Turn any shape into a clickable trigger that reveals details on demand. Share with a link, no login required for viewers.
double_arrow
The problem with static diagrams
Most diagrams need more detail than fits on the diagram itself, so the detail ends up in a separate document. It becomes a bit of a pain to make changes, as now there are two different resources that need to stay in sync.
Linking to a slide deck, or exporting to a PDF, doesn't help much; since these are still static formats, when someone needs context on a particular step, they'll have to come back and ask you about it.
Some tools try to address this. Visio lets you hyperlink shapes to an Excel sheet or other Visio docs, but that means maintaining three files, and requires Visio on the viewer's end. Draw.io and Lucidchart support layer toggling, but actually adding interactivity to your diagram feels more like an afterthought rather than the main point.
The missing piece is a clickable, shareable diagram where anyone can drill down into the details behind any individual shape.
-
Draw your diagram. Use Vexlio's diagramming tools to create block diagrams, system architecture, network topologies, process maps, org charts, or any other kind of diagram.
-
Add popup content to any shape. Select a shape and click "Add Popup." This opens a popup canvas where you can add whatever detail belongs to that shape: text, images, links, checklists, code snippets, or even a nested sub-diagram. The result is a diagram with popup details behind every shape that needs them.
-
Choose how popups appear. Configure each popup to open on click or on hover, per shape. Click-to-open works well when you want viewers to actively explore, while hover is better for lightweight tooltips that reveal context at a glance.
-
Publish and share. Generate a single shareable link. Anyone with the link can view and interact with the full diagram, clicking shapes to reveal their popup content. Viewers don't need a Vexlio account or any software beyond a browser.
Each popup is a full Vexlio canvas with no restrictions on size, content types, or appearance. You can put as much or as little detail as you want behind each shape.
double_arrow
Why make your diagrams clickable?
Static diagrams tend to push you toward one of two extremes: pack in every detail and make the diagram hard to read, or leave detail out and attach a separate explainer doc. Clickable diagrams offer a middle path, where the overview stays clean and specifics are available on demand behind each shape.
This matters most when you're sharing diagrams with people who didn't build them, whether that's stakeholders reviewing a system architecture, new team members onboarding onto a codebase, clients exploring a process on their own, or auditors checking compliance documentation.
In each of those situations, the viewer benefits from understanding the big picture first and drilling into detail only where they need it.
double_arrow
Use cases for interactive diagrams
Process documentation and SOPs
The interactive flowchart shows the high-level process, and clicking any step can reveal its SOP, responsible person, compliance notes, etc. That keeps everything in one artifact rather than a diagram paired with a separate PDF or document. You can share a single link to an interactive process map instead of emailing static exports, and the interactive process flow stays current because there's only one thing to maintain.
Interactive decision trees
Decision trees where each branch point reveals guidance, policy references, or escalation procedures when clicked. Someone following the interactive decision tree can click into each node for context rather than flipping between a diagram and a handbook.
System architecture and engineering diagrams
Architecture diagrams where clicking a component shows API docs, config details, or team ownership. The diagram stays readable at the overview level while holding as much depth as you need behind each node. Semiconductor companies like TI and onsemi use this drill-down diagram pattern for their product docs, and Vexlio lets you build it yourself without a dev team.
Onboarding and training
Onboarding flows where clicking each step reveals checklists, screenshots, links to tools or video walkthroughs. You can let people work through the interactive workflow diagram at their own pace and drill into the steps where they need more context.
Stakeholder communication
Share a single link with stakeholders who can explore at their own depth. Executives get the high-level flow, team leads click in for detail, and no one needs to install software or create an account. One diagram serves every audience.
double_arrow
How other tools approach interactive diagrams
Most diagramming tools weren't built with per-shape interactivity in mind, so they bolt it on in different ways.
Lucidchart and draw.io use layer toggling to show or hide groups of shapes. This works for simple cases where you want to reveal an entire layer at once, though it's not quite the same as clicking a specific node to see that node's detail. Draw.io also supports basic tooltips and hyperlinks on shapes, but rich per-node content requires workarounds with custom JSON links.
Visio supports hyperlinks on shapes that link out to external documents. The detail lives outside the diagram in separate files, and viewers need Visio or a Visio viewer installed to interact with it.
Vexlio builds interactivity into the diagram itself. Any shape can carry popup content: text, images, sub-diagrams, code snippets, links. The published result is a self-contained interactive document that viewers open in any browser with no login and no install. You edit the diagram and its popups in one place, so they can't drift out of sync.
double_arrow
Looking specifically for interactive flowcharts?
If your primary use case is flowcharts (process flows, decision trees, or step-by-step sequences), see our dedicated interactive flowchart maker page for flowchart-specific guidance and examples.
double_arrow
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a clickable diagram where viewers can click shapes to see more information?
In Vexlio, select any shape and click "Add Popup." Add whatever content should appear when a viewer clicks that shape, whether that's text, images, links, or a sub-diagram. When you publish, viewers click any shape with a popup indicator to see the attached detail. The whole process works visually, with no code or image map configuration involved.
Can I use Vexlio instead of HTML image maps for making parts of a diagram clickable?
Yes. HTML image maps are tedious to update and limited to simple hyperlinks. Vexlio replaces that entirely: each shape is natively clickable, popups can contain rich formatted content including images and nested diagrams, and the result publishes as a shareable link or embeddable iframe.
Do viewers need a Vexlio account to interact with a published diagram?
No. Published diagrams are accessed via a standard web link and run entirely in the browser. Viewers can click, tap, hover, and explore all popup content with nothing to install or sign into. This makes it easy to share interactive diagrams with clients, external stakeholders, or anyone outside your organization.
double_arrow
Key diagramming features of Vexlio
Suite of tools for making diagrams has been tuned for precision and ease-of-use.
-
Syntax highlighted code boxes. Add automatically syntax highlighted code snippets to your diagrams. Over 50 languages supported.
-
Infinite canvas. Scroll and zoom without page limits, whether your diagram has five shapes or five hundred.
-
LaTeX-powered labels. Enclose math in
$...$to render guard conditions, probabilities, or formal annotations right on the canvas. -
Multiple export formats. Export to retina-quality PNG, PDF and SVG.
-
Precision editing. Numeric control panels set exact widths, positions, corner radii, and more. Alignment guides keep even complex layouts tidy.
double_arrow
Here's what our users have said
Real users speaking about Vexlio's previous desktop version:
I was able to knock together some pretty nice diagrams super-quickly using the demo version. Lots of nice touches.
— Gabe R.
Your application fits an empty spot in my toolbelt.
— Clint P.
Definitely addresses many of the pain points I have with Google Drawings, Inkscape etc. for making diagrams.
— Jim M.
Vexlio has no learning curve - so easy to use.
— Peter L.