Draw.io Syntax — Style Properties Reference

Complete catalog of every Draw.io style property, shape name, arrow type, edge routing algorithm, and stencil format. Use this skill to look up exact property names, valid values, and correct syntax.

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1. When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Look up the exact name of a style property (e.g., strokeColor NOT stroke-color)
• Find the correct shape identifier for a built-in or stencil shape
• Choose the right arrow type for an edge
• Select an edge routing algorithm
• Apply sketch/hand-drawn mode properties
• Configure image shape properties

Do NOT use this skill for:

• Style string syntax rules → use drawio-core-styles
• Creating complete diagrams → use implementation skills (e.g., drawio-impl-flowchart)
• Debugging rendering issues → use drawio-errors-diagnosis

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2. Style Property Quick Reference

All 120+ properties are organized in references/methods.md. Below is the decision tree for finding the right property category.

Decision Tree: Which Property Category?

What do you need to style?
├── Shape appearance?
│   ├── Interior color → Fill Properties (fillColor, gradientColor, opacity)
│   ├── Border/outline → Stroke Properties (strokeColor, strokeWidth, dashed)
│   ├── Corner rounding → Shape Geometry (rounded, arcSize, absoluteArcSize)
│   ├── Shadow/glass → Decorative Effects (shadow, glass)
│   └── Hand-drawn look → Sketch Properties (sketch, jiggle, fillStyle)
│
├── Text/label?
│   ├── Font styling → Font Properties (fontSize, fontFamily, fontStyle, fontColor)
│   ├── Text position → Alignment (align, verticalAlign)
│   ├── Label outside shape → Label Position (labelPosition, verticalLabelPosition)
│   ├── Text wrapping → Overflow (whiteSpace, overflow, labelWidth)
│   └── Label padding → Spacing (spacing, spacingTop/Bottom/Left/Right)
│
├── Edge/connector?
│   ├── Routing path → Edge Style (edgeStyle, curved, rounded)
│   ├── Arrow markers → Arrow Properties (startArrow, endArrow, startFill, endFill)
│   ├── Connection points → Entry/Exit (exitX/Y, entryX/Y)
│   ├── Segment length → Jetty (jettySize, sourceJettySize, targetJettySize)
│   └── Line crossings → Jump Style (jumpStyle, jumpSize)
│
├── Container/group?
│   ├── Enable containment → Container (container, collapsible, foldable)
│   ├── Header bar → Swimlane (startSize, horizontal, swimlaneFillColor)
│   └── Auto-layout children → Child Layout (childLayout, resizeParent)
│
├── Which shape to use?
│   ├── Basic geometric → Built-in Shapes (rectangle, ellipse, rhombus, etc.)
│   ├── Flowchart/business → Extended Shapes (document, process, parallelogram, etc.)
│   └── Domain-specific → Stencil Libraries (shape=mxgraph.<library>.<shape>)
│
└── User interaction?
    └── Lock/restrict → Behavior (movable, resizable, editable, deletable)

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3. Shape Selection Quick Reference

Built-in Primitives (16 shapes)

Shape	Style String	Perimeter
Rectangle	whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;	rectanglePerimeter (default)
Rounded rect	rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;	rectanglePerimeter
Ellipse	ellipse;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;perimeter=ellipsePerimeter;	ellipsePerimeter
Diamond	rhombus;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;perimeter=rhombusPerimeter;	rhombusPerimeter
Triangle	triangle;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;perimeter=trianglePerimeter;	trianglePerimeter
Hexagon	shape=hexagon;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;perimeter=hexagonPerimeter;	hexagonPerimeter
Cylinder	shape=cylinder3;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;boundedLbl=1;size=15;	rectanglePerimeter
Cloud	ellipse;shape=cloud;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;	ellipsePerimeter
Actor	shape=actor;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;	rectanglePerimeter
Swimlane	swimlane;horizontal=1;startSize=30;container=1;collapsible=0;html=1;	rectanglePerimeter

Extended Shapes (19 shapes)

Shape	style value	Shape	style value
Parallelogram	parallelogram	Trapezoid	trapezoid
Step/chevron	step	Process	process
Document	document	Callout	callout
Cube	cube	Folder	folder
Card	card	Note	note
Tape	tape	Internal storage	internalStorage
OR gate	or	XOR gate	xor
Data storage	dataStorage	Manual input	manualInput
Delay	delay	Display	display
Off-page connector	offPageConnector

Stencil Libraries

Stencil shapes ALWAYS use the prefix shape=mxgraph.:

shape=mxgraph.flowchart.decision;
shape=mxgraph.aws4.lambda_function;
shape=mxgraph.bpmn.shape;
shape=mxgraph.cisco.router;
shape=mxgraph.uml.component;

NEVER omit the mxgraph. prefix for stencil shapes.

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4. Arrow Type Quick Reference

All 21 Arrow Types

Arrow Value	Description	Arrow Value	Description
none	No marker	classic	Standard arrowhead
classicThin	Slender classic	block	Filled triangle
blockThin	Narrow block	open	Unfilled chevron
openThin	Thin chevron	oval	Circle marker
diamond	Diamond marker	diamondThin	Narrow diamond
box	Square marker	halfCircle	Semicircle
circle	Full circle	circlePlus	Circle with plus
cross	X-shaped	baseDash	Dash at base
doubleBlock	Double triangle	dash	Short dash
async	Async arrow	openAsync	Open async
manyOptional	Crow's foot

Fill Behavior

Combination	Visual Result	Use Case
endArrow=block;endFill=0;	Hollow triangle	UML inheritance
startArrow=diamond;startFill=1;	Filled diamond	UML composition
startArrow=diamond;startFill=0;	Hollow diamond	UML aggregation
endArrow=open;dashed=1;	Open arrow, dashed	UML dependency
endArrow=block;endFill=0;dashed=1;	Hollow triangle, dashed	UML implementation

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5. Edge Routing Quick Reference

edgeStyle Value	Description	Best For
(none/omitted)	Straight line	Simple connections
orthogonalEdgeStyle	Right-angle bends	Flowcharts, most diagrams
elbowEdgeStyle	Single L/Z-shaped elbow	Simple layouts
entityRelationEdgeStyle	Fixed-length stubs	ER diagrams
segmentEdgeStyle	Manual waypoints	Custom routing
sideToSideEdgeStyle	Horizontal side-to-side	Left-right layouts
topToBottomEdgeStyle	Vertical top-to-bottom	Top-down layouts
isometricEdgeStyle	30-degree angles	Isometric diagrams

Standard orthogonal edge template:

edgeStyle=orthogonalEdgeStyle;rounded=1;orthogonalLoop=1;jettySize=auto;html=1;endArrow=classic;

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6. Sketch Mode Quick Reference

Enable hand-drawn appearance with these properties:

Property	Values	Effect
sketch	0, 1	Enable sketch rendering
comic	0, 1	Comic book variant
jiggle	number	Line wobble amount
fillStyle	solid, hachure, cross-hatch, dots	Fill pattern
fillWeight	number	Hatch line weight
hachureGap	number	Gap between hatch lines
hachureAngle	number	Hatch line angle (degrees)
curveFitting	0–1	Curve approximation quality

Example:

rounded=1;whiteSpace=wrap;html=1;sketch=1;jiggle=2;fillStyle=hachure;hachureGap=4;fillColor=#DAE8FC;strokeColor=#6C8EBF;

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7. Critical Rules

1. Property names are camelCase — ALWAYS use strokeColor, NEVER stroke-color or StrokeColor.
2. Booleans are 0/1 — ALWAYS use rounded=1, NEVER rounded=true.
3. Colors are hex — ALWAYS use #RRGGBB, or keywords none/default.
4. html=1 is mandatory — ALWAYS include on every vertex and edge.
5. whiteSpace=wrap is mandatory — ALWAYS include on vertices with text labels.
6. Perimeter MUST match shape — Ellipse needs ellipsePerimeter, rhombus needs rhombusPerimeter.
7. Stencils ALWAYS start with shape=mxgraph. — NEVER use a bare stencil name.
8. labelPosition requires opposite align — labelPosition=right requires align=left.
9. shadow requires global shadow — Cell-level shadow=1 only works when <mxGraphModel shadow="1">.
10. container=1 is required for groups — Children need parent attribute referencing the container.

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8. Cross-References

Topic	Skill
Style string syntax and format rules	drawio-core-styles
XML structure and mxCell attributes	drawio-core-xml-format
Geometry and positioning	drawio-core-geometry
Flowchart implementation	drawio-impl-flowchart
Error diagnosis	drawio-errors-diagnosis

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9. Full Reference

The complete 120+ property catalog with all values, defaults, and descriptions is in references/methods.md.

Examples of complete style strings for common scenarios are in references/examples.md.

Common mistakes and how to fix them are in references/anti-patterns.md.