The template browser is the first screen you see when you start up SmartDraw. It's your home base for picking new templates, choosing from your existing saved diagrams, connecting storage services, importing other files, and more. This article will go over all the options available to you from this screen.
Starting a New Document
The main purpose of the Template Browser is to help you get started making or editing a diagram as quickly as possible.
If you've never created a SmartDraw document before, the Template browser will open with a selection of Popular Templates: Flowchart, Floor Plan, Gantt Chart, Map, Mind Map, Network Diagram, and Org Chart.
You can always find these templates by clicking on the Popular category under the New Document section.
The rest of the New Document section contains SmartDraw's extensive template and example collection. This is organized much like a familiar file browser with categories you can expand to find more templates. To expand a section click on the name of the category, to close an expanded section click the name of the category again to collapse the tree.
To open a template or example, simply click on it.
Search Our Template Collection
If you don't want to browse, you can use the search bar at the top left of the Template Browser to find what you're looking for. Simply type a word or phrase and hit Enter.
Choosing the right template to get started is important because it determines what tools and libraries you'll have access to. Learn more about choosing the right template.
To open a template, just click on it.
Special Kinds of Templates
Extensions
Extensions are apps inside SmartDraw that generate a diagram automatically from a data source. Under the New Document section, click on Extensions to see a list of extensions. Built-in Extensions are built by SmartDraw. You can use them to generate a Class Diagram, Decision Tree, ERD (Database) Diagram, Org Chart, or a Sitemap.
Click on Custom Extensions to create your own extension or access any extensions you've created.
To learn more about extensions and how to create your own, browse this section: https://smartdraw.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/360003141351-Generate-Automatic-Diagrams-from-Data
Shape Data
Click on the Shape Data section of the New Document tree to see templates and examples that already contain shape data. You can add shape data to any template or example in SmartDraw, but these templates already contain data so you can see how it works.
You'll notice that all the templates in this area have a blue "i" icon in the upper right indicating they have data attached. Click on any template to open it and select the Data tab in the SmartPanel to see the data behind the template.
Learn more about how Shape Data works:
https://smartdraw.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042873851-The-Shape-Data-Panel
Opening Existing Documents
At the very top left of the Template Browser, you'll see the My Documents section.
If you click on Recent, you'll see a list of your recently worked on documents.
Folders and Files Stored on SmartDraw's Online Storage
Clicking on SmartDraw takes you to all the documents stored on your SmartDraw online account. This will include your files as well as files shared with you. If you've created folders, you will see those here:
Shared folders on your license will be blue with a team avatar.
Accessing Files Shared With You
If you opened files shared with you recently, they'll appear in your recent list. You can also click on SmartDraw and click on the folder called "Shared with Me" to look for files shared with you. Shared files will be organized by the name of the person who shared them with you.
Accessing Files Stored on 3rd Party Storage Services
You can also access files on third-party services you connected like Google Drive or Dropbox. Click on the service and it will bring up any folders and files you've saved to that service.
Files saved to third party services will also have an icon in lower left to indicate which service they were saved to.
Gallery View vs List View
By default, your files will appear in a gallery view with thumbnails. This is SmartDraw's Grid view. If you prefer a list view where files appear using their name and the date they were last modified, click on the View command in the upper right of the Template Browser and choose the List view.
Switching to List View gets you a document list like this:
Adding Storage Services
The Template Browser also lets you connect to a variety of Cloud Storage Services including Dropbox®, Google Drive™, OneDrive®, or Box®.
Click on "Add Service" in the left panel to add a new storage option. Choose a provider and follow the instructions to connect
Learn more about connecting providers: https://smartdraw.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042324852-Add-a-Storage-Provider-Box-DropBox-Google-Drive-or-Microsoft-OneDrive
Importing Files
You can also import files from the Template Browser. In the Import section, you can choose from Visio, SmartDraw, or Lucidchart.
Learn more about importing a Visio file.
Learn more about importing a Lucidchart file.
Learn more about importing a SmartDraw desktop file.
Entering a License Key
If you're using a trial copy of SmartDraw, but have a License Key, you can use the Template Browser to enter the License Key and activate the full copy of SmartDraw. Click on the hamburger Menu in the upper right corner and choose "Enter License Key".
Accessing Your Account
You can also access your Account information from the Menu on the Template Browser.
Click on the Menu in the upper right corner and select "Account."
This will open a separate tab with your Account information. You can look at your invoices, change your address, or if you're managing a multi-seat license access your administrative features like setting up shared folders or restricting default storage locations.
Logging Out
To log out of your SmartDraw account, in the Template Browser, click on the hamburger Menu in the upper right corner and choose "Log Out."
Changing the Language
You can change the language used by SmartDraw in the Template Browser.
In the upper right corner, right under the hamburger Menu, you'll see a Google Translate drop down under Select Language. Click on it and select your language.
This will translate the names of the categories, the names of templates, and the commands in the menus and dialogs. Note that the text inside templates and symbols will not be translated.