UML Designer User's Guide

Adding a node figure

There are several ways to add a node figure to a diagram:

Once you have added a figure, you can move it on the drawing surface to make your diagram more readable.

Manually creating a node figure

To manually create a node figure and attach it to a model element, follow these steps:

  1. Select the figure you want from the tool bar. (If you prefer, you can select Create Node Figure from the Tools menu and then select the figure you want from the cascaded menu.)
  2. Position the mouse pointer where you want the figure to appear (in an empty area of the drawing surface) and then click mouse button 1.

    When first added, an unattached figure is labeled with a question mark (?).

  3. If you know the name of the model element you want to attach the figure to, hold down the Alt key and click mouse button 1 on the figure label to directly edit the label. UML Designer automatically attaches the figure to the element that matches the name you specify.
  4. If you want to select from a list of available elements, select Attach from the pop-up menu of the figure. In the window that appears, select the model element you want to attach to the figure. (You can also specify that you want to create a new element.)
    Note:This list does not normally include any model elements already represented on the diagram.

Copying a node figure from another diagram

To copy an existing node figure from another diagram, follow these steps:

  1. Select the figure you want to copy in the source diagram.
  2. Select Copy from the Edit menu, or from the pop-up menu.
  3. Go to the target diagram and place the mouse pointer in the location where you want to paste the figure.
  4. Select Paste Here from the pop-up menu. (You can also select Paste from the Edit menu and then move the figure where you want it.)

The figure is copied along with its visual properties (color and font), and the new copy is attached to the same model element as the original figure. (If the attached element is in a different model from that of the diagram, the model name appears in brackets.)

Copying a model element to a node figure

To copy a model element and paste it as a new node figure, follow these steps:

  1. In the Relationships Browser or another UML Designer browser, select the element you want to create a figure for.
  2. Select Copy from the Element menu, or from the pop-up menu.
  3. Go to the target diagram and place the mouse pointer in the location where you want to paste the figure.
  4. Select Paste Here from the pop-up menu. (You can also select Paste from the Edit menu and then move the figure where you want it.)

The new figure is automatically attached to the model element you selected. (If the attached element is in a different model from that of the diagram, the model name appears in brackets.)

Adding a node figure with

Hide/Show Relationships

You can use the Hide/Show Relationships choice on the pop-up menu of a node figure to create connector figures for existing or new relationships (see Adding a connector with for more information). If the element at the other end of the relationship is not already represented by a node figure, UML Designer automatically creates one and adds it to your diagram.


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