connecting lines between the shapes. Next you may want to add free form text to the diagram, such as a title or comments.

Adding Shapes

Add shapes to your diagram by dragging (hold down the left mouse button and move your mouse) shapes from stencils in the Shapes window onto the drawing page. Don¡¯t worry too much about lining the shapes up. Edraw helps you line up the shapes by ¡°snapping¡± them to the Drawing Page grid.  Please note that the grid shown on the drawing page does not print out when you print the diagram.

Deleting Shapes

Deleting shapes is easy. Just click the shape and then press the DELETE key.

Move and Resize Shapes

Move a shape

1. Click the Pointer tool , and then point to a shape. (The pointer changes to a four-headed arrow .) When the shape is selected, its selection handles appear.

2. Drag the shape to where you want it.

   If snapping (snap: The ability of shapes, guides, grid lines, and other elements in the Edraw program to pull shapes and other elements into position when they are moved and sized.) is on, the shape may jump into place.

   Note  Be careful not to point to a selection handle when you move a shape. If you accidentally resize a shape, immediately click Undo on the Edit menu.

           

Move multiple shapes

1. Select the shapes that you want to move.

   Note  To select multiple shapes, click the Pointer tool , and then drag a selection net (selection net: A means of selecting more than one shape at a time by dragging the Selection tool to define an area that encloses all the shapes to be selected.) around all the shapes that you want to select.

2. Place the pointer over one of the shapes. (The pointer changes to a four-headed arrow .)

   If one of the objects you're moving is a group, the pointer won't show the four-headed arrow unless it is over one of the shapes in the group.

3. Drag the shapes to their new positions. All selected shapes move the same distance and direction from their original positions.

Resize one shape

1. Select a shape.

2. Do one of the following:

   • If the shape has selection handles , drag a selection handle until the shape is the size you want. To resize the shape proportionally, drag a corner handle.

   • If the shape has endpoints , drag an endpoint to the length you want.

   Note  Handles that are gray boxes indicate the shape is locked and cannot be resized, if you want to size it, you can modify the protection of the shape via right click menu Protection.

        

Adding Text to Shapes

You can add text to shapes. Just click a shape and begin typing; Microsoft Office Visio zooms in so you can see the text as you type.

1. Click the shape on the drawing page, and then type the desired text.
2. Alternatively, you could click the Text tool A, click the shape, and then type.
3. Click a blank area of the drawing page or press the ESC key to exit the text mode.

Adding Independent Text to the Diagram

You can also add text that's not associated with any shape, such as a title or list, to the drawing page. This type of text is called independent text or a text block. Use the Text tool to just click and type.

1. Click the Text tool A.
2. Click the page where you want the text to appear on the diagram.
3. hen type the desired text.

Connecting the Shapes with the Connector Tool

In Edraw, you create connections by attaching, or gluing, one-dimensional shapes called connectors to two-dimensional shapes. Connectors stay glued when you move the shapes. For example, when you move a flowchart shape connected to another shape, the connector repositions to keep its endpoint glued to both shapes.

You use the Connector tool to create connections. Note People new to Edraw often use the Line tool to connect shapes. Using the Connector tool is a much better method. When you use the Connector tool, connectors reroute, or bend, automatically when you move one of the connected shapes. When you use the Line tool to connect shapes, the connectors don't reroute.

1. Click the Connector tool .

2. Draw connection line as follow:

   To keep the connector glued to a specific point on a shape, drag from a connection point on the first shape to a connection point on the second shape. The connector endpoints turn red when the shapes are connected.

                      

Adding Text to Connectors

You can use text with connectors to describe relationships between shapes. Add text to connectors the same way you add text to any shape¡ªjust click a connector and type. A good example would be for Decision symbols. One arrow will have Yes or True and the other arrow will have No or False.

Saving the Diagram

After you finish a diagram, you can save it the same way you save a file created in any Microsoft Office System program.

Note It's a good idea to periodically save your diagram as you work.

1. On the File menu, click Save As.
2. In the File name box, type Flowchart, and then click Save.

Previewing and Printing the Diagram

Before you print a diagram, you can preview it to ensure it will print correctly. In the Print Preview window, the gray boundary indicates the drawing page margins and edge of the printed page. Shapes that overlap this boundary won't print completely. Either move them or adjust your drawing page or printer settings, such as orientation, size, or margins. (To adjust page or printer settings, on the File menu, click Page Setup.)

Adding a New Page

To add a new page to your project, so the following steps:

1. Select Insert from the menu.
2. Select the New Page option.