Object Display Options

Ribbon

Start > Appearance > Preferences > Preferences > Objects

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+F9 > Objects

Version

Type in the default version number or code for new elements.

Phase

Type in the default phase number or code for new elements.

Highlight References

Select the checkbox to highlight parameters in operations that are passed by reference rather than value.

Reference Char(s)

Type in a character or character string to act as the reference.

Prefix/Suffix

Select the appropriate radio button to display the 'Reference Char(s)' value as either a prefix or a suffix on the operation parameter.

Warn about spaces in class names

Select the checkbox to display a warning message when a Class, operation or attribute name has embedded spaces (which can cause coding problems).

Deselect the checkbox to hide such messages.

Classes honor analysis stereotypes

Select the checkbox to show Classes as their stereotype; for example, if a Class is stereotyped as a Boundary, it appears as a Boundary rather than a Class.

Deselect the checkbox to show the element as its base type; that is, as a Class.

Show stereotype icon for requirements

Select the checkbox to show a code letter in the top right corner of Requirement (E, for external), Change (C) and Issue (I) elements.

Deselect the checkbox to hide the indicator letter.

Support for Composite Objects

Select the checkbox to:

• Display a hashed border within a valid parent element when you drag a potential child element onto it in a diagram
• Automatically embed the child element in their parent element in the model, when you drag and drop the child element onto the parent element in a diagram
• Automatically disengage the child element from the parent (break the child-parent relationship) in the model when you drag the child element out of its parent element
  

Deselect the checkbox to not display the hashed border and to not embed the child element in the parent in the model.

Auto-resize marks diagram 'dirty'

Select the checkbox to set auto-resizing of elements as an unsaved change to the diagram (displaying an asterisk on the diagram tab), so that you must manually save the diagram to protect the change.

Deselect the checkbox to automatically save autosizing changes.

Highlight {abstract} elements

Select the checkbox to indicate, on a diagram, Classes set as abstract by displaying the tag {abstract} below and to the right of the Class name.

Allow elongated Use Cases

Select the checkbox to allow Use Cases or Use Case extension points to elongate to accommodate long names.

If you deselect the checkbox, Use Case re-sizing is proportional and the 'make same height/width' menu options are blocked.

Show status colors on diagrams

Select the checkbox to display color coding in Requirement, Change and Issue elements on all diagrams.

Deselect the checkbox to display the status bands and element shadows in the standard fill and shadow colors. You can, however, select an option in report generation to still show the status colors in diagrams in the report.

You can increase the range of element types on which to use status color coding, through the 'Status' page of the 'General Types' dialog ('Settings > Reference Data > Model Types > General Types').

Copy inheritance links on duplicate

Select the checkbox to duplicate Inheritance and Realization connectors when you copy their elements.

Show buttons for selected Object on diagram

Select the checkbox to enable the display of the floating toolbar buttons to the right of an object when you select it.

Deselect the checkbox to not display these toolbar buttons or element icons.

Hide diagram element paste as new dialog

Select this checkbox to prevent the 'Paste as New' dialog from displaying when you copy and paste elements between diagrams; the copied element is pasted as a new element with the same name.

Clear the checkbox to allow the dialog to display, so that you can change the element name and include existing connectors in the paste operation.

Show «column» stereotype

Select the checkbox to show the «column» stereotype as a heading in Table elements, when data modeling.

Deselect the checkbox to just display the column names without the «column» heading.

Extend Complexity

Select the checkbox to extend levels of complexity to five levels in the 'Complexity' field in the element 'Properties' dialog:

• 'Easy'
• 'Medium'
• 'Difficult'
• 'Extreme'
• 'Unknown'

Deselect the checkbox to restrict the field to three options (omitting 'Extreme' and 'Unknown').

UML 1.5 Components

Select the checkbox to perform your modeling using UML 1.5 components (Enterprise Architect versions from 4.0 onwards default to using UML 2.x).

Show State Compartment

Select the checkbox to show, in a State element, the State compartment divider under the State name.

Show Duplicate Tags

Select the checkbox to enable duplicate tag names to be shown in the element Tagged Values compartment and in the 'Tags' tab of the Properties window for the element.

The system defaults to hiding duplicate tag names, to avoid displaying inherited and overridden Tagged Values. It is useful to display the duplicate tags when you are revising them; for example, when you are adding namespaces and labels in ODM.

Group Operations by Stereotype

Select the checkbox to group an element's operations by their stereotype, in the element's operations compartment on the diagram.

The order in which the stereotypes are listed is determined by the order of the operations in the 'Operations' page of the Features window for the element - if operation AA with stereotype Z is the first in the operation list, stereotype Z is first in the stereotype list.

Deselect the checkbox to list the operations ungrouped, in the order in which they appear in the Features window for the element.

Group Attributes by Stereotype

Select the checkbox to group an element's attributes by their stereotype, in the element's attributes compartment on the diagram.

The order in which the stereotypes are listed is determined by the order of the attributes in the 'Attributes' page of the Features window for the element - if attribute AA with stereotype Z is the first in the attribute list, stereotype Z is first in the stereotype list.

Deselect the checkbox to list the attributes ungrouped, in the order in which they appear in the 'Attributes' page for the element.

Sort Features Alphabetically

Select the checkbox to list element features of each type alphabetically. Features include attributes, operations, tags, constraints and Test Cases.

Deselect the checkbox to list the features in the order in which they are defined (if not alphabetical) in the corresponding dialog or window for the feature.

To observe the effects of selecting or deselecting the checkbox, you must close the diagram and reload it.

Disable spelling

Select the checkbox to turn off automatic spell checking.

Deselect the checkbox to resume automatic spell checking.

The spelling checker operates on the view, dialog or window where you initially enter the text strings.

Show invoked Activity name (SysML)

For SysML diagram types. Select the checkbox to show CallBehaviorAction names as 'Action:Activity'. Clear the checkbox to show the names as 'Action'.

Show invoked Activity name (UML)

For UML and other non-SysML diagram types. Select the checkbox to show CallBehaviorAction names as 'Action:Activity'. Clear the checkbox to show the names as 'Action'.

Advanced

Click on this button to specify which types of element should be listed in document reports and in diagram Packages.

Some types of element do not appear in Packages and in document output by default. You use this facility to include such types.

Close

Click on this button to save the changes you have made, and to close the 'Preferences' dialog.