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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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Working In Diagrams

Enterprise Architect provides a wide range of facilities for creating, editing and managing the diagrams that represent aspects of your models.

Facilities

Facility

See also

Create a UML diagram, Extended diagram or MDG Technology diagram in your model, through the Browser window.

Add New Diagrams

Set or change various properties of a diagram, such as the diagram name, through the diagram 'Properties' dialog. Some properties influence the display of the diagram and some are logical attributes that appear in the documentation.

Set Diagram Properties

Display a Diagram Properties Note on the diagram. A Diagram Properties Note is a simple fixed-text box containing the diagram name, author, version, creation date and modification date. You can move this text box to any point on the diagram.

Insert Diagram Properties Note

Add new elements and connectors to a diagram using the Diagram Toolbox pages specific to the diagram type, or other Toolbox pages as you need.

Diagram Toolbox

Add new elements and connectors to a diagram using the Quick Linker facilities.

The Quick Linker

Drop existing elements from the Browser window into the diagram.

Drop Elements from Browser Window

Drop elements copied from a diagram into another diagram.

Copy Elements Between Diagrams

Change the Z-order of selected elements on the diagram, to define which elements might lie over or underneath other elements.

Z Order Elements

You can convert a tabbed diagram in the Diagram View into a floating diagram. In this case, you can move or copy elements between that diagram and another floating diagram or tabbed diagram.

Diagram Tabs Move/Copy Elements To & From Floating Diagrams

Move sections of the diagram independent of the rest of the diagram.

Move Elements In Diagram Sections

Automatically resize the selected elements on the diagram to the default size for the element type, or as close to it as the element contents allow.

Autosize Elements

Identify which other elements are related to a selected element on the diagram and, if necessary, add one or more of those other elements to the diagram.

Locate Related Elements

Generate virtual images of connector end elements, to simplify complex and extended relationships on a diagram.

Virtual Connector Ends - Represent One Element Several Times on a Diagram

Control the display of labels around elements and connectors on the diagram.

Manage Object Labels

More precisely represent realized interfaces of a Class on your diagram.

Show Realized Interfaces of Class

Expand the contents of a Package element within a diagram.

Open Package From Diagram

Manage the visibility of a range of element features on the diagram.

Feature Visibility

Undo and redo the immediately previous changes to the diagram.

Undo Last Action

Pan across and down a large diagram, and zoom into or out of the diagram display.

Pan and Zoom a Diagram

Select and move elements on the diagram using keyboard keys ('hotkeys').

Diagram Navigation Hotkeys

Switch between the currently-open diagrams and views in the Diagram View.

View Last and Next Diagram

Change a diagram from one type (such as Class) to another (such as Data Modeling).

Change Diagram Type

Flag a selected diagram as the Model Default diagram for your project, or your User Default diagram.

User and Model Default Diagrams

Scale down the Printable image of the diagram to fit the size of paper it is being printed on.

Scale Image to Page Size

Set the scrollable/printable area of the diagram display area.

Set Up Diagram Page

Present a set of diagrams in a Model Views slideshow.

Diagram Slide Show

Lock the current diagram so that it cannot be updated.

Lock Diagram

Create a duplicate copy of an existing diagram.

Copy (Duplicate) or Move Diagram

Save an image of the diagram to a file, in a range of graphic file formats.

Save Diagram Image to File

Copy an image of the diagram to the MS Windows clipboard.

Copy Image to Clipboard

Delete one or more diagrams from the model.

Delete Diagrams

Notes

  • In the Corporate, Unified and Ultimate Editions of Enterprise Architect, if security is enabled you must have 'Update Element' permission to update or delete items on a diagram, and 'Manage Diagram' permission to create, copy or delete diagrams

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