Skip to end of metadata
Go to start of metadata

This page explains you how to organize objects in your Internal Block Diagram.

Contents

Note that the positions of the containers, links, labels, anchor points and ports are saved on the arKItect server. When a user modifies them, they are automatically saved.

Icon

If several users are working on the same diagram simultaneously, the modified positions may not be saved. In order to see the modifications made by other users, press F5 or use the Refresh button in the Home Category.

Zoom

There are 3 main possibilities to control the scale of displayed diagrams

  1. Design Panel of the Home Category
  2. Zoom Panel of the Diagram Category
  3. Zoom part of the Status bar

In addition, Zoom > can be accessed directly by a right-click on the Internal Block Diagram background (and not on an object). You can now access the following functionalities:

  • Zoom Normal: sets a 1:1 zooming factor.
  • Zoom Custom: allows the user to specify a desired zooming factor (a percentage).
  • Zoom Percent: allows the user to select a zooming factor from a set of predefined factors (50%, 75%, 100%, 200%).
  • Zoom to Fit: makes all displayed objects visible by applying the corresponding zooming factor.

It is also possible to zoom in and out by pressing the CTRL key and using the mouse wheel.

Full Screen Mode

It is also possible to visualize the Internal Block Diagram in full screen; to activate the full screen mode, use Full Screen Panel of the Diagram Category . You can deactivate the full screen mode through the floating toolbar appearing on screen.

Positions

The position of each graphical element is set by default by arKItect. You can change these positions to increase the clarity of the representation and suit your likings. To change object positions, just have to drag-and-drop the objects with your mouse.(Ctrl+A allows to select all objects in the diagram) You can also resize objects by pulling their border line. The only limiting rule is that the objects must not overlap if they are not in a parent-child relation and they must overlap if they are. (Two objects are in a parent-child relation when the parent is expanded and the children are seen inside the parent object.)

You can use the Grouping → Group option (right-click on an object) to graphically group several objects together; this means that moving one object will move the other(s) correspondingly. You have to select at least two objects to make this feature available. In order to ungroup objects, use the Grouping → Ungroup option after selecting one or several of the concerned objects.

Expand/Collapse

By default, the only containers shown in the Internal Block Diagram are the first-degree children of the focus object (see Navigation for more information). But sometimes you may want to see some second-level children at the same level. You can achieve this by double-clicking the Plus ([+]) symbol on an object (or alternatively, using the Expand feature in the right-click menu of an object). The reverse action is achieved by double-clicking the Minus([-]) symbol on the object (or alternatively by using Collapse feature in the right-click menu of the object)  The expanded containers are always displayed as rounded rectangles.

Icon

The containers that have been expanded are saved on the server in the same manner as object positions.

Layout in Expanded

The layout algorithms can be applied to the content of an expanded container by right-clicking the container and choosing Layout in expanded. The vertical or horizontal layout will be chosen automatically depending on how much room is available in the expanded container.

Layout and Flows

Containers

To move the anchor point of a flow on a container, follow these steps:

  1. Select the flow with a click on the flow link.
  2. Select the anchor point on the container and drag and drop it to its new location. The cursor changes into a target shape and a green dot appears on the container border when the cursor is near a suitable position (as when using Link Components).

Ports

You can manipulate the positions of ports in the same manner as the positions on objects, namely with drag-and-drop. It is also possible to separate and to merge flow ports, the following limitations apply:

  • Only flows with the same direction can be merged.
  • Only flows of the same type can be merged.
  • If the flows are marked with a question mark or a double exclamation mark, they can only be merged with other flows marked with similar warnings.

It is also possible the change the position of a flow's anchor point on a port; this is done simply by

  1. Activating the flow with a click on the flow link.
  2. Selecting the anchor point on the port and dragging and dropping it to a new location. The cursor changes into a target shape (as when using Link Components).

There is one anchor position on each side of a port.

Fix Flows

After a container has been moved, the links connecting two containers will probably remain badly oriented. By right-clicking a container and choosing Fix flows, they will be reoriented automatically. This algorithm only applies to the links connected directly or indirectly to the selected container.

Automatic Diagram Layout

In the Layout Panels of the Diagram Category, you can choose the following layout options:

  • Auto Set Layout horizontally: this action organizes the current Internal Block Diagram view using a horizontal layout algorithm.
  • Auto Set Layout vertically: this action organizes the current Internal Block Diagram view using a vertical layout algorithm.
  • Horizontal tree: this action organizes the current Internal Block Diagram containers in a horizontal tree.
  • Vertical tree: this action organizes the current Internal Block Diagram containers in a vertical tree.
  • Align Outerflow Ports: this action organizes the positions of outflow ports.
  • Reset Outerflow Ports: this action reunites separated outflow ports.

The last two options are also accessible from the Internal Block Diagram background.

Using Panels in the Diagram Category

There are several Panels in the Diagram Category that can help you organize the object positions:

Grid Options

To access Grid options, use Advanced Panel of the Diagram Category. You can now access the following functionalities:

  • Show Grid: shows/hides a grid.
  • Snap to Grid: snaps objects to grid. This button is active and unmodifiable if the Snap to Grid option has been set in the filter by an arKItect Designer for the projection in question.

More grid options can be accessed via Preferences.

 

  • No labels