Phone and Tablet

Phone and tablet

FigureLoom uses one project format and one editor. Interface modes change the layout, not the project data.

Choosing an interface mode

Open Settings and choose one of these options:

• Automatic chooses Phone, Tablet, or Desktop from the device size and input type.
• Desktop uses the compact mouse-and-keyboard layout with more canvas space.
• Tablet uses the full editor with roomier touch targets and no phone sheets.
• Phone uses the phone-specific dock and sliding panels.

The setting applies immediately. Switching modes does not duplicate, convert, or flatten the project.

Desktop and tablet history controls

On Desktop and Tablet, Undo and Redo sit in the selected-object action group directly beside Delete.

This keeps the three related actions together without moving the rest of the toolbar. The Tablet buttons use touch-friendly sizing while keeping the same order as Desktop.

Phone layout

Phone mode gives most of the screen to the canvas.

Header

The compact header keeps these actions available:

• Project name
• Undo
• Redo
• Export

Other actions move into More.

Main tabs

The normal tabs remain horizontally scrollable. This keeps their names and order familiar without squeezing every tab into the width of the phone.

Bottom dock

The bottom dock contains:

• Tools for the current ribbon tools
• Pages for pages and layers
• Edit for the selected object's inspector
• More for projects, settings, account, templates, Loomy, Pro Tools, Help, sharing, and other less frequent actions

The dock remains available while ordinary editing sheets are open so you can move directly from Pages to Edit or Tools.

Help on a phone

Open More, then tap Help. The phone sheet closes and the FigureLoom Help menu opens above the editor.

The Help menu provides:

• Search the full manual
• Start here
• Quick task guides
• Visual interface guide
• Passive interface tour

The passive guide does not leave the editor or change the project. Its 13 steps cover Projects, Settings, main workspaces, tools, the real page and canvas, pages and layers, the canvas control bar, the inspector, Pro Tools, Loomy, sharing, Help, and export.

The guide never opens panels, moves objects, changes selections, or scrolls the project.

Adding objects on a phone

Select Add from the tab row. Add opens its own full-screen insertion panel rather than a small sheet.

This gives enough room for:

• Text and shapes
• Lines, arrows, and connectors
• Images and files
• Templates
• Tables and charts
• Equations
• Code windows
• Other insertable objects

Close the panel to return to the canvas.

Editing an object

1. Select the object on the canvas.
2. Tap Edit in the bottom dock.
3. Change the available properties.
4. Close the sheet or choose another dock section.

The inspector uses the same object controls as Desktop and Tablet, arranged vertically for a narrow screen.

Pages and layers on a phone

Open Pages.

Page thumbnails appear in a horizontal row. Layers appear below them. You can switch pages, add pages, reorder pages, select layers, change visibility, lock objects, and change layer order.

Zooming and panning

Use the canvas zoom buttons or pinch with two fingers.

Phone zoom scales the visible page without changing its real coordinate system or inventing extra canvas area. Objects remain tied to the same page bounds at every zoom level.

To move around a zoomed page:

• Use the Hand or navigation tool.
• Drag the workspace when panning mode is active.
• Use the navigator for a large poster or heavily zoomed page.

Moving objects

Drag a selected object with one finger. The object should remain within the real page coordinate space even when the page is zoomed.

For exact movement, open Edit and enter position values.

Long press

A long press on the canvas or an object can open the existing context-menu path when the current object supports it.

Do not hold a finger still when you intend to pan. Start the movement promptly so the gesture is treated as a drag rather than a long press.

Safe areas

Phone mode respects the top status area, rounded corners, and the bottom browser or home-indicator area.

Dialogs, the Help menu, passive guide, export controls, and bottom sheets should keep their important buttons above these areas.

Switching away from Phone mode

Open More and choose the available Desktop or Tablet interface shortcut, or open Settings and choose the exact mode you want.

You can return to Automatic or Phone later in Settings.

Tablet use

Tablet mode keeps the left pages panel, center canvas, and right inspector visible together, but uses roomier controls than Desktop mode.

Use Phone mode on a tablet only when you prefer the phone dock and sliding panels or need more room for the canvas.

Browser advice

• Keep only one editing tab open for the same local project when possible.
• Let the page finish loading before importing a large file.
• On iPhone, closing and reopening the tab can clear a stale visual cache after a major app update.
• Download a .figureloom backup before clearing browser data.
• If the browser zoom level itself has changed, return the browser to its normal page zoom before diagnosing canvas scaling.