Templates & Zones

What are Templates?

Templates define zones (labeled regions) on a board's canvas. When you create a board with a template, objects are automatically organized into the zone they're placed in. This is useful for frameworks like Business Model Canvas, SWOT Analysis, and custom layouts.

Built-in Templates

Yando includes three built-in templates:

Business Model Canvas (BMC)

Nine zones covering: Key Partners, Key Activities, Key Resources, Value Propositions, Customer Relationships, Channels, Customer Segments, Cost Structure, and Revenue Streams.

SWOT Analysis

Four quadrants: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

Matrix 2x2

A simple four-quadrant grid for any two-axis comparison.

Browsing Templates

Navigate to Templates from the top navigation. You'll see:

• Built-in templates - Pre-configured, available to everyone
• Your templates - Custom templates you've created
• Public templates - Templates shared by other users

Click any template card to see its detail page with a full-size canvas preview.

Creating Custom Templates

1. Go to Templates and click New Template
2. Fill in the form:
3. Name (required)
4. Description (optional)
5. Canvas Width/Height - Dimensions in pixels
6. Public - Whether other users can see and use this template
7. Use the Visual Zone Editor to add zones

Visual Zone Editor

The zone editor is a WYSIWYG canvas where you drag and resize zones:

• Click Add Zone to create a new zone
• Drag zones to reposition them
• Drag zone edges to resize
• Set zone properties in the sidebar:
• Name - Label shown on the canvas
• Shape - Rectangle, circle, or pie slice
• Color - Choose from 10 curated colors per theme

Zone Shapes

• Rectangle - Standard rectangular zones (most common)
• Circle - Circular zones, useful for hub-and-spoke layouts
• Pie Slice - Subdivide a circle into 2-6 wedge segments with precise angular boundaries

Curated Color Palettes

Each theme (light/dark) has 10 matched colors. When you switch themes, zone colors automatically adapt. The palette uses:

• Light mode: Pastel backgrounds with dark text
• Dark mode: Deep backgrounds with white text

Canvas Resize Tools

• Fit to Zones - One-click resize to fit all zones with padding
• Edge Drag Handles - 8 handles for direct canvas edge manipulation
• Content Bounds Indicator - Amber dashed rectangle showing zone bounding box

Customizing Templates ("Use as Starting Point")

You can clone any accessible template to create your own version:

1. On a template's card or detail page, click Customize
2. The form is pre-populated with "Copy of [name]", description, and all zones
3. Modify the name, zones, or canvas dimensions as needed
4. Click Save

The cloned template is always owned by you and set to private.

Template Switching on Existing Boards

When editing a board, you can change its template:

1. Open the board edit form
2. Select a new template from the dropdown
3. Confirm the change

Objects are remapped using:

1. Zone name matching (case-insensitive) - Objects stay in zones with the same name
2. Position-based fallback - Remaining objects are assigned by their canvas position

A success message shows remapping statistics (e.g., "5 by name, 3 by position, 2 scaled").