Model Annotation and Illustration
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We use notes to annotate and images to illustrate diagrams.
Notes
The Tool Palette for UML diagram elements displays the Note and Note link buttons. Use them to place annotation nodes and their links on diagrams.
A note can be free floating or you can draw a note link to some element to show that the note belongs to this element.
You can attach a note link to another link.
The text of notes linked to class diagram elements do not appear in the source code.
Images
The Tool Palette for UML diagram elements displays the Image and Image link buttons. Use them to place images on diagrams and to place links from diagram elements to positions inside images.
Image nodes
The Image button inserts an image node but does not insert the image itself. You should specify the image to be used in an image node:
- On a diagram, select the image node.
- On the Properties page of the Object Inspector, click the Image path option. Click the ellipsis
...button; the Select Image File dialog box opens. Here you can select the image file to use. See To insert an image in Annotating and Illustrating Diagrams.
Image links
Image links can point from elements of diagram nodes to positions inside images; thus you can specify which fragments of the picture demonstrate different diagram elements. See To draw links from diagram elements to positions in images in Annotating and Illustrating Diagrams.
Background images
Images can be used to fill diagram backgrounds. In the Diagram background image file option specify the image file to be used to fill the background. This option is on the Diagram Appearance options page in the Options dialog box. See Using images to fill background of diagrams in Gradient Coloring and Illustrating Diagrams.