What is LucidChart?

LucidChart offers cloud-based flow chart creation, with the ability to share your documents with others. LucidChart can also be added to your Goshen College Google account as a third-party application so you can collaborate on your LucidChart documents through your Google account, and also use LucidChart as an add-on in Google Docs and Drive. 

Goshen College currently has limited free LucidChart licenses for employees.  If you are an employee and need access to LucidChart, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 574-535-7700 to request a license and get assistance with setting up your LucidChart account. 

Setting up your LucidChart account

Obtaining a license/user account

Once ITS sets you up with a license you will receive an email invitation from LucidChart. Within the email click on the Accept Invitation link. The link will re-direct you to the LucidChart site where you can set up your username and password. Choose the option to sign in with your Google Account, and when prompted, sign in with your GC email address and password.

Adding the LucidChart Add-On to your GC Google Drive and Apps

There are two ways that you can add LucidChart to Google Drive. One is through the LucidChart website, the other is through the Google Apps Market Place. Either does the same function. 

• Through the LucidChart website: 
  • go to http://www.lucidchart.com and log into your LucidChart account using the option to log into your Google account.
  • in the bottom left corner, click on the "add to Google Drive" box, and follow the prompts.
• Through the Google Apps Market Place
  • when signed into your GC Google account, click on the Application Picker icon and then click on More, and then click on More from Apps Marketplace
  • search for "lucidchart"
  • click the Add button and follow the other prompts

Connecting LucidChart as an add-on tool in Google Docs

Now you're ready to connect LucidChart as an add-on tool in Google Docs so you can create Lucid charts right within your Google document.  

• open an existing Google Document, or create a new one. 
• click on the Add-Ons menu
• choose Get Add-Ons
• search for LucidChart
• click on the +Free button
• LucidChart will ask for permission to access certain aspects of your account. Click on the Accept button
• now, you will see a column appear on the right for LucidChart. If it promps you to sign in, sign in with your Goshen College email address and password. Once signed in, the content of that column will show any existing charts that reside in your cloud storage space with LucidChart. 

Creating charts in LucidChart

After you have followed the above instructions, you can begin creating flowcharts with LucidChart. 

Creating content on LucidChart's website:

Your LucidChart account allows you to create content through their website at http://www.lucidchart.com. Any content you create there will be stored in LucidChart's cloud storage for your account. 

• click the + Document button to create a new chart. Choose from a template, or create a blank chart
• click the + Folder button to create a new folder.
• click the Import butto to import any Visio, Gliffy or OmniGraffle charts that you have. 

Exporting your LucidCharts to Google Drive: 

Your LucidChart account allows you to create content through their website at http://www.lucidchart.com. Any content you create there will be stored in LucidChart's cloud storage for your account. To export any content to your GC Google Drive,

• open one of your charts
• click on File and choose Export to Google Drive
• choose the format type. 

Syncing your LucidChart files to Google Drive

To have your LucidChart files automatically sync to Google Drive, 

• in LucidCharts, click on Account
• click on Google Drive
• select the option to "Automatically sync new diagrams to Google Drive". 
• click the Sync Now button
• your synced LucidChart files will appear in your GC Google Drive, in a folder called "Lucidchart."  And, any new content you create in LucidChart will be automatically synced to your Google Drive account. 
  • If you had LucidChart files in your LucidChart account prior to setting up the synchronization, you can export those files to your Google Drive by clicking on File and choosing "Export to Google Drive," but you are limited to the following formats: PDF, PNG, JPEG, Visio (VDX).

Editing LucidChart files that are in your Google Drive

• in Google Drive, right-click on the file
• choose Open With
• click on LucidChart
• you will be asked which account to sign in as. Click on your Goshen College account. 

Deleting files from LucidChart

• if you have file synchronization set up between your LucidChart account and your GC Google account, from what we can determine, when you delete a file out of your Documents area on the LucidChart site, it seems that the files are not deleted from Google Drive.  However, this is still under evaluation.