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Master the Canvas

The canvas is where all the magic happens. It's designed to be flexible, allowing you to lay out your harness exactly how you want it. Here's a quick guide on how to get the most out of it.

1. Zooming and Panning​

Working on a small laptop? No problem. Use your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out. If you want to move around, just click and hold the middle mouse button (or use the spacebar + left click) to pan the canvas.

If you ever get lost, there's usually a Zoom to Fit button in the ribbon to bring everything back into view.

Performance Optimization

To keep the canvas responsive during complex builds, Wiringly caches wire data locally and uses lazy-loading for library images. This ensures smooth navigation even in projects with hundreds of components.

2. Adding Text and Images​

Sometimes a wiring diagram needs more than just wires. You might want to add a note for yourself or a logo for the project.

  • Adding Text: Click the Text icon in the ribbon. Click anywhere on the canvas to drop a text box. You can then type your notes, change colors, or resize it to fit.
  • Adding Images: Use the Image icon to upload a reference photo or a custom logo. This is great for adding connector pinout diagrams directly onto your 1:1 Formboard.

Add Text and Images

3. Grid and Snapping​

To keep things neat, we have a grid system. Most objects will "snap" to the grid, making it much easier to align components and keep your wires looking professional.

Grid and Snapping Toggling the grid for precision placement.

4. Keyboard Shortcuts​

Undo/Redo: We've all been there. If you accidentally delete a component, hit the Undo button in the ribbon (or Ctrl+Z).

Undo and Redo

5. Arrange for Readability​

Don't be afraid to move things around!

  • Independent Dragging: You can drag basically everything independently. Components, pin lists, bundle lengths, etc. Arrange those so that they don't interfere with each other and keep the canvas easy to read. Moving Components
  • Rotation: Right-click any component to rotate it in 90-degree increments. This is essential for orienting ECU connectors toward the main harness trunk.
  • Measurement Labels: Harness measurement labels can be repositioned anywhere on the canvas. These labels are "stable"—they will maintain their relative position even if the harness routing is modified or if wires are added to the bundle. Measurement Label Stability Labels maintain their relative offset even when components move.
  • Smooth Layout: When you add a new device, Wiringly automatically creates these tables to keep your pins organized. If you want to tidy up your routing, just click and drag a table. It will move smoothly with your mouse, allowing you to place it exactly where it's easiest to read during the build.
  • Logical Flow: The goal is to make the design easy to read, especially when you're standing over a workbench building the actual harness.

6. Bundle Points & Harness Routing​

Bundle Points define the trunk lines, branch splits, and breakout junctions of your wiring harness.

Fast Bundle Point Creation (Double-Click)​

Wiringly includes intuitive double-click shortcuts to speed up your harness layout without needing to switch tools:

  • Double-Click Empty Canvas: Double-clicking on any open canvas area creates a new Bundle Point at that location and selects it immediately.
  • Double-Click a Wire or Bundle Segment: Double-clicking directly on an existing wire or multi-wire bundle segment splits that segment:
    1. Creates a new Bundle Point snapped cleanly onto the segment's centerline.
    2. Auto-routes all wires traversing that segment (in both directions) through the new Bundle Point automatically.
    3. Immediately selects the new point so you can drag and shape the branch or breakout leg right away.

Shaping Branches & Trunks​

  • Dragging Bundle Points: Click and drag any Bundle Point to bend the harness trunk, create 90-degree service turns, or route around engine bay obstacles.
  • Adding Wires to Points: Drag loose wire segments into existing bundle points to group them into the same harness sheath.
  • Live Segment Measurements: Wiringly computes the length of each individual branch segment in real time. Click any dimension label to lock in a custom manual length if required.

Merging Bundle Points & Combining Bundles​

When organizing or refactoring your harness layout, you can easily combine two branches or bundle runs:

  • Drag to Merge: Click and drag any Bundle Point directly toward another existing Bundle Point.
  • Magnetic Snap & Visual Feedback: When the points are within snap distance, the cursor magnetically snaps to the target point, highlighting it with an emerald pulsing ring and a "Merge Bundles" badge.
  • Automatic Route Convergence: Dropping the point combines both into a single bundle point. All wires and multi-core cables routed through either point are automatically updated to route through the combined point, while adjacent duplicate path tokens are seamlessly collapsed.