Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

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Scroll, Search and Select Text

In the Document Editor, you can move the cursor through the template or document using either the keyboard or the mouse. Alternatively, you could move the cursor to a position in the file by searching for a text string.

Having positioned the cursor on the required text, you can then highlight and manipulate it with various options, in addition to the standard 'mouse-click-and-drag' and the 'Ctrl+X', 'Ctrl+C' and 'Ctrl+V' keys.

Cursor Positioning

Scroll Using

Options

Keyboard Keys

Press:

  • Ctrl+Left Arrow to move to the previous word
  • Ctrl+Right Arrow to move to the next word
  • Ctrl+Up Arrow to move to the first column of the current line (if not already on the first column) or the first column of the previous line
  • Ctrl+Down Arrow to move to the first column of the next line
  • F10 to display the 'Jump to line number' dialog; type in a line number to jump to, and click on the OK button

Mouse

To perform various scrolling functions, click on the vertical or horizontal scroll bars. These functions are available when the scroll bars have been enabled by the startup parameters.

Vertical Scroll Bar: To scroll the screen up or down by one line, click on the arrows on either end.

To scroll the screen up by one page, click above the elevator (the block within the scroll bar); similarly, to scroll the screen down by one page, click below the elevator.

You can also scroll the screen up or down by dragging the elevator in the appropriate direction.

Horizontal Scroll Bar: To scroll the screen left or right by one column, click on the arrow on the appropriate end of  the bar; to scroll the screen left or right by half a screen, click on the bar on the appropriate side of the elevator.

You can also scroll the screen left or right by dragging the elevator along the bar in the appropriate direction.

Text Search

When you search for a text string, the dialog for specifying the search details does not persist on the screen, so you can simply use keyboard keys or a menu option to continue the search without obscuring text behind a dialog.

To

Action

See also

Find first instance of a text string

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Search > Search', or press F5.

The 'Search String Parameters' dialog displays. Specify:

  • The term to search for
  • Whether to search from the start of the file or forwards or backwards from the current cursor position, and
  • Whether the search should exactly match the case of the search term

The editor searches for the first instance of the specified character string as defined by the parameters.

Find next instance of a text string

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Search > Search Forward', or press Ctrl+F.

The editor searches forwards through the file for the next instance of the previously specified text string, and highlights it.

Find previous instance of a text string

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Search > Search Backward', or press Ctrl+Shift+F.

The editor searches backwards through the file for the next instance of the previously specified text string, and highlights it.

Replace a text string

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Search > Replace', or press F6.

The 'Replace String Parameters' dialog displays, in which you specify:

  • The text string to locate
  • The text string to replace it with
  • Whether to search the whole document or just a highlighted block of text
  • Whether to confirm each replacement before making the change

If you want to confirm replacement, a prompt displays for each occurrence of the search term to confirm or skip replacing that occurrence.

Text Selection

To

Action

See also

Highlight a word

Double-click on the word.

Highlight a line

Move the cursor onto the line and press F8.

Delete a line

Press Shift+F9 to delete the current line; the remaining lines close up.

Paste special objects

Select the option 'Document-Edit > Edit > Edit > Paste Special'; the 'Paste Special' dialog displays, listing the appropriate data type formats for inserting the copied object.

Click on the Paste button to embed the data into your application, or click on the Paste Link button to create a link to the original file.

  • 'Native Object Format' - If available, this is the first format in the list box; you can edit data in this format using the original application, by double-clicking the object
  • 'Formatted Text' - A text format; this option offers the most suitable format if the data is pasted from another text output application, as the font and formatting attributes are reproduced accurately
  • 'Unformatted Text' - Another text format; this option pastes the text without retaining the formatting information
  • 'Picture Format' - The data is available in Picture format; you can later edit the object, by double-clicking on it and invoking the Microsoft MS Draw application
    This format is preferable to the Bitmap and the Device Independent Bitmap formats
  • 'Device Independent Bitmap' and 'Regular Bitmap' formats - The data is available in bitmap formats; you can later edit the object, by double-clicking on it and invoking the Microsoft MS Draw application
    The editor converts these formats into the Picture format before calling the drawing application