Skip to main content

DiagramID-ShapeID

DiagramID-ShapeID Field​

In regulated industries such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, process diagrams often serve as controlled documents referenced in SOPs, audit trails, and regulatory submissions. Each process step needs a stable, unambiguous identifier so that reviewers, auditors, and compliance officers can reference it precisely — for example, "see step 1-33 in Process X."

The DiagramID-ShapeID display field automates this by showing a unique identifier directly on activity shapes in the diagram:

  • Standard activities display the format DiagramID-ShapeID (e.g., 1-33), indicating which diagram the shape belongs to and its unique ID within that diagram.

  • Call activities display the ID of the referenced diagram, making it immediately visible which diagram the call activity links to. If no ID is displayed, it means that no diagram is called.

Shape ID vs. Shape Number​

These are separate concepts that serve different purposes:

  • Shape ID is an internal identifier automatically assigned to each shape. It uniquely identifies the shape within its diagram and cannot be edited. This is the ID shown by the DiagramID-ShapeID field.

  • Shape Number is a user-facing label that can be added to shapes to visually indicate process order or aid identification. Shape numbers are editable through the Numbering panel and are independent of the shape ID — they may happen to match, but there is no link between them.

Requirements​

To use the DiagramID-ShapeID field, two feature flags must be enabled:

  1. New Display Field UX — available as an Early Access feature flag under Admin → Server Settings → Early Access

  2. DiagramID-ShapeID — not public. Contact our Service Desk.

Enabling the field​

With nothing selected in the diagram, open up the display fields panel. You will see a new option for "DiagramID-ShapeID" located at the bottom of the list. Checking the box will enable the field.

When the field will show​

DiagramID-ShapeID fields only apply to activity-type shapes.  Any existing activity shapes in the diagram will get the field added to them once the field is enabled.

Call activities will show just the label or nothing if they don't call another diagram. If they do call another diagram it will just show the diagramID of the called diagram.

Any new shapes added to the diagram will get the field automatically added to them once dropped into the diagram.

If you copy a shape, the field will be applied to the new shape and the shape number will automatically be updated.

Configuration​

Similar to other fields, DiagramID-ShapeID can be configured. With nothing selected in the diagram, open up the display fields panel, click Configure, and select DiagramID-ShapeID. In the configuration section, you can see that the configuration is limited to its placement and turning off the label. Indicator and "Show items with no data" toggles are disabled, which is noted by the "x" in the toggle and the hover over stating "unavailable".

The field can be placed around the shape using the placement table located in the configuration section. This is done by selecting the field in the panel and clicking one of the placement dots. It uses the same placement locations as the other fields.

You can turn the label off by selecting the field and toggling the "Show Label" to the off position. It can be turned back on again by selecting the field again (if not already selected) and clicking the toggle again.

Merging​

Just like other all-shape fields, the DiagramID-ShapeID can be merged into one field shape. This can be done by opening the display fields panel when nothing is selected in the diagram. Select two or more fields in the panel and click on a placement dot. This will move the fields into the same location one above the other.