Advanced Diagrams
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Advanced Diagrams in Notes
Last Updated: 2026.07.07
Overview
Sapience notes come with a built-in diagram editor for quick flowcharts. If you need richer, more technical diagrams — BPMN, UML, ERD (entity-relationship), network diagrams, and detailed flowcharts — you can switch on the Advanced Diagrams editor, powered by draw.io (diagrams.net).
It's an opt-in choice: turning it on gives you the more powerful editor for new diagrams, while everything you've already drawn keeps working exactly as before.
Turning It On
- Open Settings → Advanced.
- Tick "Use Advanced Diagrams".
That's it. The setting is saved to your account, so it follows you across every device you sign in on — you only set it once. It's off by default.
What Changes When It's On
- New diagrams you insert into a note open in the draw.io editor, giving you its full library of advanced diagram types.
- Existing diagrams keep their original editor. A diagram you drew before (in the default editor) still opens in that editor when you edit it — turning Advanced Diagrams on never makes an old diagram un-editable.
- You can turn the setting off again at any time; diagrams you made in draw.io will still open in draw.io.
In other words, each diagram remembers how it was made, so both editors coexist peacefully and nothing you've drawn is ever locked out.
What Happens Behind the Scenes
You don't have to think about any of this, but here's why switching editors is always safe:
- Every diagram stores two things — a picture (so it always displays correctly, whichever editor made it) and its editable source.
- When you open a new diagram, Sapience checks your setting: Advanced Diagrams on → draw.io; off → the default editor.
- When you open an existing diagram, Sapience ignores the setting and opens it in the editor that created it — recognised automatically from how its source was saved.
That last step is the guarantee: flipping the setting never strands an existing diagram in the wrong editor.
Which Editor Should I Use?
You want… | Use |
A quick, simple flowchart | The default editor (leave the setting off) |
BPMN, UML, ERD, network diagrams, detailed flowcharts | Advanced Diagrams (draw.io) |
Good to Know
- It's additive, not a replacement. The default editor stays available; Advanced Diagrams is an extra option, not a switch that removes anything.
- Your old work is safe. Existing diagrams remain editable in whichever editor created them — guaranteed.
- The preference syncs. Set it once and it applies wherever you sign in.
- It's an online editor. draw.io runs inside Sapience as a live web editor, so you'll want an internet connection when drawing an advanced diagram.
Summary
Flip on Settings → Advanced → "Use Advanced Diagrams" to draw new diagrams with the powerful draw.io editor — BPMN, UML, ERD, network diagrams, and more — while every diagram you've already made keeps opening in its original editor. It's opt-in, reversible, syncs across your devices, and is always safe for your existing work.