Omnigraffle: make your Smart Objects

For years I wanted a feature in Omnigraffle like the Smart Objects in Photoshop and I didn’t know it was right under my eyes: it’s done using a little trick that uses the LinkBack framework.

Thanks to Matteo Balocco I discovered this article by Todd Moy “How to Make Master Objects in Omnigraffle” that explains exactly that trick.

To create a Smart Object do this:

1. Select the objects you want to use as master.
2. Click Edit -> Copy As… -> PDF.
3. Paste the object where you need it, any number of times.

From this moment on, you can edit that object by double-clicking on it.

A few notes:

• Remember that the original group of objects you copy from aren’t dynamic, only the pasted ones.
• Remember to save with Cmd+S the object you edit with double click.