Framing Diagram Elements

You can use a rectangular frame to visually group diagram elements.

Prerequisites

The diagram is in Edit Mode and you have selected at least one diagram node.

Frames are not available in the following diagram types:

Context

A rectangle is available to frame diagram elements. The frames visually group diagram elements, but have no semantic meaning.

You can create the rectangle in one of two ways.

Drag the Frame shape from the Design>Create Diagram Content>New from Template gallery and drop it into the diagram, then adjust it to fit. No selection is required to do this.
Select at least one node in the diagram and choose Design>Model Elements>Frame. The selected diagram elements are framed by a rectangle.

The frame is always semitransparent and in the background of the diagram.

Each rectangle can be

How to proceed

To frame a diagram area, in the scroll bar of the Design>Create Diagram Content gallery click on New from Template at the bottom and drag-and-drop the Frame form into the diagram.

A default rectangle is inserted at the desired location in the diagram.
To frame particular diagram elements, select these diagram nodes and choose Design>Model Elements>Frame.

The selected diagram elements are framed with a default rectangle.
Adjust the size and position of the frame as desired.
To colorize the rectangle and the frame, select Design>Model Elements>Colorize.

The color selection dialog appears. No Color means that the gray default frame will appear again without filling. To assign a previously selected color, click on .
To set the frame thickness, enter the frame thickness in pixels in the Properties tab in the Properties tool window. The value should be between 1 and 100, otherwise the frame will be invisible or will cover the entire diagram.
To display a title above the frame, enter the frame title in the Properties tool window in the Properties tab.

The frame title is always displayed above the frame.