Connections/Dependency Lines

• Create a New Connection or Dependency
• Editing Connections or Dependency Lines
• Connections Panel
• Default Colors / Styles
• Connection Visibility 

Hoylu Connections or Dependency Lines can be drawn to and from a multitude of different objects in a Workspace to show various relationships. Notes, Shapes, Text Boxes, Pull Plan Tasks, and Jira or Agility Tickets can all be connected with these lines. 

Create a New Connection or Dependency

To draw a new Connection or Dependency between items: 

1. Hover over the starting object so a small circle appears at the top center
   
   
2. Navigate to the circle until it turns blue
   
   
3. Click and drag that circle to the center of another object

Figure 1. Create a new Connection or Dependency.

Edit Connections or Dependency Lines

Video 1. Connection Styles Video.

Connections or Dependency lines can be changed for either visual preference or to represent different relationships between objects. New users are recommended to zoom in closer to handle the line customizations.

1. Click on the Connection or Dependency
   
   
2. Use the Context Menu to choose your preferred formatting

Figure 2. Edit Connection style.

You can change the appearance of the connection (straightness, width, color, end points, and if it is dotted, broken, or solid) using this menu, but this is where you can also set or apply defaults.

Figure 3. Connection Context Menu.

• Apply Default - this will change the appearance of the connection back to the Workspace default (designated in the Control Center)
  
  
• "Last" as Default - this is most frequently used when needing to change the appearance of the Connections frequently; the appearance of the last-used Connection will apply until modified again and set as "Last as Default," which will then be used for subsequent connections (see Figure 4)
  
  
• Set as Default - this will override the existing default connection to become the new style for the Workspace

Figure 4. "Last" as Default.

Connections Panel

Video 2. Connection Panel.

Once a Connection line has been drawn, a new icon will appear on the top left corner of the Connected objects, indicating upstream or downstream connections. This is also what you can use to navigate back and forth between connected objects that are further away from each other in the Workspace.

Figure 5. Connection Panel on objects.

1. Click on the connection icon
   
   
2. Click on the destination icon to the right of the selected connected item

😎  Pro-Tip: This can be done on Notes, Shapes, Tex Boxes, Tasks, and integrated Tickets from Jira and Agility.

Default Styles/Colors

Figure 6. Open the Control Center.

As an admin of the Workspace, you are able to set the Default Connection Style in the Control Center.

1. Navigate to the top left corner of the Workspace, to the arrow beside the Title
   
   
2. Click the arrow to open the dropdown
   
   
3. Click on Control Center
   
   
4. Click on the Connections section
   
   
5. Select the Line style (curved or straight) within the Default Hoylu Connection Style section
   
   
6. Select the Thickness
   
   
7. Select the Style type (dotted, broken, or solid)
   
   
8. Select the Color
   
   
9. Close the Control Center

Connection Visibility 

The Connection Visibility section sits below the Default Hoylu Connection Style so you can hide Connection Lines if it becomes difficult to see what objects are connected.

Figure 7. Connection Visibility in the Connections section.

There are four different types of Connections in Hoylu: 

• Hoylu Connections - any Connections manually drawn within the Hoylu Workspace
  
  
• Imported Connections - any predecessor or successor relationships brought in via the .CSV import process (see this article for more information)
  
  
• Agility Connections - any dependencies brought in from the bi-directional Agility integration
  
  
• Jira Connections - any dependencies or relationships brought in from the bi-directional Jira integration

Each of these Connection types can be set to three different visibilities:

• Always - the Connection lines will always be visible
  
  
• On Hover/Selected - the Connection lines will only be visible when you hover or click on a connected object
  
  
• Never - the Connection lines are not visible, but the Connection icons and Connection Menu are still accessible