Groups

Groups allow you to combine multiple shapes into a single unit that can be moved, resized, and styled together. This is essential for organizing complex diagrams and working with related elements.

Creating Groups

Grouping Shapes

1. Select multiple shapes by:
   • Click and drag to draw a selection rectangle
   • Or Shift-click to add shapes to your selection
2. Press Cmd+G or go to Arrange → Group
3. The shapes are now grouped

What Can Be Grouped

You can group:

• Shapes (rectangles, circles, custom shapes)
• Text elements
• Connectors (including their connected shapes)
• Images
• Other groups (nested groups)

Working with Groups

Moving Groups

Click and drag a group to move all elements together. All relative positions are preserved.

Resizing Groups

Drag a corner handle to resize the entire group. All elements scale proportionally.

To resize without maintaining proportions:

• Hold Shift while dragging a corner (some versions may vary)

Rotating Groups

Select the group and drag the rotation handle to rotate all elements around the group's center.

Selecting Group Members

Enter Group Editing Mode

To select and edit individual elements within a group:

1. Double-click the group
2. You're now in "group editing mode"
3. Click individual elements to select them
4. Make your edits
5. Click outside the group to exit editing mode

Direct Selection

You can also:

• Cmd+Click on an element inside a group to select it directly
• This selects the element without entering group editing mode

Ungrouping

Ungroup Command

1. Select the group
2. Press Cmd+Shift+G or go to Arrange → Ungroup
3. Elements are now separate again

Ungroup Nested Groups

To ungroup all levels at once:

• Select the outer group
• Press Cmd+Shift+G repeatedly
• Or hold Option while ungrouping to ungroup all levels

Nested Groups

Groups can contain other groups, creating a hierarchy:

Main Group
├── Subgroup A
│   ├── Shape 1
│   └── Shape 2
├── Subgroup B
│   └── Shape 3
└── Shape 4

Creating Nested Groups

1. Create a group (Group A)
2. Create another group (Group B)
3. Select both groups
4. Press Cmd+G to create a parent group

Navigating Nested Groups

• Double-click to enter a group
• Double-click again to enter a nested group
• Click outside to exit one level
• Click far outside to exit all levels

Group Styles

Applying Styles to Groups

When you apply a style to a group:

• Fill and stroke affect the group's bounding box (if visible)
• Text styles affect all text within the group
• Some properties only apply to individual elements

Group Bounding Box

Groups can optionally display a bounding box:

1. Select the group
2. In the Inspector, find the group options
3. Enable Show Bounds
4. Style the bounding box as needed

Common Use Cases

Logo or Icon

Combine shapes into a logo, then group for easy placement:

1. Design your icon with multiple shapes
2. Select all shapes
3. Group them
4. Move and resize as a unit

Diagram Components

Create reusable components:

1. Design a server rack, user icon, or other element
2. Group it
3. Duplicate (Cmd+D) to create copies
4. Each copy is an independent group

Flowchart Sections

Organize flowchart sections:

1. Group related shapes and connectors
2. Move entire sections easily
3. Apply consistent styling

Template Elements

Create templates with grouped placeholders:

1. Design headers, sections, or decorative elements
2. Group each template component
3. Lock groups that shouldn't be modified

Tips

1. Name your groups: Use the Inspector to give groups meaningful names
2. Use for alignment: Group elements that should stay aligned
3. Don't over-group: Keep groups logical and not too deeply nested
4. Remember shortcuts: Cmd+G (group) and Cmd+Shift+G (ungroup)
5. Edit mode: Double-click to edit without ungrouping

Keyboard Shortcuts