Visual Canvas#

Visual Canvas opens the portable .canvas JSON format for brainstorming, architecture sketches, and spatial project maps. A Canvas may stay independent outside every workspace or belong to one selected workspace.

Create a Canvas#

1. Open All tools > Visual Canvas, or open a .canvas file.
2. Add a text, file, link, or group node.
3. Drag nodes to arrange them; pan or zoom the surface as needed.
4. Use connection mode to select a source and target, then optionally add a label and arrow direction.
5. Use color, edit, delete, undo, redo, and Fit view to refine the board.
6. Save in the workspace, or use Save As for an independent copy.

File nodes use paths relative to the Canvas or workspace. Link nodes remain ordinary URLs and are never fetched merely because the Canvas opens.

Portability and conflict protection#

DevDesk preserves unknown root, node, and edge fields while reading and saving valid Canvas files. Existing files use a fingerprint before replacement. If another app changes the file first, DevDesk reports the conflict instead of silently overwriting it.

Invalid JSON, duplicate node IDs, or missing node references produce a source-preserving error state. Correct the source or open another file; DevDesk does not rewrite a damaged Canvas automatically.

Safety and platform behavior#

Canvas content is data only. Opening it does not run scripts, Git, project commands, URLs, or embedded code. Bounded node and edge limits keep an unexpected file from exhausting the interface.

Windows and Android use the same portable file. On a narrow or freeform Android window, creation and editing actions move into compact menus rather than disappearing.