Like many of my colleagues, I was sucked in by this feature. One of the "sales hypes" for Word 2010 was its new and improved graphics design engine. Connector lines are available only within a drawing canvas. If you move the shapes that are connected by a connector line, then the line expands, contracts, or moves as necessary to keep the connection in place. Connectors are lines that stay "connected" to set points on a shape. There is one benefit to using the drawing canvas that you should be aware of-it allows you to use connectors between shapes. For instance, you don't need the drawing canvas if you are simply adding an arrow, line, or a circle to your document. If you are simply adding one or two independent drawing objects to your document, then the drawing canvas will be of little value. If those shapes are contained within the drawing canvas, then they are easier to manage as a whole. For instance, you might combine different shapes to create a complex drawing. As such, it comes in very handy when you are creating a drawing that contains several individual drawing objects. Remember that the drawing canvas is supposed to be an organizational aid. The drawing canvas is initially transparent and has no border around it, but you can change those settings using the same techniques that you use to change colors and borders on other drawing objects.
Essentially, it provides a container for the pieces and parts that make up your drawing. The purpose of the drawing canvas is to help you organize your drawing objects. There is another way you can create drawings, and that is by using what Word calls the "drawing canvas." You create a drawing canvas by displaying the Insert tab of the ribbon, clicking the Shapes tool in the Illustrations group, and then choosing New Drawing Canvas. All you need to do is click on the drawing tool you want to use, and then use the tool to create the item in your document. If you are creating the graphics yourself, the normal way to add the graphics is through the use of the Drawing toolbar. Word, for quite some time, has allowed you to add graphics to your documents.