How to Create Flow Charts in Excel Series -
How to Add Text to an Excel Flow Chart Connector (Flow Line)
By Nicholas Hebb
[Note: the terms "Connector" and "Flow Line" mean the same thing are used interchangeably in this article.]
To make a professional looking flow chart, it's sometimes nice to add in-line text to Connectors, as opposed to typical flow line annotations that sit in a bordered text box above the line. This article shows you how to annotate flow lines with a little more polish.
1) Add the Text Box to the Flow Chart
As the picture below shows, the first step is to add the a text box to the
flow chart right above the flow line (aka, connector). To add the text box,
make sure the Drawing toolbar is visible and then use the Text Box
button: 
Align Text Box Over Flow Chart Connector
The next step is to align the text box over the flow chart connector. This can be done by selecting the text box and using the keyboard arrow keys to move the shape. If Snap to Grid is enabled, fine-tuned movements can be made by holding the Ctrl key down while pressing the arrow keys. The picture below shows the above text box moved on top of the flow chart connector.
If you move the text box and the connector line is visible on top of the text box, then you need to bring the text box to front. To do this, right-click on the text box border and select Order > Bring to Front from the context menu as shown in the picture below.
Formatting the Text Box
Excel's default text box formatting requires a few changes to make an annotated connector (flow line) look more polished. To change the formatting, double-click on the border of the text box to open the text Box Formatting dialog. On the Alignment tab, change both the horizontal and vertical text alignment to Centered. Also, you can use the Font tab to make the font match the rest of the flow chart, if needed. Lastly, removing the border makes the annotation look more professional. This is done on the Colors and Lines tab by changing the Line > Color to No Line as shown in the picture below.
After applying all these changes, the final appearance of the annotated flow chart connector example can be seen below:
Related Articles
Want more useful flowcharting tips? View the list of other flowchart, process map, and process improvement articles here.
About the Author
When he's not writing about flowcharts Nicholas Hebb runs BreezeTree Software, maker of FlowBreeze Flowchart Software - a program that cuts the time to create a flowchart dramatically compared to traditional flowcharting tools. What makes FlowBreeze different?
It converts your text into flowchart symbols based on the words you type, adds a connector from the last shape, and many other time saving features. And, because it's a Microsoft Excel graphics addin, you will create flow charts that are highly portable and integrate directly with Microsoft Office for easy sharing and collaboration.
Click here to view the On-Line FlowBreeze Flowchart Software Demo and see for yourself. (It's a short, 30 second video that loads fast.) You'll be impressed.
