41Four panels, one question
Slate has four ways to make something from text. They overlap a little, so here is the short answer.
Sequence diagramA conversation between people or systems, step by step. Use this one when you want to reveal it message by message in replay — it is drawn as real Slate objects you can annotate, recolour and erase after detaching. Chapter 32
Mind mapA central topic with branches you type into, fold and build together in a live class. Mind maps
Diagram from codeEverything else structural: flowcharts, class and state diagrams, timelines, Gantt charts, and twenty more. Placed as a picture. Chapter 34
Chart from dataAnything with numbers in it. Chapter 38
EquationMaths notation. Chapter 39
Take it apartSelect any diagram, chart or equation and press Convert to editable objects. It stops being a picture and becomes ordinary Slate lines and text — draw on it with the pen, recolour one bar, rub out a label, and it reveals piece by piece in replay.
Changed your mindBack to a picture rebuilds it from its code, with the code editable again. That works however long ago you converted it, and after saving and reopening the file — it does not rely on undo. Anything you drew or changed since converting is lost, so it asks first.
One rule worth knowingAnything made from code is locked while it still has its code: the pen and eraser will decline, because a mark made on it would vanish the moment it redrew. Double-tap to change the code, or Detach a sequence diagram to break the link and edit it freely by hand. Everything else — moving, resizing, bringing to front — works as usual.
The ? buttonEvery one of these panels has a ? beside its title that opens this guide at the right chapter. You should never have to go hunting for the syntax.
Part of the Slate guide — or read the whole guide on one page.