Tips & Tricks - Web of Facts

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Double-click canvas`	Add new entity at that location
`Shift + Drag`	Drag from one entity to another to create a relationship
`Right-click`	Context menu with relevant actions (Edit, Clone, Delete, Connect)
`Click + Drag`	Move entities on the canvas
`Ctrl/Cmd + Click`	Multi-select entities
`Delete`	Remove selected entities/relationships
`Escape`	Cancel current operation / close panel / clear search
`Type in Search`	Search across all entities and relationships
`Scroll Wheel`	Zoom in/out on the canvas
`Ctrl/Cmd + B`	Bold text in notes (in text fields)
`Ctrl/Cmd + I`	Italic text in notes

Markdown Formatting in Notes

Use markdown in notes fields to format your text:

Markdown	Result
`bold text`	bold text
`italic text`	italic text
`### Heading`	Creates a heading
`- item`	Creates a bullet list
`1. item`	Creates a numbered list
`[link text](url)`	Creates a clickable link
`code`	Inline `code` formatting

Best Practices

Getting Started

Start Simple: Begin with a few key entities and add complexity gradually
Use Meaningful Names: Clear labels make your graph easier to understand
Choose the Right Template: Select a template that matches your use case for relevant entity and relationship types

Organizing Your Graph

Organize Visually: Group related entities together spatially on the canvas
Custom Colors: Develop a color scheme and stick to it for consistency (e.g., blue for people, green for places)
Use Relationship Labels: Clear relationship labels help explain connections at a glance

Working with Data

Add Rich Notes: Use the notes field to capture details that don't fit in structured fields
Fill in Details: Complete the structured fields for better searching and filtering later
Sync Regularly: While auto-save protects against crashes, syncing to server ensures your work is backed up and shareable

Pro Tip: Before creating a large graph, sketch it out on paper first. This helps you plan the structure and identify key relationships.

Working with Templates

General Purpose

The most flexible template, suitable for any kind of relationship mapping. Includes generic entity types like Person, Place, Thing, and Event.

Network/IT Infrastructure

Optimized for documenting servers, network devices, services, and their dependencies. Great for system administrators and IT teams.

Home Inventory

Track possessions, their locations, purchase information, and warranties. Useful for insurance documentation and organization.

Travel Planner

Map destinations, accommodations, activities, and transportation. Connect them to visualize your complete itinerary.

Capability Map

Document business capabilities, organizational units, applications, and processes for enterprise architecture work. Ideal for IT strategy and capability planning.

Genealogy

Build family trees with person, family unit, place, event, and source entity types. Supports directed family-tree layout for clear generational visualization.

Org Chart

Map organizational hierarchies with person, position, department, division, and company entity types. Automatically arranges in a top-down hierarchy using the dagre layout engine.

Tip: You can see which template each project uses by looking at the colored badge on the project card in your dashboard.

Search

Use the search bar above the graph to quickly find entities and relationships:

Live Search: Results update as you type with a live match count
Visual Highlighting: Matching items are highlighted in orange while non-matches are dimmed
Deep Search: Searches across labels, types, and all data fields including notes
Clear Search: Press Escape or click the X button to clear the search and show all items

Tip: Search is case-insensitive, so "john" will find "John", "JOHN", and "johnson".

Import & Export

Spreadsheet Export

Export your project data to an Excel spreadsheet (XLSX) for backup, reporting, or offline editing:

Project Details Sheet: Contains project metadata (name, description, template, etc.)
Entity Sheets: One sheet per entity type with all fields as columns
Relationships Sheet: All connections with source and target labels

Spreadsheet Import

Import data from a spreadsheet to create or update entities and relationships:

Change Preview: Review all additions, updates, and deletions before applying
Selective Import: Choose which changes to accept or skip
Empty Templates: Download blank templates for offline data entry

Tip: The spreadsheet includes the Project ID to prevent accidentally importing into the wrong project.

Image Export

Export your graph as an SVG image for presentations or documentation. SVG format preserves quality at any size and can be edited in vector graphics software.

Images & Media

Add images to entities to make your graph more visual. Images are supported on every entity type in every template:

Image Gallery: Each entity can have multiple images with labels
Primary Image: Mark one image as primary to display it on the entity
Lightbox View: Click any image thumbnail to view it full-size
External URLs: Images are loaded from URLs (use image hosting services for best results)

Tip: For best results, use square images for primary images as they display better on entities.

Advanced Tips

Efficient Navigation

Use the scroll wheel to zoom in on dense areas of your graph
Click and drag on empty space to pan around the canvas
Click an entity or relationship to view and edit its properties
Use search to quickly locate specific items in large graphs

Data Management

Download local copies periodically as additional backups
Use the Export/Print feature to create shareable visualizations
Export to spreadsheet for data analysis or bulk editing
Project files are standard SQLite databases that can be opened with any SQLite client

Collaboration

Create organizations to share projects with team members
Set appropriate visibility levels: Private, Organization, or Public
Use permissions (Viewer, Editor, Owner) to control access levels