Adjusting Lines: Raising, Lowering and Bending

Lines route themselves automatically, but you can fine-tune them. Select a line and small indigo grips appear on it; hover a grip to see what it does.

Raise or lower a couple's line

1. Click the line between two partners to select it.
2. Drag the up/down grip ("Drag to raise or lower the couple line"). It sits toward the left end of the line so it doesn't cover where the children connect.
3. Release. The line snaps to Default height when you drag it close to where it started.

A couple's line always stays above their children, and it won't cut through either partner's name.

Raise or lower the children's line

1. Click the line from a parent to one of their children.
2. Drag the up/down grip on the horizontal line above the children ("Drag to raise or lower the children's line"). All the siblings in that family move together.

Change where the children connect

With a child's line selected, the couple's line shows a dashed track with a sideways grip ("Slide to change where the children connect"). Slide it along the line. It snaps to helpful points as you go, shown in a small label: Centered, Lined up with a parent, or Above a child.

If the parent has more than one partner, sliding the grip onto another of their couple lines shows Move to another family; release there to move the child to that couple.

Bend an emotional line

1. Click an emotional line to select it. White dots appear in the middle of each segment.
2. Drag a dot ("Drag to add bend point") to bend the line around people or labels in the way.
3. To straighten it again, click the Reset button that appears on the line.

Reset every line at once

Open Auto-Arrange, choose As is, open More options, keep Straighten lines ticked and click Straighten lines. All hand-made bends, heights and connection points go back to their default route without moving anyone.