Diagram Commands
Go Up to Session 19: Using ER/Studio Business Architect Tools
There are four commands available under Diagram on the main menu that you can use to customize your diagrams:
Case Shift: You can set the default case shift for all element labels. You have three options:
- Lower: All text appears in lower case lettering, including the initial letter of the label.
- Preserve: Text appears as entered.
- Upper: All text appears in upper case lettering.
Grid: When working in the Diagram View you have the option to display grid lines in the view. You also can ‘snap objects to grid’ so that when you place an object in the Diagram View, it automatically snaps to the nearest grid line. When an element is moved, it also snaps to the nearest grid.
- With a diagram open in the Diagram View, select Diagram > Grid > Show Grid Lines from the main menu.
- Select Diagram > Grid > Snap Objects to Grid to activate this feature. This feature is active even if the grid lines are not displayed.
Layout: You can set what type of connection style you want to use: curved, straight or elbowed. The default setting is curved. When you change this setting to straight you get a Change Diagram Layout dialog, warning you that this selection overrides any changes you have made to individual relationships.
Connections: Show or hide all connections: associations, interactions, line shapes, links, message flows, relationships, and sequence flows. The available items on the list depend on the type of model, either Business Process or Conceptual.
Zooming
Zooming: From the main menu select View > Zoom Level to adjust the zoom level of any diagram. You have several different options available:
- Fit to page: Zoom level is reduced in the Diagram View so that the entire diagram fits in the visible screen area.
- Custom Zooming: Lets you custom zoom into and out of any Diagram window by specifying a zoom percentage on the custom toolbar
. The custom zoom feature lets you type a specific zoom percentage. - Zoom with preset percentage: You can enlarge or reduce a diagram using a preset percentage.
Toolbars
- Layout and Alignment : Use this toolbar to align, evenly distribute, evenly size, stack, or group the elements in a diagram.
- Formatting Toolbar : Use this toolbar to: (1) select font style and size; (2) format and justify text, (3) change the colors of both elements and text; and (4) align text in an element.
Overview Window
This is a 'thumbnail' view of your model and is useful when working with large diagrams that appear on more than one screen. You have the ability to pan the entire model. As you move the blue shaded box in the Overview window, the portion in the highlighted area appears in the Diagram View. Also, if you click an object in the Overview pane, that object appears in the Diagram View.
For large diagrams, the Overview window is a much more powerful navigation tool than using a combination of ER/Studio Business Architect scroll bars and zoom features.
