# Style shapes and connectors

Everything visual lives in the format panel on the right, and every setting there is really editing one string. Once you know that, styling a hundred shapes consistently becomes trivial.

Copy the style from a shape you have already got right, rather than setting each property again.

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## What this is for

* Making a diagram match a house style.
* Applying one shape's styling to many others.
* Fine control that the panel does not expose.

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## How it works

| **Action**         | **How**                                                                                   |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Fill and stroke    | The Style tab of the format panel, with the shape selected.                               |
| Copy a style       | Right-click, Edit Style to copy the string; or Copy Style and Paste Style between shapes. |
| Edit the raw style | Ctrl+E opens the style string for the selection.                                          |
| Text style         | The Text tab: font, size, alignment, and spacing.                                         |
| Line style         | Dashed, dotted, width, and arrowheads at each end.                                        |
| Default style      | Right-click, Edit Style on a shape, then set as default for new shapes.                   |

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## A few things that catch people out

* Ctrl+E is the power user's route: paste a style string onto twenty shapes and they all match exactly.
* Copy Style and Paste Style is faster than the panel for making two shapes consistent.
* Colour alone should never be the only signal. Some readers cannot distinguish it.

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## Related

[Layers, groups and orderWhat sits in front, and what moves together.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/layers-groups-and-order.html)

[Align, distribute and auto layoutMaking it look deliberate.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/align-distribute-and-auto-layout.html)

[draw.io editorBack to the editor overview.](https://help.gocapable.com/diagrams/draw-io-editor.html)

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_The canvas rewards ten minutes of learning._