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Setting page breaks, modifying label settings, and printing the diagram

In this exercise, you modify the diagram to set page breaks to prepare to print the diagram. You also modify the display characteristics of the diagram so that the diagram shows the labels that are assigned to data objects. Finally, you print the diagram.

Printing diagrams is one way to share diagram or model information with other team members. Another way to share information is by publishing a model to the Web, which you will do in a later exercise.

To set page breaks, modify label settings, and print the diagram:

  1. Right-click in a blank area of the diagram and select View > Page Breaks.

    A blue line is displayed on the diagram and the Outline view. The blue line indicates where a page break occurs. If necessary, you can modify the layout of diagram objects so that objects are not split between pages. Page breaks are calculated based on the default printer that is installed on your computer.

    Tip: As you add additional objects to a diagram you can click View > Recalculate Page Breaks to reset the page breaks based on the size and location of the new objects.

    Now you add a label to the Invoice entity, and set the diagram properties so that labels are displayed.

  2. Select the Invoice entity in the diagram or in the Data Project Explorer, and type Customer Invoice in the Label field in the Properties view.

    Screen capture showing the Properties view, as described.

    Now you modify the diagram properties so that the new label is displayed.

  3. Click in a blank area of the diagram.
  4. On the Filters page in the Properties view, select Show Label under Entity options.

    In the diagram, the Invoice object is now displaying the Customer Invoice label that you typed.

  5. Save the Invoice.ldm file.
  6. Use virtual page breaks with scaling factors to see how the diagram would print at other than full size.
    1. Click in a blank area of the diagram.
    2. On the Printing page in the Properties view, select the Display virtual page breaks check box.

      The page breaks that you set in step 1 are removed from the diagram and replaced with virtual page breaks. The color of the line in the button to the right of the check box shows the current color of the virtual page-break lines.

      Tip: You can change the color of the virtual page-break lines by clicking the button and then selecting a new color from the palette.
    3. Set the value of Adjust to % of normal size to 75. The diagram size remains the same, and the virtual page-break lines are moved to adjust to the scaling factor.
    4. Optional: Specify a different adjustment number or use the Fit to option to vary the number of printed pages, and then review the virtual page breaks in the diagram.
    Now, you can print the diagram.
  7. Click Print on the Printing page. In the window that opens, the Current diagram option is selected to print the current diagram.
  8. Specify other print options as needed, and then click OK.
The diagram is printed, so that you can share the information with other team members that might not have the workbench installed.
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