# Simple PowerPoint question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-powerpoint-question/655870 "2013-04-16T20:48:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-powerpoint-question/655870/1 "2013-04-16T20:48:18Z")
I use MS PowerPoint to make simple wiring diagrams for our reports. I use lines to represent the wires. The lines (wires) often make 90 degree angles. Way back when I used PowerPoint 2003, it had a nifty feature called [edit points](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MofQ2jRVn70). When I right-clicked on a straight line, I could add a point to the line and then make a right angle (or any angle) in the middle of the line. Was really cool. Now I’m using PowerPoint 2010. The edit points feature is not there. :mad: (This was also true with PowerPoint 2007.) So now, when I make wires in my wiring diagrams, I make vertical and horizontal lines and manually connect them. It takes a \*long \*time to do this, and even then it often doesn’t look right. ☹ So how do I easily make lines w/ right angles in PowerPoint 2007/2010? ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-powerpoint-question/655870/2 "2013-04-16T21:17:47Z")
Line segments can be straight, elbow, or curved. They can’t have extra points added to them as far as I can tell. Create a line segment, right-click, and choose “Connector Types”\>“Elbow Connector” to get a (typically) three segment line that can auto-adjust if it is anchored to the corners of middle of line segments. Edit Points is under “Drawing Tools”\>“Insert Shapes”\>“Edit Shape”\>“Edit Points”. However this only works with Freeform Shapes. E.g. Create a Rectangle, choose “Drawing Tools”\>“Insert Shapes”\>“Edit Shape”\>“Convert to Freeform”. Then the “Edit Points” is available. You can add and delete points and change the shape of line segments. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-powerpoint-question/655870/3 "2013-04-16T21:26:50Z")
Do you also use wrenches as hammers? Powerpoint is not a drawing program. Is there any reason you don’t use a CAD program (or even something like [Dia](https://live.gnome.org/Dia/Examples)?) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-powerpoint-question/655870/4 "2013-04-16T22:14:28Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Do you also use wrenches as hammers? > Powerpoint is not a drawing program. Is there any reason you don’t use a CAD program (or even something like [Dia](https://live.gnome.org/Dia/Examples)?) Hijack/rant warning! I don’t understand the need for contributors in any forum to pointlessly second-guess tool selection. Maybe OP has no say in software selection. Maybe the diagram will be integral to a PowerPoint presentation, and installing and learning a completely new tool is massive overkill. Maybe he’s modifying an existing drawing and starting from scratch is also massive overkill. It’s endemic. Ask a Linux forum a question specific to a particular distro, and you’ll get the useless jeers of someone advocating a different distro. Ask a Windows question, and you run a very real risk of a useless suggestion to run a different OS. (Bonus points if it’s phrased in terms of a no-longer-funny joke step-by-step solution that consists of reformatting the hard drive and installing Linux.) And I say this as a Linux bigot. It makes me cringe. I actually want to apologize on behalf of non-clueless Linux advocates everywhere. Anyway. To answer the original question, hopefully usefully: I’m not using PowerPoint 2010, but [this Microsoft Office help topic](http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/draw-or-delete-a-line-connector-or-freeform-shape-HA010355850.aspx#_Toc261351424) points to the correct menu selection to edit points in a shape. This seems to be the same menu structure as the 2007 version of Office I (am forced to) use, and it does basically work the same way as the point-editing context menu of Office 2003. Try it and see.