General Discussion

Today we released the most important update to LucidChart since its original launch back in December 2008. Here are some of the things you might notice, each with a quick video demonstration.

Real Real-Time Collaboration (Video)

You may now choose per-document whether you would like to share your changes only when you save, or in real-time. Find this new option in the Properties panel.

Document and Page Templates (Video)

Want to add your logo or copyright notice in the same place on every page of your document? How about every page of every document you'll ever make? Now it's easy!

Create a new document, and set up the first page with your logo or whatever other content you'd like to see on all other pages. Then open the Properties panel and click Document->Template For New Pages->Set To Current Page.

If you'd like the option to have this already set up for you in future documents, now click File->Save Template. Give your template a name and description, and it will show up as an option the next time you create a new document.

If you're a paid subscriber, other users in your organization will be able to share your templates, so you can standardize across your organization.

Don't like the new curvy lines? Just set the default new line shape to "elbow" or "diagonal", and save the document as a template. You'll then have the option to use your new settings every time you make a new document (see video for demonstration).

Autosave (Video)

Autosave was one of the most-requested features for LucidChart. Your changes are automatically saved as a draft, whether you're working on an existing document or a new document.

If you close the document without saving your changes, that draft is saved. When you next open up the document, LucidChart will ask you whether you want to restore your unsaved changes to the document. If you were working on a new document that you hadn't saved yet, you'll get this prompt the next time you create a new document.

Revert To Older Document Version (Video)

Did someone screw up your document? You can now use the History panel to revert to any earlier version of your document, or even "fork" out a new document from an earlier revision so you don't overwrite all those changes.

Curvy Lines (Video)

The most obvious new feature is the addition of curved lines. In fact, they're the default for new documents. If you'd prefer to keep your old elbowed lines by default, check out the video under "Document and Page Templates" for a cool demonstration.

All-New Properties Panel (Video)

A lot of functionality has been added to the Properties panel:

• Edit the properties of all your selected items at once.
• Adjust page size, orientation, and (new!) content size.
• Adjust document properties like real-time collaboration settings, the template for new pages, and default styles for new blocks and lines.
• Adjust the size of the content on a page, so you can fit more or less content onto the same 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper.

Drag & Drop Reordering Pages (Video)

You can now change the order of the pages in your document just by dragging around the page titles in LucidChart.

Copy & Paste Between Browsers (Video)

You can now copy content in one document and paste it into another. The only requirement is that you are logged in as the same user for both windows.

New UI Hints (Video)

The user interface for creating and editing blocks and lines has been updated to provide more information about what it is you're going to do. When you're creating or moving a line, the "link" points on all the blocks on the page (which you can stick the end of the line onto) light up.

It's now much more obvious when your line is going to be attached to a block.

Now creating or moving a block can attach it to the lines already on the page, so you don't need to reattach lines manually when you replace one block with another.

New Text Editor (Video)

The text editor for LucidChart has been completely rewritten from the ground up for speed, reliability, and compatibility. A new option for changing text color has been added. The text editor starts instantly, the restyling options never fail, and the style is reproduced more faithfully than ever in PDF and image output.

Other Changes

Some other updates don't translate to video well, but are worth mentioning:

• Most European characters are now supported in PDF and image output.
• Right-to-left support for Hebrew in PDF and image output has been added.
• Moving a line's endpoint away from a block it's linked is easier than it has been in the past, due to some tweaked UI settings.
• When you save your document, an MD5 checksum (except in IE, where a length-based checksum is used due to performance concerns) is sent along with your document to make sure it arrives intact. If you lose your internet connection in the middle of saving your document, your document will not be corrupted.
• General performance has been increased dramatically across the board, especially when working with large documents.