Drawing Relationship Lines, Step by Step

Relationship lines show the quality of the bond between two people: close, conflicted, cut off, and dozens more. Drawing one always follows the same three-step rhythm, and once it clicks it's fast. Here's exactly how to do it, plus fixes for the things that trip people up.

The click-click-pick flow

Every relationship line is drawn the same way:

1. Select the line tool from the toolbar at the bottom center of the editor.
2. Click the first person's symbol (their square or circle).
3. Click the second person's symbol.
4. A relationship-type picker appears. Choose the type you want (close, distant, conflicted, and so on) and the line is drawn.

That's it: click one person, click the other, pick a type. GenogramAI supports 38 emotional types, so the picker has plenty to choose from.

Nothing happens when I click the second person

This is the most common snag, and it's almost always the same cause: you clicked the name label instead of the symbol. The line connects the shapes themselves, so you have to click the actual square or circle, not the text sitting next to it.

Two things fix it every time:

• Click the symbol, not the name. Aim for the center of the shape.
• Zoom in first. On a dense chart where symbols sit close together, zoom in (controls are at the bottom right) so you have a clear target before you click.

If the first click landed but the second did nothing, just click the second symbol again once it's clearly under your cursor.

Fixing a line you drew wrong

Picked the wrong type or connected the wrong people? No harm done:

• Wrong type: click the line to select it, then change it to the type you meant.
• Wrong people, or you want to start over: select the line and delete it, then redraw. You can also press undo in the top bar right after drawing.

Multiple lines between the same two people

Real relationships are rarely one thing. GenogramAI supports multiple emotional lines between the same two people, so you can layer, say, a close bond and a conflict between the same pair. Just run the click-click-pick flow again for the same two symbols and pick the second type. The lines route around other people so they stay readable.

Making a triangle between three people

A triangle isn't a special tool, it's just three lines. To show the classic pattern where one person is focused on negatively while two others are close, draw each pair's line separately:

1. Draw the line between person A and person B.
2. Draw the line between person B and person C.
3. Draw the line between person A and person C.

Pick the type that fits each edge (for example, close on one side and conflicted on another). Together the three lines read as the triangle.

Tension, strained, or difficult relationships

If you're looking for a "tension," "strained," or "difficult" line by name, you won't find those exact words in the picker. Map them to the conflicted family of types instead: conflict, hostile, and the fused-conflict combinations cover strained and difficult bonds. Choose the one that matches the intensity you mean.

Which way do abuse arrows point?

Abuse and control lines are directional. The arrow points from the perpetrator toward the victim. So when you draw one, click the person doing the harm first and the person on the receiving end second, and confirm the arrowhead lands on the victim. If it points the wrong way, delete the line and redraw it starting from the other person.

The AI shortcut

You don't have to draw by hand. Open the AI assistant (the purple sparkle button on the right edge) and describe the relationship in plain language, like "add a close relationship between Maria and her mother" or "show conflict between the two brothers." The assistant adds the line for you, and there's an "Undo last AI change" button if it isn't quite what you wanted. Each AI request uses one credit on the Free plan.

See the full notation

For a complete reference of every emotional line, what it looks like, and what it means, see the notation guide at genogramai.com/symbols/emotional-lines.