UML Designer User's Guide

Adding a connector figure

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

To reroute the path of a connector figure in a class diagram or use case diagram, select the figure and then drag its selection handles.

Manually creating a new connector figure

To add a connector figure to a diagram, follow these steps:

  1. Select the figure you want from the tool bar. (If you prefer, you can select Select Relationship Figure from the Tools menu and then select the figure you want from the cascaded menu.)
  2. Position the mouse pointer on the figure representing the source (owner) of the relationship. For example, a class design owns its conformance relationships to protocols; either node can be the owner of a simple association.
  3. Click mouse button 1 to connect the source end of the relationship.
  4. Move the mouse pointer to the figure representing the destination of the relationship.
  5. Click mouse button 1 to complete the relationship.

Copying a connector figure from another diagram

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

  1. Select the connector 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.
  4. Select Paste Here from the pop-up menu or Paste from the Edit menu.

The connector figure is copied along with its adornments. If both endpoints already appear on the diagram, the connector automatically connects them; if either or both are missing, they are copied along with the connector figure.

Copying a relationship to a connector figure

To copy a relationship between model elements and paste it as a new connector figure, follow these steps:

  1. In the Relationships Browser, select the relationship you want to create a figure for. (You can select a relationship by browsing connections; see Spawning a new browser on a relationship for more information.)
  2. Select Copy from the Source menu, or from the pop-up menu.
  3. Go to the target diagram.
  4. Select Paste Here from the pop-up menu or Paste from the Edit menu.

A new connector figure is created for the relationship you selected. If either or both of the elements involved in the relationship are not yet represented in the diagram, node figures for them are created as well.

Adding a connector with

Hide/Show Relationships

You can create connector figures for existing or candidate relationships. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Select the node figure you want to connect to.
  2. Select Hide/Show Relationships from the pop-up menu.

    A window appears listing any existing relationships (associations and links) involving the selected element, followed by any identified candidate relationships. A candidate relationship is identified with a plus sign (+).

    A candidate relationship is a relationship that doesn't yet exist in the model, but can be created automatically. Candidate relationships include commonly used "default" relationships. By selecting a candidate relationship, you can quickly create the relationship, a connector figure for the relationship, and in some cases, a node figure for the other endpoint. For example, you can create (and link to) a new instance of a class design.

  3. Select the relationship for which you want to create a connector figure from the Hidden Relationships list. (You can also select multiple relationships at once.)
  4. Select >> to add the relationship to the Shown Relationships list.
  5. Select OK.

If you select a relationship that requires a new model element (for example, a conformance link to a protocol that doesn't yet exist), UML Designer prompts you for confirmation before creating the new element. If either endpoint can be the owner of a relationship (as with a simple association), UML Designer prompts you for confirmation of the direction.

After you provide any necessary confirmations, the new connector figure (and new node figure, if necessary) appear on the diagram. You can now rearrange the diagram to place the new figures where you want them.


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