Copying Model Elements

Duplicate and Graphic Existence

You can copy some model elements and reinsert them into the desired new position again. At first, this function does not seem particularly complicated as you already know how to do it from other applications. However, in Innovator some fairly complex mechanisms are concealed behind the actual copying itself.

This basically applies:

If – within the same Innovator model – you paste a copied model element into the model structure or into the table editor, you are actually creating a new model element as a duplicate, and the properties may need to be modified depending on certain conditions (e.g. unique naming).
If you - within the same Innovator model - insert a copied model element into a diagram in a model itself, you create a new model element and add a graphical existence of this model element in the diagram at the same time.
A model element which has been copied in the model structure or diagram editor can only be inserted into a model structure or table editor.
A model element which has been copied in the diagram can only be inserted into a diagram.

Copying in the Model Structure

Clipboard Commands

You can find all the clipboard commands in the Start menu ribbon in the Clipboard group:

Copy (Ctrl+C)
Cut (Ctrl+X)
Paste (Ctrl+V)
Paste as Single Element

The context menu contains the Copy and Paste commands.

A warning appears if a clipboard command cannot be executed.

Use within Innovator

Copy the selection to the clipboard with Copy (Ctrl+C). The copied elements can be inserted into either the same or a different model of any repository.

Note

You can only copy multiple (sub)models in the Model Element List.

Note

Copying an entity in the model structure also copies the relationships with the entity on the foreign key side to the clipboard.

Restriction

The copying of certain diagram types can be associated with conditions or might not be possible at all.

Sequence diagrams, for example, should be inserted within the same classifier wherever possible, since otherwise the prerequisites for lifelines and messages are not met.

State diagrams cannot be copied at all.

The Cut (Ctrl+X) command acts in exactly the same way as copying but the cut selection is deleted if the paste was successful.

The Paste (Ctrl+V) command pastes the elements from the clipboard as a copy in the model. They are pasted below the selected element. The command pastes all subelements while maintaining the structure.

The Paste as Single Element command pastes the elements from the clipboard as a shallow copy in the model without copying their nested elements (not available once cut). The elements to be pasted from the clipboard are specified upon the paste command meaning that both cases can be carried out with one copy command.

The Cut (Ctrl+X) command and the Paste command have the same constraints for access and configuration as with moving using the Owner property, using drag-and-drop or the Copy, Paste and Delete from Model (Shift+Del) commands.

Use outside of Innovator

You can use the Copy (Ctrl+C) command to add copied Innovator model elements as text to external applications as Innovator links (inno protocol). The current default name of the model version is used for the Innovator link for model versions.

These text links can create new model elements in Innovator once they have been copied into external applications by clicking on Paste (Ctrl+V) and Paste as Single Element commands.

Copy and paste can also be used throughout all models as long as the repository which you make the copy in is active when the paste takes place.

Copying in Diagrams

The Copy (Ctrl+C) command copies the selected elements onto the clipboard.

The Paste (Ctrl+V) command pastes the elements from the clipboard into the model structure. This also pastes all subelements of the selected node logically. The graphic existence of the new element and its subelements are pasted into the diagram.

A warning appears if a clipboard command cannot be executed.

The copying and pasting of nodes is not possible in the state diagrams, sequence diagrams (interactions) and whiteboard diagrams, since these processes would be too complex.

Pasting contains the same constraints with regard to access and configuration as with adding existing elements and creating new elements.

The owner is obtained in the same way as if the elements were newly-created in the diagram.

Copying in Tables

The Copy (Ctrl+C) command copies the selected elements onto the clipboard.

The Paste (Ctrl+V) command pastes the elements from the clipboard into the table and model structure.

A warning appears if a clipboard command cannot be executed.

Pasting contains the same constraints with regard to access and configuration as with creating new elements.

Pasting in the table is as if the element was selected in the model structure for pasting. This means that elements can be copied in the model structure and pasted in the table. This means that elements can also be copied in the table and pasted in the model structure. Please note that it may not be possible to show all elements pasted in the table.

The Copy Table and Copy Selected Rows context menu commands textually copy the whole table or highlighted row into the clipboard. You can use the contents of the clipboard in any application.

Copying Mixed Selection Sets of Model Elements and Diagrams in the Model Structure

Diagrams are duplicated in the model structure like all other model elements. All model elements graphically shown in the diagram are only adopted as graphics. The diagram references the same model elements.

If the selection sets being copied contain model elements which are shown as graphics in the diagram then the references are adopted when they are pasted. A diagram with the same graphic occurrences as the copied model elements is created.

Note

In some special cases it is not possible to copy a mixed selection of diagrams and model elements as this would be displayed inconsistently when pasted. A warning appears in situations like these and makes you change the selection set.