The canvas is where you actually build diagrams in livediagram. It is an open, scrollable surface you can pan and zoom freely, with the palette pinned across the top of it for adding elements and switching tools. Everything works straight away, no sign-in required, so you can open a fresh canvas and start placing shapes in seconds.
The Palette
The Palette is a strip pinned to the top centre of the canvas, holding everything you add to it. It starts with two dropdowns: the canvas tool (Select, Hand, Laser and the other selection modes) and the palette category. Then come the category's first tiles, More (⋯) for the rest of the category, and Search for finding any element by name. The palette opens on Popular, the tiles most reached for in the current mode. See Toolbar Layout for the details.
In the top-left corner, beside the strip, the menu button opens the Explorer, and on a computer the mode switch (Diagram, Draw, Illustrate and Plan) sits beside it.
Adding Elements
Most elements are added straight from the palette, which is organised into categories you pick from its category dropdown. In Diagram mode that is Popular, then Shapes, Write (text, notes and pages) and Draw (pens and arrows), then Build (mind nodes, lanes, frames, tables), then Icons, Stickers, Tech and Media, then Collaborate. Each mode offers its own set: Components, Devices and Data (charts) belong to Illustrate mode, for example. Clicking a tile arms a combined gesture: a tap drops the element at your pointer, and a drag sizes it as you go. Single-key shortcuts skip the palette altogether, such as R for a rectangle, T for text and N for a sticky note. See Adding Elements for the full walkthrough.
Moving Around
The canvas is effectively infinite, so you are never boxed in. Use the Hand tool, a middle-click drag, two fingers on a trackpad, or hold Space and drag to pan, and Cmd / Ctrl + scroll, a pinch, or the zoom controls in the bottom-right corner to scale the view. The Panning and Zooming article covers every way to navigate.
Each tab has its own backdrop and theme. The paintbrush button beside the zoom controls opens the Tab Look & Feel dialog, where you can change the canvas background or pick a theme.
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