Working in Diagram Editors

Select the element you want to remove from the diagram and select Design>Editing>Remove from Diagram (Del). This removes the element from the diagram but does not delete it from the model. The element still exists in the model structure or in other diagrams too.

Please note that subelements cannot be separately removed.

see "Removing Elements from the Diagram"

Select the element you want to permanently delete from the model and select Design>Editing>Delete from Model (Shift+Del). The Delete from Model dialog box appears and lists all the elements that are affected by the command. You can add elements to the Result Region without deleting them. If you confirm the element list with the Delete from Model button, all elements listed are permanently deleted from the model.

see "Permanently Deleting Elements from the Model"

The diagram can be as big as you want so you have the option of looking at a section of the diagram. Scroll bars do not exist. The Diagram Overview shows the respective diagram section that can be seen in the document window in a black box. You can move these black frames in the Diagram Overview using the mouse.

You can move the diagram in the diagram editor with the mouse. This allows you to control the section of diagram you can see.

see "Moving a Diagram in the Document Window"

Changing the size of a diagram also has an effect on the diagram section.

see "Changing the Size of a Diagram (Zoom)"

Select the elements you want to move (see "Selecting Elements in the Diagram") and move the element/s using one of the three options below:

• Move diagram section, node or edge end – with the mouse and left mouse button pressed

• Make room with and without increasing the container size – with the mouse and right mouse button pressed

• Move selected diagram elements with the keyboard

You can change the size of elements and customize them or align them with each other.

• You can change the size of many elements. If you select these elements, handles appear on the selection rectangle. You cannot change the size of elements which only show an icon, e.g. an event or a gateway in a BPMN diagram.

  Click on a handle on the selection rectangle and move the handle to the desired position to change the size of the element.

  see "Changing the Size of Nodes in the Diagram"

• Setting Elements to the Same Width/Height
  First select the element that has the width/height to be used, then press the [Ctrl] key to select the elements to be customized.
  Select Design>Arrange>Change Size.

  see "Aligning Width and Height of Elements"

• Aligning Elements with Each Other
  First select the element which the other elements should be aligned with, then press the [Ctrl] key to select the elements to be aligned.
  Select Design>Arrange>Align.

  Note:

  Only options which will not cause elements to overlap are offered.

  see "Aligning Elements in the Diagram"

• Double-Click with Left Mouse Button

  The mouse pointer is hovering over one of the selection rectangle's handles. The element's size is optimized on this side, i.e. the element is made as small as possible on this side.

• Keyboard

  • Optimize Size (F8)

    Element size is optimized on all sides, i.e. the element is resized to be as small as possible without changing the size and position of the contents

  • Standard Layout (Ctrl+F8)

    Element has a standard layout. This is normally the shortest connection between the linked elements for connection frames; movable text is arranged at a default position.

    For some diagram types, specific layout commands are provided.

see "Optimizing Size and Layout of Elements"

see "Standard Layout for Nodes and Edges in the Diagram"

You do not need to explicitly save changes you have made to the layout of the diagram or elements; this happens automatically.

You can use the Undo (Ctrl+Z) command to undo any changes you have made to the layout of the diagram or elements.

There are various ways to create the complete diagram or a section of the diagram as a graphic.

• Hardcopy
  Use the Start>Clipboard>Hardcopy menu command to write a graphic to the clipboard. The graphic can then be created in the following formats:

  • Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF)
  • Portable Network Graphics (PNG)
  • Multi (both formats in parallel)

  The desired graphics format is set in the Options dialog.

• Export File
  Use the Extras>Export>Graphics File>Diagram to File... and ...>Diagram Section to File... menu items to export a diagram or diagram section into a graphics file. The graphic can then be stored in the following formats:

  • Enhanced Metafile Format (EMF)
  • Portable Network Graphics (PNG)
  • Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
  • Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)

• Print
  Use the Model>Print backstage view to print the active diagram.

  Use Page Layout to set page breaks in advance.

You can create a rectangle for graphical grouping using drag-and-drop.

The rectangle is purely a graphical element and is only used for the grouping. It can be found above the other elements and does not have the other owner properties typical to the elements in it.

see "Framing Diagram Elements"

You are best off using comments for making notes about elements. You can use drag-and-drop to drag the comment template from the gallery and drop it on the model element to be commented on in the diagram. The comment is placed in the diagram and linked with the element by a dashed line. You can enter the comment text directly.

see "Commenting on Elements"

You can store any number of descriptions for each model element, show them in the respective model element's specification preview.

Select the model element you want to describe.

Select Design>Editing>Specification Text (F3). The model element's specification window opens. Enter the element description.

Use the description text to

• Create Model References
• Insert hyperlinks to external targets
• Format text

Save the specification with Text>Specification>Save (Ctrl+S). If the specification text is saved, the name of the text definition being edited is shown in black.

see "Creating and Searching for Specification Texts"

You can add annotations for all diagram elements. You do not need access or write rights to create annotations. Those editing the diagrams use annotations to communicate with each other.

Select the diagram elements you want to link to an annotation and select New Annotation in the context menu or drag the selected element into the open diagram area Annotations.

The annotation is created and can be seen along with information about which user wrote it and a timestamp. Click in the annotation and enter your text. The annotation is automatically saved.

see "Adding Annotations to Elements in the Diagram"

Configuration only allows a relationship in one direction; this means you can only create a relationship in this direction.

The respective notation determines how relationships are displayed in a diagram. This also includes information about whether the edges are always shown as rectangular or whether they can be displayed as any number of polygonal lines.

You can see what type of edge is used from the mouse pointer when you hover over the edge.

Mouse Pointer	Representation
	The "move" pointer shows that you can define any number of edge points by clicking with the mouse and dragging an edge point to where you want.
	The "change vertical and horizontal size" pointer shows that it moves rectangular edges but cannot create any edge points.

If a relationship can be shown as any number of polygonal lines, then the following display options are available:

• Display with edge points that can be moved.

  You can place the mouse pointer over the edge; this edge is selected and you can click on it and drag an edge point anywhere you want in the diagram. You can create any number of edge points and design the polygonal lines as you wish. You can only remove the outmost edge point by dragging it to the linked element.

• Rectangular display (as with edges that can only be displayed a certain number of ways)

  • In order to achieve a right-angled display with a maximum of one edge point, press the [Ctrl] key and double-click on the edge.

  • In order to achieve a right-angled display while retaining edge points, press the [Shift] key and double-click on the edge.

• Straight display with no edge points

  Double-click on the edge to show it as a line.

see "Modifying how Relationships are Displayed"

Existing relationships can be hidden in a diagram so that the diagram is easier to understand and not so busy.

Select a participating element and select Design>Display>Relationships (Ctrl+Shift+R); the diagram interface is shown grayed.

Visible relationships to the element are shown in black. Hidden relationships are shown in gray.

Click on a relationship shown in black to hide it; it is then shown in gray.

Click on a relationship shown in gray to show it; it is then shown in black.

see "Showing and Hiding Relationships in the Diagram"