ArchDocs
Start free

References and icons

A reference points a diagram to a document or an object you already maintain. Choose an icon when you only need its visual symbol.

Editing requires docs:write, and uploading custom icons requires icons:manage.

Place a reference

  1. Press Shift+N and search for the document or object by name.
  2. Choose the result under Architecture Docs or Objects.
  3. Place the reference on the canvas.

You can also select +, then Reference, and use Search for a reference.

A reference points to the existing document or object. It doesn't copy the contents, so there's no second version to maintain. For the shared-object model, see Objects and references.

Embed a document on the canvas

Select a document reference and turn on Embed to show its diagram inside the reference's area. Turn Embed off to return to a named reference.

Object references have no Embed toggle.

Open references in viewer tabs

  1. Select a reference and choose Open Reference.
  2. In an object preview, select a document under Attached docs to open it in another viewer tab. When several references are open, use the tabs to switch between them.
  3. Select Open editable doc if you need to edit the previewed document.

These tabs are inside the reference viewer, not separate browser tabs. Document previews are read-only. Each document tab keeps its pan and zoom while you switch tabs.

Insert a library icon

Press Shift+N, search by name and choose a result under Icons, then place it on the canvas. An icon doesn't create an object or record a dependency. To connect Dispatch Service to Billing Service as shared objects, use references instead of two standalone icons.

Upload a custom icon

  1. Open the organization name in the sidebar, then select Organization Settings > Icons.
  2. Open the collection where the icon belongs. To create one, select New Collection, choose Parent Collection, enter Name and Short Name, then select Create Collection.
  3. Select Upload Icon. In Icon, choose an SVG or PNG file of at most 5 MiB.
  4. Enter Name and Short Name, then select Upload Icon to save it.

Short Name accepts letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores. Return to the canvas and find the uploaded icon through the insert palette (Shift+N).