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Editing Start

Editing begins through the context menu by right-clicking.

Right-clicking the canvas, opening the Relationship submenu, adding a table, then its own menu

Right-clicking a table or a relationship opens that item's own menu instead.

Table Creation​

Create a table from the context menu or with the shortcut Alt + N.

Memo Creation​

Create a memo from the context menu or with the shortcut Alt + M.

A memo is a free-text note on the canvas. Click into its body and type; the text is saved with the document.
Escape closes the memo editor, keeping what you typed and leaving the memo selected, and a second Escape clears the selection.
Drag its border to resize it, and use the x in its header to delete it.

Adding a memo with Alt + M, typing a note, and dragging its border to resize it

Relationship Creation​

Start a relationship from the context menu, from the canvas toolbar at the bottom of the canvas, or with a shortcut. Each relationship type has its own:

  • Zero One: Ctrl + Alt + 1 (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + ⌥ + 1 (Mac)
  • Zero N: Ctrl + Alt + 2 (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + ⌥ + 2 (Mac)
  • One Only: Ctrl + Alt + 3 (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + ⌥ + 3 (Mac)
  • One N: Ctrl + Alt + 4 (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ + ⌥ + 4 (Mac)

Once a type is armed the cursor changes. Click the parent table first, then the child table.
The parent gets a primary key if it does not have one, and for each of the parent's primary key columns the child gets a Not Null foreign key column with the same data type, default, and comment.
Each is named after its key: a one-word name such as id gets the parent table's name in front (user_id), a name of several words such as member_id is kept, and a name the child already has is numbered (user_id_2) — see Foreign Key Column Names.
Clicking one table twice draws a self-referencing relationship.
A new relationship starts with On Delete and On Update both Not set; change them from its context menu — see ON DELETE and ON UPDATE.
Press Escape, or press the same shortcut again, to cancel. Canceling leaves the selection as it is, and the next Escape clears it.

Drawing a One N relationship with ⌘ + ⌥ + 4, then a Zero N one from the canvas toolbar

Duplicating Tables and Memos​

Existing tables and memos can be copied, pasted, and Alt-dragged into duplicates — see Table-related Functions.