Formatting Connectors in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows

Connectors may be different than lines in certain ways because they are linked to the shapes they connect—move the linked shape, and the connector repositions itself with the shape. Yet in other ways, connectors are just like conventional lines in PowerPoint, especially when you explore their formatting options. You can thus add arrowheads to your connectors (or remove them), make your connector a dashed line rather than an undashed one, and also change the thickness of the connector. To format a connector in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows, follow these steps:

1. Select the connector that you want to edit, and carefully right-click to open a contextual menu, as you can see in Figure 1. Then choose the Format Shape option.
2. 
   Figure 1: Format Shape option within contextual menu
2. This summons the Format Shape dialog box (see Figure 2). Click the Line Style tab in the left pane to explore the connector (line) formatting options.
3. 
   Figure 2: Line formatting options in Format Shape dialog box
4. Line Style tab options are explained below:
• Width: Here you can increase or decrease the line weight to any value you want.
• Compound type: Click to open Compound type drop-down menu, as shown in strong Figure 3. Choose from different line styles such as simple, double-ruled, etc.
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  Figure 3: Compound type drop-down menu
Tip: Learn more about formatting line widths and compound types.
• Dash type: This option opens the Dash type drop-down menu (see Figure 4). Choose any of these options.
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  Figure 4: Dash type drop-down menu
Tip: Learn more about dashed lines.
• Cap type: This option allows you to choose between a square, round, or flat line end type, as shown in Figure 5.
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  Figure 5: Cap type drop-down menu
• Join type: This allows you to choose between round, bevel, and miter joins, as shown in Figure 6.
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  Figure 6: Join type drop-down menu
• Arrow Setting: The option under this section allows you to add, remove, customize your arrow style by changing the Begin type, the End type, the Begin size, and the End size.
• Figure 7 shows you the Begin type and End type drop-downs. Both of them have the same options. In both these drop-downs, you'll find options for 5 arrows, and a No Arrow option.
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  Figure 7: Begin and End arrowhead types
• After choosing any of the 5 arrow styles, you can now choose from the nine different sizes in the Begin size or End size drop-downs. Figure 8 shows you the Begin and End size drop-down, both of them offer the same options.
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  Figure 8: Begin and End arrowhead size
Tip: Learn more about arrowheads for lines.