Appearance settings

A node’s or edge’s look comes from two places. The metamodel type (M2 notation) sets the default for every instance. An appearance override on a diagram node or edge changes one occurrence on one diagram. This page lists each setting and where it can be set.

How a value is chosen

For each setting, and for colours in each theme separately, Farkitect uses the first of these that is set:

The diagram’s appearance override (for the current theme’s side of a colour)
The metamodel type’s notation (for the current theme’s side of a colour)
Auto, the theme’s own default

Colours are light/dark pairs, { "light": "#…", "dark": "#…" }. Either side can be left out, which means Auto for that theme. See How colours work in light and dark mode.

Settings

Setting	Element type (M2)	Node override	Relationship type (M2)	Edge override
Fill colour	`fillColor`	`fillColor`
Border colour	`borderColor`	`borderColor`
Text / label colour	`textColor`	`textColor`	`labelColor`	`labelColor`
Fold colour	`foldColor`	M2 only
Line colour			`lineColor`	`lineColor`
Width	`defaultBorderWidth`	`borderWidth`	`defaultLineWidth`	`lineWidth`
Border style / line pattern	`borderStyle`	`borderStyle`	`linePattern`	`linePattern`
Shadow	`shadow`	`shadow`
Text alignment	`textHAlign`, `textVAlign`	`textHAlign`, `textVAlign`

In the Properties panel’s Appearance section these appear as Fill, Border, Text, Border Width, Border Style, Shadow, Text H-Align and Text V-Align for a node, and Line, Label, Line Width and Line Pattern for an edge. See How to change a node’s or edge’s appearance on one diagram.

A package node on a diagram can override only its fill colour, border colour and border width.

Line pattern is not line style

linePattern is the dash pattern: solid, dashed or dotted. A diagram edge’s lineStyle is something else, its routing (Direct, Custom, Lateral or Tree). Relationship types used to call the dash pattern lineStyle; it was renamed linePattern in farki/1.3.

Auto defaults

Setting	Light mode	Dark mode
Lines and borders	Charcoal `#3F3F46`	Off-white `#E4E4E7`
Text	Dark or light, whichever contrasts with the fill	Dark or light, whichever contrasts with the fill
Fold	The fill, 15% darker	The fill, 15% lighter
Shadow	A soft drop shadow	A soft white halo

Metamodel-only settings

These belong to the type, not to one diagram, and can’t be overridden on a node or edge:

Element types: shape, fill mode, folded corner on or off and its colour, body, label and icon placement, icon, and compartments.
Relationship types: source and target markers, verbs, and whether role names and multiplicities are shown.

They define what the type is in the notation. Changing them on one diagram would make an occurrence read as a different type. To change them, edit the type; see How to configure notation and How to set light and dark colours for a metamodel type.