Arrowheads Reference
Diagrammix3 provides 31 different arrowhead styles for connectors and lines. This reference covers all available types and their common use cases.
Applying Arrowheads
Using the Inspector
- Select a connector or line
- Open the Inspector panel
- Find the Start Arrow and End Arrow dropdowns
- Select your desired arrowhead style
Start vs. End Arrows
- Start Arrow: The arrowhead at the beginning of the line (where you started drawing)
- End Arrow: The arrowhead at the end of the line (where you finished drawing)
You can use different arrowheads on each end.
Complete Arrowhead Reference
Basic Arrowheads
| Type | Name | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
none | None | No arrowhead | Plain lines, connections without direction |
standard | Arrow | Classic filled triangle | General flowcharts, directional flow |
inflected | Inflected | Curved/swept arrow | Stylized diagrams, dynamic flow |
stickStroked | Stick | Open chevron (>) | Lightweight direction indicators |
doubleStickStroked | Double Stick | Double chevron (>>) | Strong direction, continuation |
Geometric Shapes
| Type | Name | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
round | Circle | Filled circle | Endpoints, nodes |
roundStroked | Circle Stroked | Hollow circle | Alternative endpoints |
square | Square | Filled square | Block endpoints |
boxStroked | Box Stroked | Hollow square | Alternative block endpoints |
box | Box | Same as square | Diagram terminators |
bar | Bar | Vertical bar | Dimension lines, boundaries |
arcStroked | Arc | Crescent/arc shape | Specialized notations |
Diamond Shapes
| Type | Name | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
diamond | Diamond | Filled diamond | Decision points, joins |
diamondStroked | Diamond Stroked | Hollow diamond outline | Alternative decision points |
diamondCurved | Diamond Curved | Curved diamond | Stylized diagrams |
whiteDiamond | White Diamond | Hollow diamond (filled white) | UML aggregation |
Triangle Shapes
| Type | Name | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
whiteTriangle | White Triangle | Hollow triangle | UML inheritance (alternative) |
umlInheritance | Inheritance | Hollow triangle (UML style) | UML class inheritance |
Decorative
| Type | Name | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
singleFeather | 1 Feather | Single feather/barb | Decorative diagrams |
doubleFeather | 2 Feather | Double feather/barb | Decorative diagrams |
tripleFeather | 3 Feather | Triple feather/barb | Decorative diagrams |
Technical/Dimension
| Type | Name | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
dimensionLine | Dimension | Arrow for measurements | Technical drawings, dimensions |
dimensionLineAndBar | Dimension Bar | Dimension with bar | Technical drawings |
cross | Cross | X mark | UML destroy message, termination |
Entity-Relationship (ERD)
| Type | Name | Description | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
crowsFeet | Crows Feet | Three-pronged fork | ERD: many relationship |
crowBar | Crow Bar | Fork with bar | ERD: one-to-many |
crowBarSegment | Crow Bar Segment | Fork with segment | ERD: variation |
crowBall | Crow Ball | Fork with circle | ERD: zero-to-many |
crowBallCircle | Crow Ball Circle | Fork with double circle | ERD: optional many |
barBall | Bar Ball | Bar with circle | ERD: zero-to-one |
barBar | Bar Bar | Double bar | ERD: exactly one |
Use Case Categories
Flowcharts
For general flowcharts, use:
standard(Arrow) - Most common, clear directionnone- For bidirectional or undirected relationshipsstickStroked(Stick) - Lightweight alternative
UML Diagrams
For UML class diagrams:
umlInheritance- Class inheritance (extends)whiteTriangle- Alternative inheritance stylewhiteDiamond- Aggregation (weak "has-a")diamond- Composition (strong "has-a")standard- Association, dependencystickStroked- Dependency (alternative)
For UML sequence diagrams:
standard- Synchronous messagesstickStroked- Asynchronous messagescross- Destroy/termination message
Entity-Relationship Diagrams
For ERD cardinality:
barBar- Exactly one (1)crowBar- One to many (1..*)crowsFeet- Many (*)barBall- Zero to one (0..1)crowBall- Zero to many (0..*)
Technical Drawings
For dimensions and measurements:
dimensionLine- Standard dimension arrowsdimensionLineAndBar- Dimension with terminatorsbar- Boundary markers
Arrowhead Sizing
In Inspector
Some arrowheads support size adjustment:
- Select the connector
- In the Inspector, find Arrow Size
- Adjust the scale (small, medium, large)
With Line Weight
Arrowhead size often scales with line weight:
- Thicker lines = larger arrowheads
- Thinner lines = smaller arrowheads
Tips
- Consistency: Use the same arrowhead style throughout your diagram
- Meaning matters: Choose arrowheads that convey the correct semantic meaning
- Don't overuse: Not every line needs an arrowhead
- Consider print: Some detailed arrowheads may not print well at small sizes
- Match the notation: Use ERD arrows for ERD, UML arrows for UML
Quick Reference Table
| Category | Arrowheads |
|---|---|
| Basic | none, standard, inflected, stickStroked, doubleStickStroked |
| Circles | round, roundStroked |
| Squares | square, box, boxStroked |
| Diamonds | diamond, diamondStroked, diamondCurved, whiteDiamond |
| Triangles | whiteTriangle, umlInheritance |
| Bars | bar, arcStroked |
| Decorative | singleFeather, doubleFeather, tripleFeather |
| Technical | dimensionLine, dimensionLineAndBar, cross |
| ERD | crowsFeet, crowBar, crowBarSegment, crowBall, crowBallCircle, barBall, barBar |