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Collaborate on a canvas

View as Markdown

Share a canvas​

  1. On the canvas, choose Share.
  2. Choose Copy link, or Invite people to email an invite or copy an invite message.

The Share dialog

Anyone with the link opens the canvas in your catalog and edits it with you.

When authentication is on, only signed-in people can open canvases, and they appear with the name and picture they signed in with. Without authentication, Studio asks each person for a name, and keeps it in their browser.

Work on it live​

Everyone on a canvas sees each other's pointers, names and changes as they happen. Changes save automatically.

  • The avatars at the top right show who is on the canvas. Click one to jump to what that person is looking at.
  • Click your own avatar to change your name and colour.

Comment​

  1. Choose Comment in the toolbar, or press C.
  2. Click a node, or a spot on the canvas.
  3. Type your comment and press Enter.

Click a comment pin to reply. Choose Resolve when the thread is settled. Comments at the bottom of the canvas lists every thread.

A comment thread on the Pay Later Provider

Flag a risk with a hotspot​

A hotspot flags a risk on a node or a spot, such as a single point of failure or data that needs a review.

  1. Choose Hotspot in the toolbar, or press A.
  2. Click the node at risk.
  3. Pick Critical, Warning or Info, and add a short title and, if you want, why it matters.

Hotspots at the bottom of the canvas lists every hotspot. At L1 and L2, hotspots inside a domain or system are shown on that domain or system, so zooming out never hides a risk.

A warning hotspot on the Instalment Plans database

Add notes and text​

  • Sticky note (N): click where it goes and type. Use notes for assumptions, scope and open questions.
  • Text (T): click anywhere and type. Use text for headings and labels.

Double-click a note or text to edit it.

Record the decision​

Every canvas has a status: Draft, Proposed, Accepted or Rejected.

  1. Choose the status next to the canvas title.
  2. Add a note if you want, for example Agreed in the architecture review.
  3. Pick the new status.

The menu shows the history of status changes, with who made each change, when, and the note.

The status menu with a note

Changing the nodes or connections on an accepted or rejected canvas makes it a draft again, so a decision always matches the design it was made on.

To find designs waiting for review, open Studio and filter by Proposed.

Lock the canvas​

Choose the lock in the toolbar. Everyone can still look at the canvas, but no one can change it until it is unlocked.