Show All

Hide All

If you created an organization chart you might want to add some additional lines to connect shapes. For example, you might want to add a dotted line that indicates an additional reporting relationship.

Before you add or format the lines, turn off AutoLayout. Doing this gives you more control over the process of moving and formatting lines.

 Important   Turning off AutoLayout affects the way that you can build organization ("org") charts. Some of the automated functionality that you're accustomed to having when you create org charts won't work. Two examples of issues that you might encounter are:

• The Layout options on the Organization Chart toolbar (toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands. To display a toolbar, press ALT and then SHIFT+F10.), such as Left Hanging and Right Hanging, are not available (grayed out).
• When you insert shapes, they won't automatically move into position.

So, make sure that all the shapes you want automatically positioned are in place before you turn AutoLayout off.

Also, after you turn off AutoLayout, you should leave it off while you build your org chart. If you structure your org chart manually and then turn AutoLayout back on, you'll lose the restructuring.

Turn off AutoLayout

1. On the Organization Chart toolbar, click Layout, and then click AutoLayout to cancel the selection of the option.

Add a line

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes, point to Lines, and then click the line that you want.
2. Drag to draw the line.

   Tips  

   • To quickly draw a straight line, click Line on the Drawing toolbar, and then drag to draw the line.
   • To constrain the line to draw at 15-degree angles from its starting point, hold down SHIFT while you drag.
   • To lengthen the line in an opposite direction from the first end point while drawing it, hold down CTRL while you drag.

Change the color or style of the line

1. Select the line that you want to change.
2. Do one of the following:

   Change the color of a line  

   1. On the Drawing toolbar, click the arrow next to Line Color .
   2. Do one of the following:
      • To use the default color for lines from the slide color scheme, click Automatic.
      • To change to another color, click one of the colors below Automatic.
      • To change to a color that isn't displayed, do the following:
        1. Click More Line Colors.
        2. Click the color that you want on the Standard tab, or click the Custom tab to mix your own color, and then click OK.

   Change the thickness and style of a line  

   1. On the Drawing toolbar, click Line Style .
   2. Click the style that you want.

   Make your line dotted or dashed  

   • On the Drawing toolbar, click Dash Style and then click the style that you want.

Tips  

• You can hide lines or connectors. Right-click the line that you want to hide, and then click Format AutoShape. In the Format AutoShape dialog box, under Line, in the Color list, click No Line.

• For in-depth training on creating organization charts in PowerPoint 2003, see Org charts A to Z.