Interface and Navigation

Interface and navigation

FigureLoom uses an office-style editor layout. The exact arrangement changes on a phone, but the project and editing tools are the same.

Top line

The top line contains the project name and the controls that need to stay close at hand.

Common controls include:

• Project name
• Undo
• Redo
• Export
• Account or profile access
• Help or guide access

On a phone, the header is deliberately compact. Less common actions move into More so the project name, undo, redo, and export controls remain usable.

Main tabs

The visible tabs organize the normal editing workflow.

Settings

Use Settings for interface behavior and accessibility options.

Important controls include:

• Automatic, Desktop and tablet, or Phone interface mode
• Light or dark appearance
• Text and control sizing
• Reduced motion
• Stronger focus indicators
• Higher contrast and other readability options

Projects

Projects contains local project management, open projects, save controls, project gallery access, and cloud actions when an account is connected.

Home

Home contains common editing actions and frequently used object tools.

Add

Add opens the full insertion panel. It includes text, shapes, lines, arrows, connectors, images, files, templates, tables, charts, equations, code windows, and other insertable objects.

Illustrations

Illustrations opens the searchable scientific artwork library. Some assets are built into the project and some libraries load on demand.

Other workspaces

Design, Data, Review, and specialist areas may appear directly in the ribbon or inside Pro Tools, depending on the current layout and screen size.

The canvas

The canvas is the page itself. Only content inside the page is included in normal exports.

Around the canvas, FigureLoom provides:

• Zoom controls
• Hand or navigation mode
• Page format controls
• Check tools
• Grid and snapping controls
• A navigator for large pages

The gray area outside the page is workspace, not part of the exported figure.

Left side: pages and layers

On desktop and tablet, the left panel usually contains pages and layers.

Use it to:

• Add, duplicate, delete, and reorder pages
• Change the active page
• Select objects by layer
• Rename layers
• Hide or show objects
• Lock or unlock objects
• Reorder objects front to back

On a phone, open the bottom Pages control to show the same information in a sheet.

Right side: inspector

The inspector changes according to the selected object.

Typical controls include:

• Position and size
• Rotation and opacity
• Fill and stroke
• Text formatting
• Image crop and masks
• Chart or table data
• Metadata and accessibility text
• Context-specific editing actions

On a phone, select an object and open Edit.

Bottom canvas toolbar

The canvas toolbar keeps navigation and page controls available without occupying the main ribbon.

Depending on the current mode, it can include:

• Zoom out
• Current zoom
• Zoom in
• Return to 100 percent
• Format
• Navigator
• Check

The toolbar can be repositioned or collapsed in layouts that support it.

Pro Tools

Pro Tools groups advanced workspaces so the normal editor does not become a wall of controls.

Workspaces include arranging, data, annotations, components, review, publishing, office import, recovery, advanced science, accounts, collaboration, SVG paths, TeX, and pathway exchange.

See Pro Tools and advanced science.

Drawers, sheets, and dialogs

Large libraries and task-focused tools open in drawers, full-screen panels, or bottom sheets.

To leave one of these areas:

• Use its Close or Back button.
• Press Escape on a keyboard when supported.
• On a phone, use the visible close control or swipe down on a bottom sheet when available.

Passive guide

The passive guide explains the interface without clicking controls, moving objects, or scrolling the project for you.

Use Next, Back, or Close at the bottom of the guide. On a phone, the action row stays above the browser safe area and the FigureLoom dock.

Useful navigation habits

• Name the project before opening several tabs.
• Use Pages to keep complex figures split into manageable parts.
• Use Layers when an object is hidden behind something else.
• Use the inspector for exact measurements instead of repeated small drags.
• Use a project backup before large imports or major rearranging.
• Use Check before export rather than only after a file has already been submitted.