Using stencils and symbols

Vecta contains thousands of symbols that you can use and reuse to make amazing diagrams, without much work. In addition, you can create stencils of your own or create them for the entire team, so your team mates can reuse symbols for maximum productivity.

Stencils and symbols in Vecta
Stencils and symbols in Vecta

Opening and using a stencil

To open and use a stencil:

  • Click on the stencil menu, and select a stencil
Vecta's stencil menu
Vecta's stencil menu

Once a stencil is opened, simply drag and drop symbols onto drawing.

 See also 

Creating a new stencil

To create a new stencil:

  • Click on the stencil menu, then click on New stencil

Collapse all stencils

To collapse all stencils:

  • Click on the stencil menu, then click on Collapse all stencils.

Symbol View

To change symbol view on stencils:

  • Click on the stencil menu, then select Symbol view.
Vecta's Symbol view menu
Vecta's Symbol view menu
Sample symbol view in Vecta

Choose from small, medium, large icons and list view option, with large being the default.

Stencil size

To change stencil size:

  • Click on the stencil menu, then on Stencil size.
Vecta's Stencil size menu
Vecta's Stencil size menu
Sample stencil size in Vecta
Sample stencil size in Vecta

Choose from three to six columns with three columns being the default.

Understanding stencil permissions

Stencil permissions always follow drawing permissions. For example, if a stencil is created on a personal drawing at Home, then the stencil will be a personal stencil.

If a stencil is created on a Team drawing, then the stencil will be a team stencil, to be shared by the entire team.

Personal stencils can only be opened and edited by you, while team stencils can be opened and edited by the entire team.

Using personal stencils on teams

When you drop a symbol from a personal stencil to a team drawing, the symbol is automatically saved on the drawing.

Your team mates will still be able to see (and edit) your symbol on the team drawing, even though they do not have access to your personal stencil.

Personal stencils can only be modified by you, while team stencils can be modified by the entire team.

Using team stencils on personal drawing

Usage of team stencils are only allowed on team drawings and not on personal drawings.

Editing stencil properties

The Edit stencil menu
The Edit stencil menu

To edit stencil:

  • Click on the Edit Stencil menu, then select Edit stencil
Edit stencil dialog
Edit stencil dialog

Rename the stencil, add a description or edit the stencil category using the Edit stencil dialog.

If a stencil has a category, it will be listed under their respective category on the Stencil menu. Different stencils can have the same category, or a stencil can be in more than one category.

You can credit a stencil to its creator or owner in the Credits to field and also enter a link that directs to the original site of the stencil in the Credits link field.

Closing a stencil

To close a stencil:

  • Click on the Edit stencil menu, then select Close

Closing a stencil merely removes the stencil from your view on this drawing, where you can select to open it again at any time.

Deleting a stencil

To delete a stencil:

  • Click on the Edit stencil menu, then select Delete

Deleting a stencil permanently removes the stencil from your dashboard, and is an irreversible action. Therefore, you will be prompted to confirm the stencil deletion.

If you delete a Team stencil, the stencil will also be permanently removed from the team.

Arrange stencils

  • On Stencils, click on the Stencil Menu and choose Edit Stencil, then select Move Stencil Up or Move Stencil Down to rearrange the order of the stencils

  • Alternatively, users can directly drag and drop the stencils to arrange them

Moving stencils

To move a stencil:

  • Go to dashboard, scroll to the bottom, and click on Stencils
  • Then select a stencil and click on the Move button, and select a destination
Moving a stencil
Moving a stencil

Moving a personal stencil to a team

If you move a personal stencil to a team, the team owners becomes the new owner of the stencil.

Moving a team stencil out as a personal stencil

Only team owners can move team stencils out from a team, to their personal stencil.

Sharing stencils

If you are the owner of a team stencil, you can select to share the stencil to another team.

To share a stencil:

  • Click on the Edit stencil menu, then on Share stencil

Refreshing stencils

If changes have been made on a team stencil by other team members, you can refresh the stencil to obtain the latest changes.

To refresh a stencil:

  • Click on the Edit stencil menu, then select Refresh stencil

Using symbols

To use a symbol:

  • Open a stencil and simply drag and drop to your drawing
Simply drag and drop to use symbols
Simply drag and drop to use symbols

Creating a new symbol

To create a new symbol:

  • Drag and drop one or more shapes onto a stencil
Drag and drop onto stencil to create a new symbol
Drag and drop onto stencil to create a new symbol

Editing symbol information

Edit symbol information menu
Edit symbol information menu

To edit symbol information:

  • Right click on a symbol and select Edit symbol information
Edit symbol information dialog
Edit symbol information dialog

You can change the name of the symbol, enter description or tags, separated by commas. Tags are keywords assigned to symbols to enable easier searching.

Copying a symbol

To copy a symbol:

  • Right click on a symbol and select Copy symbol

Pasting a symbol

To paste a symbol:

  • Right click on a symbol, hover over Paste and select Symbol
Paste menu
Paste menu

Note that you can paste the symbol in another stencil.

Pasting a symbol's name, description and tags

To paste a symbol's name, description and tags:

  • Right click on a symbol, hover over Paste and select Name, description and tags

Editing a symbol icon

To edit a symbol icon:

  • Right click on a symbol and select Edit icon

Resetting a symbol icon

To reset a symbol icon:

  • Right click on a symbol and select Reset icon

Refreshing a symbol

Once icon editing is completed, refresh a symbol to view the latest changes.

To refresh a symbol:

  • Right click on a symbol and select Refresh

Deleting a symbol

To delete a symbol:

  • Right click on a symbol and select Delete

or

  • Click on a symbol and press the Delete key

Note that deleting a symbol is a non reversible action.

Collapsing a stencil

To collapse a stencil:

  • Right click on a symbol and select Collapse stencil.

Alternatively, you can also click on the stencil's title bar to collapse or expand a stencil.

Arranging symbols in a stencil

To rearrange symbols:

  • Simply drag and drop to the required position
Drag and drop symbols to arrange them
Drag and drop symbols to arrange them

Finding symbols

To find symbols:

  • Click on Find symbols and type away
Finding symbols with results
Finding symbols with results

To save the search results as your own stencil, click on the Save icon.

Downloading a stencil

To download a stencil:

  • Click on the Edit stencil menu, and select Download stencil
Click on the Edit stencil menu, and select Download stencil

Importing a stencil

To import a stencil:

  • Click on the Stencil menu, and select Import stencil
Click on the Stencil menu, and select Import stencil

Note that only Vecta/Vecta stencils can be imported.

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