# Mermaid source round trip

Every canvas gesture is converted into a source edit, and the source is what gets saved. There is no separate visual model kept alongside it.

That is the property that makes the visual editor safe to use on a diagram somebody maintains as text: the diff after your edit is a normal Mermaid diff.

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## What this is for

* Working on a diagram that other people edit as text.
* Understanding what your canvas edits will look like in review.
* Deciding whether the visual editor is safe to use on a shared diagram.

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## How it works

| **Action**       | **How**                                               |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| A canvas gesture | Becomes a source edit immediately.                    |
| Saving           | Writes the source, exactly as the code pane shows it. |
| Formatting       | Kept idiomatic, so the diff is readable.              |
| Switching views  | Free; the source is already current.                  |

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## A few things that catch people out

* There is no hidden layout data. What you see in the code pane is everything.
* Because edits are source edits, undo and version history behave normally.
* A colleague reviewing your change sees Mermaid, not an opaque blob.

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## Related

[Mermaid visual editor limitsWhat it leaves to the code pane.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/mermaid-visual-editor-limits.html)

[Mermaid visual editor shortcutsSix keys, and Alt.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/mermaid-visual-editor-shortcuts.html)

[Mermaid visual editorBack to the editor overview.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/mermaid-visual-editor.html)

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_Drag it. The text keeps up._