Groups

Groups combine several items into a single unit that you can move and resize together. Use them to keep related elements in place while you work on the rest of the diagram.

Creating a Group

1. Select the items:
   • Drag a selection rectangle around them, or
   • Cmd+Click items to add them to the selection
2. Group them with any of these:
   • Edit → Group (Cmd+G)
   • The Group/Ungroup menu in the toolbar
   • Right-click the selection and choose Group

What Can Be Grouped

• Shapes, text boxes, images, and vector paths
• Other groups (nested groups)
• Connectors — a connector joins the group only when both of its ends are attached to items in the group

Working with Groups

• Move — drag the group; all items keep their relative positions
• Resize — drag a handle; groups always keep their proportions while resizing
• Duplicate — Edit → Duplicate (Cmd+D) creates an independent copy of the group

Groups don't have a rotation handle; rotate the individual items before grouping them.

Ungrouping

Select the group and choose Edit → Ungroup (Shift+Cmd+G), use the toolbar Group/Ungroup menu, or right-click and choose Ungroup. Ungrouping removes one level at a time — ungroup again to break up nested groups.

Nested Groups

Groups can contain other groups. Select two groups (or a group and other items) and press Cmd+G to create a parent group.

Naming, Hiding, and Locking

Groups appear as items in the Inspector's Document tab → Layers section. Right-click a group there to Rename... it, or use its eye and lock icons to hide or lock it. See Layers.

Reusing a Group

To reuse a design many times with different text, save it as a reusable element: right-click the group and choose Save as Reusable Element.... To make a row or ring of copies, use Repeat.

Tips

1. Group logically — group items that should always move together
2. Don't over-nest — deep nesting makes later edits harder
3. Merging outlines? Use Combine Shapes instead to turn several shapes into one path