--- title: Templates panel url: https://www.moldraw.com/docs/library/how-to-use-mechanism-and-reaction-setup-templates/ section: Library and templates updated: 2026-10-20 publisher: LabCanvas --- # Templates panel > Click the Templates button in the left tool rail. Pick a tab (Schemes, Structure sets or Reaction setups), then click a card. MolDraw adds the whole figure beside your drawing, and every part stays editable. The Templates panel holds ready-made figures. You get mechanisms with curly arrows, named reactions, labelled structure sets and drawn lab setups. It is not the same as the [structure library](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/library/how-to-use-the-structure-library-and-templates/) in the ring bar, which places one structure at a time. 1. Click **Templates** in the left tool rail. Its icon is a page layout, after the drawing tools. 2. Pick a tab at the top of the panel. 3. Type in **Search templates** to filter the cards. 4. Click a card. The card shows **Adding** while MolDraw draws it. 5. The figure lands beside your drawing and the view zooms to fit. The panel stays open for the next pick. Everything a template adds is normal canvas content. You can move, recolor or delete any atom, arrow or caption. One `Ctrl+Z` removes the whole template. ## The tabs | Tab | What is in it | Categories | |---|---|---| | **Schemes** | Step by step mechanisms with curly arrows, such as Fischer esterification, SN2 substitution, Wittig reaction and Baeyer-Villiger oxidation | Mechanisms, Name reactions | | **Structure sets** | Labelled sheets such as The 20 amino acids, Common lab solvents, Heterocycles, Well-known drugs, Reaction energy diagrams and Krebs cycle | Biochemistry, General chemistry, Lab reference, Materials, Medicinal, Natural products, Organic, Physical chemistry | | **Reaction setups** | Drawn glassware with labels: Heating under reflux, Simple distillation, Dean-Stark water removal, Soxhlet extraction, Vacuum filtration, Liquid-liquid extraction, Reaction under nitrogen, Acid-base titration, Thin-layer chromatography, Recrystallisation: hot filtration, Melting point (oil bath) | Reaction setups | | **MolScript** | A text box where you write your own scheme and curly arrows | None | Hover a card to read a one line summary. The search matches the title, the category and the summary. The panel shows a small **PRO** tag. Templates are free for now. ## Browse all templates in a large window Click the expand button (two arrows) in the panel header. The **All templates** window opens. - The side bar lists the tabs and their categories, each with a count. - The cards are larger and show the summary. - Press the arrow keys to move between cards and `Enter` to add one. - From the search box, press `Down` to jump to the first card. - Press `Esc` to clear the search, then again to close. When you close the window, the panel keeps the tab and search you used. ## Write your own scheme (MolScript tab) The **MolScript** tab is a small editor. Click **Example** to load a sample, edit it, then click **Draw on canvas**. Problems show as you type. Click **Language guide** for the syntax, or read the [MolScript language page](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/developers/molscript-language-for-reactions-and-mechanisms/) and the [MolScript blog article](https://www.moldraw.com/blog/molscript-reaction-mechanism-language.html). ## On a phone or tablet The same Templates button opens the panel as a tall bottom sheet. When you tap a card, the sheet closes so you can see the new figure. The large browse window is a desktop feature. ## Open a template from a link Add `?template=` and a template id to the editor address. MolDraw draws that template once the editor has loaded. `https://www.moldraw.com/?template=wittig-reaction` Ids are lowercase words joined by hyphens, like `fischer-esterification`, `aldol-condensation` or `setup-reflux`. The reaction pages on the MolDraw site use these links on their **Open full mechanism in MolDraw** buttons. If the id is wrong, a message says the template was not found. See [URL parameters](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/developers/moldraw-url-parameters-and-deep-links/) for the other link options. ## Tips - Only one left panel is open at a time. Opening Templates closes the Apparatus library and the Objects panel. - Press `Esc` in the search box to clear it. Press it again to close the panel. - The [AI assistant](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/ai/how-to-use-the-ai-chemistry-assistant/) can also search the templates and add one for you. - To learn the arrow pushing behind a mechanism, read the [curly arrow guide](https://www.moldraw.com/blog/arrow-pushing-curly-arrows-guide.html). To draw your own arrows, see [curved arrow mechanisms](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/reactions/how-to-draw-curved-arrow-mechanisms-and-fishhook-arrows/). ## Questions and answers **Are MolDraw templates free?** Yes. The panel shows a PRO tag, but every template is free to use for now. **Can I edit a reaction mechanism template?** Yes. Each template is drawn as ordinary atoms, bonds, arrows and text. Change any part, or press Ctrl+Z once to remove the whole figure. **How do I link to a mechanism in MolDraw?** Add ?template= and the template id to the editor address, for example moldraw.com/?template=wittig-reaction. MolDraw draws it when the page opens. **Where are the reaction setup drawings like reflux and distillation?** Open Templates in the left rail and pick the Reaction setups tab. It has eleven labelled setups, from reflux to melting point. **What is the difference between Templates and Library?** Library in the ring bar places single structures such as groups and ligands. Templates adds whole figures with titles, steps, arrows and labels. ## Related pages - [Library and templates](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/library/how-to-use-the-structure-library-and-templates/) - [Curved arrow mechanisms](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/reactions/how-to-draw-curved-arrow-mechanisms-and-fishhook-arrows/) - [Apparatus library](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/library/how-to-use-the-lab-apparatus-library/) - [MolScript](https://www.moldraw.com/docs/developers/molscript-language-for-reactions-and-mechanisms/)