Build Visually in Xano with Canvas View

Xano gives you the flexibility to develop your backend the way that works best for you — whether that's writing code or working visually. The Canvas View is Xano's node-based workflow editor, and it's a powerful way to design, build, and understand your backend logic without touching a single line of code. Here's how to get the most out of it.

Navigating the Canvas

The Canvas View is an infinite workspace, so knowing how to move around it efficiently is essential. You can click and drag anywhere on the canvas to pan, and use pinch or scroll gestures to zoom in and out. In the bottom left corner, you'll find a macro panning UI — a miniature overview of your entire canvas that lets you click and drag to jump to different areas quickly. This is especially handy when your canvas is packed with workflow nodes.

The bottom toolbar also gives you zoom controls: zoom out, zoom in, and a Fit to Canvas button that instantly scales your view to show all nodes at once. If things are looking cluttered, hit the Auto Layout button to automatically organize your nodes into a clean, readable structure.

Enhancing Node Descriptions

One standout feature is the Enhanced Descriptions button. Clicking it automatically improves the description labels on all of your nodes, making it much easier for you — and any collaborators joining your project — to understand what each step in the workflow is doing at a glance. This is a small but meaningful feature for keeping your backend readable and maintainable.

Adding and Editing Nodes

Building inside the Canvas View is straightforward. Hover over any existing node and you'll see a blue plus sign appear, allowing you to insert a new function directly before that node. For example, you can add a Create Variable function, name it, and save it — and it'll appear in your workflow immediately.

To modify any existing node, simply click on it to slide open an edit panel on the side. From there, you can make any adjustments you need without disrupting the rest of your workflow.

Node Options and Controls

Hovering over a node also reveals a set of additional controls. You can enable or disable a node, add a comment, edit its description, clone it, or delete it through the context menu. These options give you fine-grained control over how your workflow behaves, making it easy to test, iterate, and collaborate.

What Comes Next

The Canvas View is one of two primary ways to build visually in Xano. Once you're comfortable navigating and building here, you'll also want to explore the Function Stack — Xano's other visual building tool — which is covered in the next video in this series.