The Schemity ERD canvas is where your schema lives visually. It is the main working surface of this desktop ERD tool: entities are boxes, relationships are connectors, and you arrange them to tell the story of your data model.
How do I add entities and draw relationships?
- Add an entity from the control bar (Schemity calls a table an “entity”), then name it. You can also right-click empty canvas or use the create-entity keyboard shortcut.
- Move an entity by dragging it. Connected relationships follow automatically.
- Draw a relationship by connecting two entities; Schemity renders it in crow’s foot notation. See Relationships.
A brand-new diagram does not leave you guessing: an empty canvas prints the ways in - right-click or the create-entity shortcut on the main view, import inside a context view, where entities cannot be created. The hint is click-through, so a right-click lands on the canvas and opens the menu it just described, and it never shows up in a PNG or SVG export.
How do I pan the canvas and arrange the layout?
- Pan by dragging empty canvas space; the view auto-scrolls when you drag an entity toward an edge.
- Auto Layout arranges entities hierarchically, and Alphabet Layout orders them alphabetically - both are a good starting point you can then adjust by hand.
- Alignment guides snap entities into line and equal spacing as you drag, so the diagram stays neat.
When a single canvas gets crowded, do not fight it - create Context Views so each view shows only the entities that matter.
How do I find an entity, field, or legend?
Search, rather than scan. Schemity’s search is a realtime fuzzy search over entity names, field names, and legend names: type whatever fragment you remember - it does not have to be contiguous or complete - and results narrow as you type. Every row states what it is with a prefix ([E] entity, [F] field, [L] legend), and results rank by match quality first, then kind, then name, so equally good hits stay grouped instead of interleaving.
Move through the list with Up/Down (hovering a row moves the selection too) and press Enter, or click. An entity or field is selected on the canvas; a legend is selected with the viewport centred on it. Search is scoped to the view you are in - a context view searches its own legends, the main view searches the main ones - matching how legends live per view.
How do I check the schema for problems?
The Lint button next to Search turns on Schema Lint, which checks the diagram against seventeen rules and marks what it finds in the margin - the exact entity, and the exact field row. Its count badge stays live whether or not the lint drawer is open, and takes its color from the most serious finding, so the canvas tells you when something needs attention without being asked.
How do I add a legend to the canvas?
Add a legend - a colored, named box - to group or annotate a region of the canvas. Legends are a presentation aid; see Legends & Annotations.
Can I keep several diagrams open at once?
You can keep several diagrams open at once, each in its own tab in the control bar. A tab marked with * has unsaved changes. See Tabs & Navigation for switching between them and the keyboard shortcuts.
How do I export my diagram to PNG, SVG, or SQL?
Export the current diagram from the export menu as a PNG, JPEG, or SVG image, or as a SQL file of CREATE statements. SVG keeps text selectable and scales infinitely. See Export SQL / Generate DDL.
Where is my diagram saved?
Every change on the canvas - positions included - is written to the connection’s JSON file. That is what makes Schemity an ERD single source of truth: the picture and the structure are one versioned file.
Next
Edit the contents of an entity in Entities & Fields.