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The canvas is the central area of the editor where you see and interact with your signature as it comes together. It works like a visual design tool: click to select, drag to reorder, and edit text inline, all while the tree panel and styling panel stay in sync.
Scribe editor canvas with signature blocks and panels

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Selecting blocks

Click any block on the canvas to select it. A blue border appears around the selected block, and:
  • The corresponding item highlights in the tree panel
  • The styling panel on the right updates to show that block’s settings
This works both ways. Clicking a block in the tree panel also selects it on the canvas and scrolls it into view.
Canvas block selected with blue border and styling panel
For nested blocks (like a text element inside a column), click once to select the parent container, then click again to select the child block inside it.

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Editing text inline

For text blocks, you can edit content directly on the canvas. Click a text block to select it, then click again to place your cursor and start typing. You can select words or phrases to apply formatting from the styling panel. When you’re editing text inline, the styling panel shows text-level controls: font, size, color, line height, and formatting options (bold, italic, uppercase, strikethrough, underline).
Text block in inline editing mode on canvas
Text blocks connected to a Smart Field (like Name or Job title) show the Smart Field value on the canvas. You can’t edit the value itself here, since it’s pulled from your data source. But you can still style how it appears.

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Adding rows and columns

Right-click any block on the canvas to open a context menu with two options: Add Row and Add Column. This lets you quickly group blocks together without leaving the canvas.
Right-click context menu showing Add Row and Add Column options
For example, if you want two buttons sitting side by side, select one of them, right-click, and choose Add Column. This wraps the selected block in a new column container, making it easy to drop another block next to it. Choose Add Row instead when you want to stack elements vertically within a shared container. This is especially useful for building layouts like a row of social icons, a pair of call-to-action buttons, or any section where multiple blocks need to be grouped and aligned together.

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Reordering blocks

Drag any block on the canvas to reorder it within its container. As you drag, a dashed blue border shows where the block will land when you release. You can also reorder blocks by dragging them in the tree panel. The result is the same.
Block being dragged to reorder with dashed blue drop indicator

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Resizing

Some blocks (like images) show resize handles (small blue squares) at the edges and corners when selected. Drag these handles to resize the block directly on the canvas. The exact dimensions update in real time in the styling panel.
Image block with blue resize handles on canvas
The canvas is an infinite workspace. Use the action bar at the bottom to zoom in and out, or activate the hand tool to pan around without accidentally selecting blocks.
Action bar with zoom and hand tool controls at canvas bottom