Copyright: ® 1999 Pacestar Software


Contents

 Introduction

 Basics

 Quick Start Tutorial

 General Editing

 Getting Around in a Flowchart

 Figures

 Connectors

 Labels

 Connector Labels

 Text

 Figure Styles

 Label Styles

 Connector Styles

 Tools

 Managing Windows and Files

 Advanced Features

 Frequently Asked Questions

 Troubleshooting

 Support

 Glossary

 Index


Introduction

WizFlow keeps track of figures (shapes) that make up a flowchart. It remembers how figures are connected, combined with text, and arranged. It automatically formats groups of figures to keep them properly sized, aligned, or arranged. It also helps you add text anywhere on your diagram including within figures. When you edit text in a figure, the program can cause the figure to grow automatically to fit perfectly to the new amount of text. If you move a figure, it can automatically adjust any lines that are connected to that figure. When these lines move, the program can move any labels connected to the lines.

WizFlow is great for flowcharts. However, it is also useful for custom diagrams. You can decide how objects look and behave in your custom diagrams.


Basics

You'll need to know the following topics in order to use this program effectively.

Flowchart Components

Styles and Properties

Using the Mouse

Using Controls

The Workspace

The Style Bar

The Tool Bar

The Property Bar

The Snap Grid

Modes


Diagram Components
Flowchart Components

Figures

Figures are the primary components of flowcharts. They often represent steps in a process or components of a design. A figure can have any shape or design such as a circle, square, or any illustration. A figure also has stylistic attributes such as color and border width. Additionally, a figure can contain one or more text areas in which you can add descriptive text.

Connectors

Connectors are lines that connect two figures. They usually represent a path between two figures or some other relationship between figures. Connectors can be straight, curved, smoothed, or rounded. Each end of a connector can have an attached shape such as an arrowhead.

Junctions

Junctions are the points at which multiple segments of a connector meet. They often forma vertex for a line or a control point for a curve. Junctions make it possible for a connector to bend around corners, wrap around figures, and connect to other connectors.

Labels

Labels are stand-alone text objects that serve as titles, annotations, and paragraphs. You can place any number of labels anywhere on a diagram.

Connector Labels

Connector labels are special labels that attach themselves to a connector and remain attached when you move the connector.


Styles and Properties

Styles

Objects start from an object style - a set of default properties and characteristics. Styles are a lot like paragraph styles in word processors. Rather than describing paragraphs, they describe figures, labels, and connectors.

One thing to remember about styles is that they are stored in every diagram. Don't be afraid to change them because if you do and you mess up, your changes only affect that diagram. To make a style change that will affect future diagrams, you must change a template file (see below).

Diagram templates

The purpose of diagram templates is similar to the purpose of word processor template files, to group together a collection of styles that form the foundation of a diagram type. When you create a New diagram, you usually start from a template, such as from a template that contains the basic styles of a flowchart.

Figure styles

A figure style contains a figure symbol definition plus stylistic attributes such as colors, text justification, and border width. A figure style also contains a set of rules that define how figures of the style behave and interact with other objects.

Label Styles

Label styles are very similar to figure styles except they include only those attributes which apply to labels.

Connector Styles

A connector style contains a connector end symbol definition for each end plus a number of stylistic attributes such as colors and width. A connector style also contains a set of rules that define how connectors of the style behave and interact with other objects.

Properties

An individual object such as a figure, label, or connector, has its own properties which it initially receives from an appropriate object style. For example, fill color is a property of a particular figure. The initial color comes from the figure style definition used to create the figure. You can change the fill color of this figure either by changing the figure style from which it was created (which also affects all other figures created from that style), or by changing the fill color property of the particular figure alone.


Using the Mouse

This program requires a mouse or trackball. Any standard mouse installed in Windows will work fine. This program uses the mouse like most other Windows programs. The left mouse button is used for clicking on objects and choosing commands.

Right mouse button (shortcuts)

If you press the right mouse button while in Select mode or Seltext mode (modes are explained elsewhere), a small menu appears near the cursor. You may then choose from a number of frequently used commands that make sense at the time. For example, if you click right mouse button on a figure, the menu contains features that apply to that figure. When you press the right mouse button while in any other mode, it serves as a shortcut method to return to Select mode (or Seltext mode if you used that mode last.)

Cursor

The cursor, or more accurately the mouse cursor, is a small graphic image that indicates where on the screen the mouse is pointing. Different shapes for the mouse cursors indicate different actions that result when you click the mouse. The most common mouse cursors and their meaning are shown below

Standard select cursor. Click to select objects.

Lasso select cursor. Lassoing objects.

Move cursor. Click to move objects.

Create figure cursor. Click to create figure.

Zoom cursor. Click to zoom in.

Connect cursor. Click to create connector.

Connect-to cursor. Connect to object.

Text label cursor. Click to create label.

Edit/add text cursor. Click to edit figure/label text.

Connector label cursor. Click to label connector.

Resize cursor. Resizing figure.

Pivot connector cursor. Moving end of connector.

Split cursor. Splitting a connector.


Using Controls

The user interface contains standard Windows controls like buttons, scroll bars, list boxes, and pull-down lists. If you are unfamiliar with these term, refer to your Windows documentation. There are also a few unique controls that require some additional explanation.

Drop menus

Drop menu buttons are special buttons that cause a menu to pop-up when you press them. You can identify a drop menu button by the small black triangle in the lower right corner. Drop menus contain a number of selections to choose from. To make a selection, move the mouse over your choice and release, or just click on it.

Notice the ellipsis (three dots) at the lower right corner of the menu shown above. Some drop menus have these to indicate that there may be additional selections that are not shown. By selecting the ellipsis, you can access the complete list of selections with a dialog box.

Measurement Edit Boxes

Some edit boxes have special behaviors. When entering a measurement, you can type "3 in." to mean three inches, but you can also type "3.0 inches", or just "3"; all are equivalent. Your entries are always assumed to be in the current measurement units (inches or centimeters). If the field expects inches and you enter "3 ft." or "3 cm", it is treated as three inches. The same goes for point measurements for text size and line thicknesses. If a point measurement is called for, you can enter "2 pts" or "2 points" or "2.0", and so on.

Point measurements are a bit confusing at first. Just remember that there are 72 points in an inch or that most typed text is 10 or 12 points tall.

Standard sizes

It can be challenging to choose sizes for things that look good and print attractively. For example, if you are creating a connector with an arrowhead, should you make the arrowhead 8 points, 15 points, 6.3 points? Should its line width be 1/2 point of 2 points? It's hard to know without spending a lot of time trying different sizes AND printing them out. To greatly simplify choosing the sizes of some things, we've defined a set of standard sizes that you can select very easily. For example, arrowheads can be Small, Medium, or Large and line widths can be Fine, Medium, Heavy, or Very Heavy.

Standard sizes also make it possible to use menus as a well as edit boxes to choose sizes.

 As you can see in this illustration, the border width for a figure can be adjusted by selecting a standard size with a menu, selecting a standard size with a drop menu, typing any size you want, or using a spin control to make it bigger or smaller.


The Workspace

In addition to the display area for the diagram, the workspace contains the following components.

Title bar

Shows the program name and the name of the active diagram.

Tool bar

Contains buttons that provide easy access to frequently used commands.

Property bar

Contains buttons and controls to easily change properties of figures, labels, and connectors..

Style bar

The area on the left of the screen that contains controls to access label, figure, and connector styles.

Status bar

The area along the bottom of the workspace that shows brief help information and the zoom magnification.

Scroll bars

Show your position in the diagram and allow you to move around.

Rulers

Show real-life measurements of the diagram.


The Style Bar

The style bar is the area to the left of the diagram that contains controls to access label, figure, and connector styles. The purpose of the style bar is to make it very easy to choose a style to create an object.

The style bar contains three main sections, one for labels, one for figures (shpown to the left), and one for connectors. If the diagram contains no styles of one of these types, the section will not appear in the style bar. Each of these sections contains three types of controls, all of which do the same thing in different ways!

Style drop menu

At the top of each section is a Style Drop Menu button. You use this button to choose a style from a drop menu, a pop-up menu that contains a graphic representation of styles of the type in this section. When pressed, it expands to show the styles. The graphic representations in the drop menu are only approximations of the styles. For example, they do not include line thickness.

Style combo box

Under the drop menu button is the style combo box. This control serves two purposes. The style combo box displays the name of the current style if one is selected. It also allows you to change the style by picking another style by name. The end result is the same as if you had used the drop menu to choose the style.

Style bar buttons

Under the style combo box are optional style bar buttons. Each style bar button represents a single style. You can choose the style by simply pressing the button. Though style bar buttons are the easiest way to choose a style, they also take up a lot of room. Therefore, they typically represent only the most frequently used styles. The representation of the style is only approximate. For example it does not show color.

Customizing the style bar

For each style, you can choose whether or not it has a style bar button.
You can also control the width of the style bar, the number of style bar buttons in each row, and the height of the buttons. These settings are saved with each diagram.

Changing style bar layout


Changing style bar layout

Order of Buttons on Style Bar

You can change the order that buttons appear on the style bar by dragging one button to another. Click on a button, move the cursor over another button while keeping the button pressed, then release the button and the styles associated with the two buttons will swap.


The Tool Bar

The tool bar provides convenient buttons to perform the most frequently used functions. The tool bar is always present. When you move the mouse over one of these buttons, a description of its function will appear in a small balloon called a tooltip as well as a help message in the status bar.


The Property Bar

The property bar contains buttons and controls to conveniently change object properties such as fonts, text formats, colors, and so on. The property bar is optional and can be toggled on and off by choosing Show Property Bar from the Options menu.

When you move the mouse over one of these buttons, a description of its function will appear in a small balloon called a tooltip as well as a help message in the status bar.

You use the property bar by selecting one or more objects, then changing their properties with the property bar controls. The property bar provides shortcuts for setting object properties. All of these properties can also be changed through the object property dialog boxes, for example by selecting a figure and then double-clicking on it or choosing Properties from the Figures menu.

The property bar is also useful when creating objects. After you've selected the style of object to create, you can use the property bar to change the properties of the objects that will be created without changing the style itself. This is explained in more detail elsewhere.


The Snap Grid

The snap grid is a very powerful tool that helps you line up figures in your diagram. The snap grid contains two components that you can use together or separately, the visible grid and the snap grid.

The visible grid

The visible grid is a grey-colored set of horizontal and vertical grid lines or dots that appear behind your diagram. By itself, the visible grid is only a visual aid, it does not have ANY effect on your diagramming. You can control the grid spacing by choosing Properties from the Diagram menu. All of the grid lines may not always be visible. When you zoom way back, grid lines that would appear too close to one another on the screen drop out.

You can turn the visible grid on and off by pressing the tool bar button that looks like a grid.  It can also be changed in the Diagram Properties dialog box.

The snap grid

The snap grid is NOT visible but when enabled it does affect your diagramming. The snap grid automatically controls where figures and connectors can be placed and how large figures can be. For example, if you set the snap spacing to a half inch, you can only place figures at exactly one half inch intervals. Therefore, you know that if two figures look lined up they are lined up, if they look the same size they are the same size, if a line looks straight it is straight. When you print your diagram you won't be surprised to find that what looked right on the screen is slightly wrong on paper.

You can turn snap on and off by pressing the tool bar button. You can control the snap spacing by choosing Properties from the Diagram menu.

You can use either the visible grid or the snap grid without using both. However, when you use both together, you get the greatest benefit. Most often, you will want to choose a grid spacing that is larger than your snap spacing, twice as large is the default


Modes

While you are working in this programr, you are always in one of several modes. There is a mode for selecting and moving objects, a mode for creating figures, a mode for creating labels and editing text, a mode for creating connectors, and a mode for zooming into a certain area of a diagram. You'll enter each mode to perform certain operations. Following is a brief summary of each mode.

Select Mode

The default mode is select mode. In this mode you can select objects, move objects, size objects, and perform many other functions. You will probably spend most of your time in this mode since this is the mode in which most features are available.

To enter select mode, click on the select mode tool bar button. You can tell that you are in select mode when the select mode tool bar button is pressed and the select cursor appears.

The select mode cursor.

Text Mode

You enter text mode to work with text. In this mode you can create labels, add text to figures, and edit figure text.

To enter text mode, click on the button in the text mode tool barbutton. You can tell you are in text mode when the text mode button in the tool bar is pressed and the text cursor appears. You will also enter text mode if you select a label style from the style bar.

The text mode cursor.

SelText Mode

This mode is a special combination of text mode and select mode. It is just like select mode except that you can also edit text as if you were in text mode.
Using this mode rather than select mode will prevent you from having to switch modes as often. The trade-off is that both selection and text editing require more precise pointing with the mouse.

To enter seltext mode, click on the tool bar button that looks like an arrow and the letter "T" together.  The cursor is the same as the select mode cursor.

Zoom Mode

You enter zoom mode to zoom in to a part of your diagram and view it in greater detail.

 To enter zoom mode, click on the zoom mode button in the tool bar.

The zoom mode cursor.

Figure Create Mode

You enter figure create mode to create figures in your diagram of a chosen figure style. To enter figure create mode, select a figure style from the style bar. There is no button on the tool bar because you must indicate the style of figure you want to create.

You can tell you are in figure create mode when the cursor is in the shape of a figure or the create figure cursor shown below. If the figure style you are creating has a button on the style bar, that button will be pressed as well.

Connect Mode

You enter connect mode to create connectors in your diagram of a chosen connector style. To enter connect mode, select a connector style from the style bar. There is no button on the tool bar because you must indicate the style of connector you want to create. The connect cursor appears. If the connector style you are creating has a button on the style bar, that button will be pressed as well.

The connect cursor.


Quick Start Tutorial

This section is a tutorial that leads you through the creation of a very simple diagram. You will learn the basic functionality of the program and become comfortable with its use. Before continuing, we suggest that you read the previous sections called Introduction and Basics.

We'll assume you have already installed the software. You can uninstall later if you want to remove it from your computer.

See Uninstalling

Start the program by double clicking on the WizFlow Flowcharter icon in the WizFlow program group or by clicking on the desktop shortcut. You'll now see the basic workspace.  We'll proceed to create a very simple diagram step-by-step.

Step 1: Create a diagram

Step 2: Create a figure

Step 3: Create a second figure

Step 4: Create a connector

Step 5: Add text to a figure

Step 6: Move a figure

Step 7: Save the diagram

Step 8: Exit

You should now have a good idea of what the program does and how it is used. Of course, we've just scratched the surface of the available features and commands.


Uninstalling EDGE Diagrammer
Uninstalling

You can remove this program completely from your computer by taking the following steps.

To uninstall

1 	Choose Control Panel from Settings under the Start button.

2 	Click on Add/Remove Programs.

3 	Locate Amazing Flowcharts and Diagrams in the list and click the Add/Remove button.


Step 1
Step 1: Create a diagram

At this point, you can either open an existing diagram or create a new diagram. We'll create a new one now.

Create a new diagram

1 	Choose New from the File menu. A dialog box will appear prompting you to choose a diagram template as the starting point for your diagram.

2 	Click on" Flowchart (standard)" and then click OK.

A new blank flowchart appears in the main window area. You can now add figures, labels, and connectors to the diagram using the styles from the diagram template.

Proceed to step 2


Step 2
Step 2: Create a figure

The next step will be to create a figure for the first time.

Create a figure

1 	Locate the figure style buttons on the Style bar under the button marked Figures.

2 	Click on the upper left figure style button, the rectangle.

3 	Move the mouse pointer over the diagram area to where you want to create the figure.

4 	Click the left mouse button (press and release immediately). A new figure will be created where you clicked.

The diagram now contains a single rectangular figure.

Proceed to step 3


Step 3
Step 3: Create a second figure

Now we'll create a second figure of the same type.

Create another figure

1 	Move the mouse to another position on the diagram (near the previous figure).

2 	Click again to create a second figure.

The diagram now contains two rectangular figures.

Proceed to step 4


Step 4
Step 4: Create a connector

Next we'll connect the two figures we just created with a connector.

Create a connector

1 	Make sure Auto Attach in the Connectors menu is checked.

2 	Locate the connector style buttons on the style bar under the button marked Connectors.

3 	Click on the upper right connector style button, the one with a simple arrow pointing to the right.

4 	Move the mouse pointer over the first figure you created and click the left mouse button.

5 	Move the mouse pointer over the second figure you created and click the left mouse button again. A new connector will be created connecting the two figures together.

The diagram now contains two rectangular figures connected by an arrow.

Proceed to step 5


Step 5
Step 5: Add text to a figure

More often than not, you'll want to add text to figures. We'll now add some simple text to one of the figures we just created.

Add text to a figure

1 	Enter text mode by clicking on the button in the tool bar that has a capital letter "T". The text cursor appears.

2 	Move the mouse pointer over one of the figures you created in the previous steps. The cursor will change to a text cursor surrounded by a box to indicate that clicking here will edit the text of the figure located below the mouse pointer.

3 	Click the left mouse button. The cursor will be replaced by a flashing text caret near the center of the figure.

4 	Type a small amount of text such as your name.

5 	Exit text mode by clicking on the select mode button in the tool bar that looks like a standard cursor (an arrow pointing up and to the left.)

The diagram now contains two rectangular figures connected by an arrow.
At this point, you are in select mode having created a figure with some text connected by an arrow to a figure without any text.

Proceed to step 6


Step 6
Step 6: Move a figure

We'll now move one of the figures to demonstrate how the program keeps figures and their text together and how it keep connected figures together.

Move a figure

1 	Make sure you are in select mode (the cursor looks like the standard Windows cursor and the tool bar button with a picture of a standard cursor is depressed.)

2 	Move the mouse pointer above the figure that contains the text and click the left mouse button (press and release immediately). The figure will now appear with eight red handles indicating it is selected.

3 	Move the mouse pointer over the selected figure. The move cursor appears. (It points in four directions).

4 	Press and continue to hold the left mouse button.

5 	Without releasing the button, drag the figure to another location.

6 	Release the mouse button. The figure moves to the new location.

Notice that moving the figure also moved the connector so that the two figures remain connected.  Also notice that the figure's text moves with the figure.

Proceed to step 7


Step 7
Step 7: Save the diagram

We've now created a very simple diagram. We'll finish up by saving the diagram and exiting the program.

Save the diagram

1 	Choose Save As from the File menu.

2 	Enter a file name such as DIAGRAM.EDG.

3 	Press OK.

The diagram is now saved.  You can later return to the diagram by using the Open feature and choosing the DIAGRAM.EDG file that you saved above.

Proceed to step 8


Step 8
Step 8: Exit

Finally, we'll simply quit the program.

Exit

1 	Choose Exit from the File menu.

Done


General Editing

Selecting and Deselecting Objects

Deleting Objects

Cutting Objects

Copying Objects

Duplicating Objects

Pasting Objects

Undo

Moving Objects

Moving Objects with Precision

Moving Objects to the Front and Back

Finding and Replacing Text

Choosing Colors


Selecting and Deselecting Objects

Most features affect one or more objects, but generally not all objects in a diagram. Before you perform a feature, you can select the objects to which the feature will apply.

When an object is selected, its handles become visible as small red squares along the border of the object.

A selected figure.

A selected connector.

A selected label.

Lasso Select

One way to select objects is to form a lasso around a group of objects. A lasso is a box that you form to choose a rectangular area of the diagram.

1 	Move the cursor to an area of the diagram where there are no objects. The cursor becomes the standard arrow shape.

2 	Press the left mouse button, keep it held, and move the mouse to form a rectangular lasso area. The lasso area displays as a dotted box.

3 	Release the mouse button. All objects that are located entirely within the lasso area become selected.

Click Select

While in select mode select individual objects by clicking on the objects with the left mouse button. To select a particular object, move the mouse over the figure, connector, or label and click.

Select All

Select all the objects in a diagram by choosing Select All from the Edit menu.

Deselect All

To deselect all selected objects, click the left mouse button on the diagram where there are no objects, or choose Deselect All from the Edit menu.

Selecting More Objects

Normally, if some objects are selected and you attempt to select objects with any of the other methods, the previously selected objects become deselected before the new objects become selected. If you'd like the previously selected objects to remain selected in addition to the newly selected objects, hold down the SHIFT key while selecting. This process is called extending a selection.


Deleting Objects

You can remove objects from your diagram by deleting them. Deleting objects is also called "clearing". Clearing objects is a little different than cutting objects because you cannot Paste following Clear. Clear is also slightly faster and does not modify the Windows clipboard.

As a rule of thumb, use Clear to remove objects permanently, and use Cut to remove objects from one location and Paste them to another location.

To delete objects from a diagram

1 	Select one or more objects to delete.

2 	Choose Clear from the Edit menu or press the DEL key.

When you delete selected objects, additional objects may be deleted automatically. For example, if you delete a connector, not only will all segments of the connector be deleted, but all connector labels that were attached to those segments will also be deleted whether or not they were selected.

If you delete a figure to which a connector is attached, that connector is also deleted. If you want to delete a figure but not delete an attached connector, detach the connector first.


Cutting Objects

Cutting is another way to remove objects from a diagram. Unlike clear, a copy of the deleted objects is first saved in the Windows clipboard. You can later Paste these objects back into the diagram or even into a different diagram.

As a rule of thumb, use Clear to remove objects permanently, and use Cut to remove objects from one location and Paste them to another location.

To cut objects from a diagram

1 	Select the objects you want to cut.

2 	Choose Cut from the Edit menu or press CTRL-X on the keyboard.

Like Clear, when you cut selected objects, additional objects may be cut automatically.

Cut or copied objects remain in the clipboard until you cut or copy more objects, leave Windows, turn off your computer, or cut or copy to the clipboard from another program.


Copying Objects

You can use the Windows clipboard to copy a selected set of objects within the same diagram or to a different diagram.

To copy objects in a diagram

1 	Select one or more objects to copy.

2 	Choose Copy from the Edit menu or press CTRL-C on the keyboard.

3 	Choose Paste from the Edit menu or press CTRL-V on the keyboard. A copy of the objects appear at the center of the screen selected for you.

4 	Move the new objects if you want.

If you like, you can Paste the same objects over and over again.

To copy objects from one diagram to another

1 	Select one or more objects to copy.

2 	Choose Copy from the Edit menu or press CTRL-C on the keyboard.

3 	Open a different diagram.

4 	Choose Paste from the Edit menu or press CTRL-V on the keyboard. A copy of the objects appear at the center of the screen selected for you.

5 	Move the new objects if you want.

If you like, you can Paste the same objects over and over again.

See Copying Objects to Other Programs


See Copying Objects to Other Programs
Copying Objects to Other Programs

In addition to copying objects within and between diagrams, you can also copy objects from this program to other programs such as Microsoft Word. Objects can be copied to Microsoft Word and similar programs as OLE objects (see  Object Linking and Embedding) or simply as graphics, namely a Windows Metafile. When you a do a copy, both types of data are stored to the Windows clipboard and it is up to the program that pastes the data to choose the format (OLE or WMF in this case).

To copy objects from a diagram to a different program

1 	Select one or more objects to copy.

2 	Choose Copy from the Edit menu or press CTRL-C on the keyboard.

3 	Run the target program (MS Word in our example).

4 	Choose Paste in the target program.

Cut or copied objects remain in the clipboard until you cut or copy more objects, leave Windows, turn off your computer, or cut or copy to the clipboard from another program.


Duplicating Objects

Another faster way to copy objects is to duplicate them. Duplicating does not use the Windows clipboard and therefore does not work between different diagrams or between this program and other Windows applications. Use duplicate to make multiple copies of objects within the same diagram.

To duplicate objects in the same diagram

1 	Enter select mode.

2 	Move the mouse over any object or over one in a group of selected objects.

3 	While holding down the CONTROL key, drag the objects. A set of duplicate objects appears.

4 	Position the duplicate objects and release the mouse button.


Pasting Objects

You can paste objects from the clipboard that were previously placed there by an earlier Cut or Copy operation. Pasting is most often the second half of a Cut-and-Paste or Copy-and-Paste operation.

To paste objects from the clipboard

1 	Choose Paste from the Edit menu. If the Paste feature is grayed in the menu, it means that there is no diagram data in the clipboard.

2 	A copy of the objects in the clipboard appears at the center of the screen.
Move the new objects where you want them.

Once you paste objects, they remain in the clipboard so you can paste them repeatedly to create multiple copies.

You can also Paste graphics that were copied to the clipboard by other programs.  After copying a graphic from another program, simply use Paste just as described above.  This will work as long as the other program copies its graphics to the clipboard in a format that this program knows (WMF, EMF, BMP, DIB) - which is very likely.

The clipboard can contain the same information in several different formats at once.  Normally, when you use Paste as described above, this program chooses the best format automatically (or the one that the other program said was best).  However, there is also a way to choose exactly which format to paste:

To paste objects from the clipboard in a particular format

1 	Choose Paste As from the Edit menu and select from one of the available  formats "WizFlow Objects", "Picture", "Bitmap", or "Text". If a format is grayed in the menu, it means there is no such data in the clipboard.

2 	A copy of the objects in the clipboard appears at the center of the screen.
Move the new objects where you want them.

Note that if you copy diagram objects and paste them as a picture, you can no longer edit the copy as if it were a diagram object.  However, this is a nice way to create your own complicated shapes very easily.

Pasting Text

Pasting text is special because it can be done in two ways.  One way is to enter text mode, position the caret in an existing figure or label at the point where you want text to appear, then choose Paste from the edit menu.  If you are not in text mode and you paste text into your diagram, a new label will automatically be created for you and positioned at the center of the screen with the text that was in the clipboard.  The style of this label will be the last label style you selected.


Undo

The undo feature lets you undo a change you made to the diagram. If you make a change by mistake, you can reverse the effects of the mistake by using the undo feature immediately. However, you can only undo the last operation. Once you execute a second operation, the prior operation cannot be undone.

To undo any operation

Choose Undo from the Edit menu. The undo menu item indicates exactly which operation will be undone.

Changes you make to styles cannot be undone. It is a good idea to save your diagram before making any changes to styles.


Moving Objects

Once you've created figures, labels, and connectors in your diagram, you can use the mouse to move them around and rearrange them. There are a couple methods available for moving objects.

To move a single object without selecting it first

1 	Enter select mode.

2 	Move the mouse over an object so that the move cursor appears (it points in four directions).

3 	Press the left mouse button and hold it.

4 	Move the object to another location.

5 	Release the mouse button.

Objects move in accordance with their properties. If the snap grid is enabled and the figure has the snap center to grid property, it will only move to points on the grid.

To move a group of selected objects

1 	Enter select mode.

2 	Select one or more objects to move.

3 	Move the mouse over a selected object so that the move cursor appears.

4 	Press the left mouse button and hold it.

5 	Move the object to another location.

6 	Release the mouse button.

You cannot drag objects from one diagram to another diagram in another window. Use cut/paste for that purpose. You can, however, drag objects between one view of a diagram and another view of the same diagram.


Moving Objects with Precision

To move objects with precision

1 	Enter select mode.

2 	Select one or more objects.

3 	Use SHIFT plus the up, down, right, or left arrow keys on the keyboard to move the objects a small increment in any direction.  (In earlier versions SHIFT was not needed.  Now, arrow keys scroll the screen when not shifted.)

The amount the objects move each time you press an arrow key depends on the snap-to-grid diagram property (the button on the tool bar that resembles a magnet). With snap enabled, each press of an arrow key moves the objects by a distance equal to the snap grid spacing. Otherwise, the objects move by one screen pixel.


Moving Objects to the Front and Back

All objects have an order within the diagram. New objects are in front of previously created objects and are drawn on top of them. Two features change an object's order in the diagram, and let you choose which objects are in front of or in back of other objects.

To move one or more selected objects to the front

1 	Select one or more objects.

2 	Choose Front from the Edit menu. The selected objects move in front of all other objects in the diagram.

To move one or more selected objects to the back

1 	Select one or more objects.

2 	Choose Back from the Edit menu. The selected objects moves in back of all other objects in the diagram.

To move an object in front of the next overlapping object

1 	Select the object.

2 	Choose Front One from the Edit menu. The selected object moves forward by one object.

To move an object behind the next overlapping object

1 	Select the object.

2 	Choose Back One from the Edit menu. The selected object moves back by one object.


Finding and Replacing Text

You can use the Find and Replace features to locate figures and labels in the currently open diagram that contain some particular text and to replace that text with something else.

To find the figures and labels containing text

1 	Change your zoom so that you can read your figure text clearly and still view a good portion of the diagram - 100% is good to start.

2 	Choose Find from the Edit menu or press the shortcut key Ctrl-F.

3 	The Find dialog box will appear. Enter the search text and select the options that apply, then press Find Next repeatedly to locate the figures and labels that contain the text. As you press Find Next, each occurence of the text will become selected on the screen. If the figure is not already visible, it will move into view.

Find Dialog Box

To replace figure and label text

1 	Change your zoom so that you can read your figure text clearly and still view a good portion of the diagram - 100% is good to start.

2 	Choose Replace from the Edit menu or press the shortcut key Ctrl-H.

3 	The Replace dialog box will appear. Enter the search text, the replacement text, and select the options that apply, then press either Replace All or Find Next/Replace repeatedly to locate and replace each occurence of the search text.

Replace Dialog Box


Find Dialog Box

Use the Find dialog box to locate figures and labels in the currently open diagram that contain some particular search text.

The Find dialog box contains the following controls:

Find what:

Type the text you wish to locate here.

Match whole word only

Check this box to locate only text that contains the search text as a complete word. For example, if your search text is "the", it will not find the text within words like "these" or "other" only the word "the" by itself.

Match case

Check this box to locate only text that exactly matches the case of the search text. For example, if your search text is "the", it will not find "The" or "THE".

Find Next

Type the text you wish to locate here.

Cancel

Closes the dialog box.


Replace Dialog Box

Use the Replace dialog box to locate figures and labels in the currently open diagram that contain some particular search text and replace that text.

The Replace dialog box contains the following controls:

Find what:

Type the text you wish to locate here.

Replace with:

Type the replacement text here. You can leave this field blank to remove the search text.

Match whole word only

Check this box to locate only text that contains the search text as a complete word. For example, if your search text is "the", it will not find the text within words like "these" or "other" only the word "the" by itself.

Match case

Check this box to locate only text that exactly matches the case of the search text. For example, if your search text is "the", it will not find "The" or "THE".

Find Next

Type the text you wish to locate here.

Replace

After pressing Find Next to locate the next occurence of the search text it will appear selected. Press the Replace button to replace the selected text with your replacement text. Pressing Find Next then Replace repeatedly lets you determine which occurences of the search text you want to replace.

Replace All

Press this button to replace all occurences of the search text in the current diagram with the replacement text.

Cancel

Closes the dialog box.


Choosing Colors

There are several places throughout the program where you can choose a color such as on the tool bar and in various dialog boxes. You can select colors for figures, borders, text, connectors and other diagram objects plus you can select colors for elements of the display.  Each place that you can select a color contains a color selection drop menu button which presents a color selection menu when you press it.  The color selection drop menu contains some different components.

Standard colors

The colors in the colors selection drop menu above the line are common standard colors that never change. These colors will usually be all you need for your diagrams.

Custom diagram colors

The colors  in the colors selection drop menu below the line are the sixteen custom colors that you can set for each diagram you create. You can control which colors are shown here and saved in your diagram color palette through the standard Windows color dialog box described below.

Ellipsis (...)

Choose the three dots to go to the standard Windows color dialog box to choose a color that may not be represented in the drop menu, or to change the custom diagram colors. Most of the controls in this dialog box are self-explanatory and are described in the Windows documentation. Notice that the Custom Colors section represents the Custom diagram colors described above. To change a custom color, select one of the custom color boxes, choose the color, then press the Add to Custom Colors button.

Depending on your graphics card and your video mode, some colors may be composite or dithered. If you look closely, some colors are made up of patterns of two or more solid colors, a process called dithering. Dithered colors are fine for fill colors but should be avoided for lines and text. If you choose a dithered color for a line (such as a figure border) or a text color, Windows will not be able to draw the line or text in the color you choose. Instead, it will choose the nearest color that can be drawn solid. We suggest you choose primarily solid colors when you create your palette. If you are using a display mode that can display only 16 colors, there are only 16 solid colors available. If you are using a display mode that can display 256 colors or more you will have fewer restrictions.


Getting Around in a Diagram

Limitations of the computer screen present the single greatest obstacle to working on a diagram. Typical diagrams extend well beyond the size and degree of detail that you can view effectively within a single window. This chapter describes the methods provided to overcome this obstacle. With these features, you can control precisely both the portion of the diagram and the degree of detail that are shown.

Zoom

Zoom features are probably the most powerful navigational tools.  Follow the link below to learn about the different ways to zoom within a diagram.

Zoom

Using the Scroll Bars

You can use scroll bars to move your view of the diagram up-and-down and left-and-right without affecting the degree of detail shown.

The only thing unusual about the scroll bars is the large area of the diagram that lies beyond the extents of the printed page boundary. For the common diagram that fits on a single piece of paper, the entire diagram is located very near the center position of the scroll bars. With these diagrams, the slider portion of the scroll bar won't be particularly useful.

The scroll bar buttons scroll the diagram by a small amount in the direction of the arrow. Clicking in the region of the scroll bar between the slider and a button scrolls by a half screen in the direction of the button.

Scrolling with the Arrow Keys

The up, down, left, and right arrow keys on the keyboard will quickly scroll you by about a quarter the size of the screen in any direction.

Note that in earlier versions, the arrow keys were used to move selected objects by precise amounts in any direction. That functionality is still available but you now need to press the SHIFT key along with the arrow keys.

Autoscroll

When you drag an object past the edge of the screen, the diagram automatically scrolls to follow the cursor. Autoscroll is only in effect when the current view is maximized to fill the entire workspace.


Zoom

Zoom features allow you to move quickly between different views of the diagram and to increase and decrease the degree of detail displayed in the diagram window. Some of these features allow you to zoom-in and zoom-out your view of the diagram. By changing the zoom magnification, you can control how much of the diagram is visible and how much detail is displayed. Other zoom features let you move instantly to a special view of the diagram.

For all zoom features, the absolute limit of the zoom range is from 10% (one tenth printed size) to 1000% (ten times printed size).

Zooming to a special view

Zooming in and out

Using Zoom mode


Zooming to a special view

The following features move you directly to a special view of the diagram regardless of your present location. They are especially useful for returning to a known view when you become disoriented. These features are found at the top of the Zoom menu.

To zoom to a view of the entire page area

Choose Whole Page from the Zoom menu.

To zoom to a view of the top of the page area

Choose Page Width from the Zoom menu.

To zoom to a view of all the objects in the diagram

Choose All Objects from the Zoom menu.

To zoom to a view of all selected objects in the diagram

1 	Select one or more objects.

2 	Choose Selected Objects from the Zoom menu.


Zooming in and out

The following features let you increase or decrease the detail of the diagram shown in the diagram window.

To zoom the view to any magnification

Using the combo box located on the tool bar, choose a predefined zoom percentage, or type in any valid percentage and press enter. The valid zoom range depends on your particular configuration but must never be less than 10% or more than 1000%.

To zoom in - using the keyboard

Press the PLUS key on the keypad. The view is magnified by a small amount so that objects appear larger and less of the diagram is visible. Normally, the view remains centered at the same location of the diagram prior to zooming in. However, if any objects were selected, the new view is centered on those objects.

To zoom out - using the keyboard

Press the MINUS key on the keypad. The view is shrunk by a small amount so that objects appear smaller and more of the diagram is visible. Normally, the view remains centered at the same location of the diagram prior to zooming out. However, if any objects were selected, the new view is centered on those objects.

To zoom to one of the preset zoom intervals

Choose a specific percentage from the Zoom menu. The status bar at the bottom of the screen displays the current zoom percentage. At one hundred percent, the size of the diagram on the screen exactly matches the printed size - assuming your screen height is set accurately.

To zoom in to the next zoom interval

Press the tool bar button that looks like a magnifying glass with a big "+". The view will zoom to the next higher of the fixed zoom intervals.

To zoom out to the next zoom interval

Press the tool bar button that looks like a magnifying glass with a big "-". The view will zoom to the next lower of the fixed zoom intervals.

To set custom zoom intervals

1 	Choose Set from the Zoom menu.

2 	Use the Zoom tab of the Options dialog box to set your own zoom intervals.

3 	Press OK to make your changes. The new percentages are sorted and entered into the Zoom menu. Choose the new percentage from the zoom menu to change the zoom magnification.


Using Zoom mode

Zoom mode provides even greater control to select a view of your diagram. You enter zoom mode by clicking on the zoom mode button in the tool bar. You can tell you are in zoom mode when the zoom mode button is pressed and the zoom mode cursor appears.

The zoom mode cursor.

.

To zoom in incrementally in zoom mode

1 	Enter zoom mode.

2 	Move the mouse over a part of the diagram that you want to view in greater detail.

3 	Click the left mouse button (press and release immediately) to zoom in a little closer.

4 	Repeat until the view is sufficiently detailed.

To zoom in to a specific location in zoom mode

1 	First you might want to zoom out so that the entire area you want to view is visible on the screen. Zoom Page is useful for this purpose.

2 	Enter zoom mode.

3 	Choose the area of the diagram that you want to view in detail. Move the mouse to the upper left-hand corner of that area.

4 	Press and hold the left mouse button.

5 	Drag the mouse to create a rectangular region covering the area of interest.

6 	Release the mouse button. The rectangular region will fill the entire window.


Figures

Figures are the building blocks of diagrams. Figures can have any geometric shape like a rectangle, circle, or triangle, or they can have the shape of a person, a computer, a phone, or anything else. Figures can also have one or more rectangular areas for text and can be connected together by connectors.

Creating Figures

Inserting a Figure from the Gallery

Changing the Size of Figures

Moving Figures

Aligning Figures

Making Figures the Same Size

Sizing Figures to Text

Spacing Figures Evenly

Centering Figures on the Page

Changing Figure Properties


Creating Figures

Creating a new figure takes a few simple steps. You choose a figure style to provide the initial shape and properties of the figure, then you use that style to create a figure on the diagram.

To choose a figure style and initiate create mode

•	Click on the style bar button that represents the figure type you want to create. If the style you want does not have a button in the style bar, you can use one of the following methods instead.

•	OR, Press and hold the Figures button in the style bar to activate the figure style drop menu. Move to the representation of the style, and release the mouse button.  If the style you want still doesn't appear, go to the full figure style list by selecting the ellipsis (...) from the menu.

Choose a Figure Style Dialog Box

•	OR, Choose the figure style by name from the figure style combo box.

The cursor becomes an outline of the figure when you move the mouse over the diagram.

Once you have selected the figure style to create...

1 	Use the mouse to position the new figure.

2 	Press the mouse button.

3 	If the figure has a default size and you want to create a figure of this size, release the mouse button immediately. Otherwise, while continuing to hold the mouse button, resize the figure to the desired size. Before releasing the mouse button, you can press ESC to cancel.

4 	Release the mouse button

If the figure has default text, the newly created figure will contain the default text.

After selecting the figure style, you can use the property bar to change properties of the figure that will be created such as the colors, font, text alignment and so on. These changes will not affect the style definition only the properties of the new figures.


Choose a Figure Style Dialog Box

You get to the Choose a Figure Style dialog box by selecting the ellipsis (...) from the Figures drop menu.  This dialog box contains all of the styles with complete names, pictures, and descriptions and lets you choose which styles appear on buttons and in drop menus.

To choose a figure style

1 	Scroll to preview all of the available styles.

2 	Click on the style to select it.

3 	Press Ok. Alternately, double-click on the style.

Edit / Add / Remove Styles

While you're here you may want to add, change, or delete figure styles from your diagram. This button just provides a convenient shortcut to the Figure Styles dialog box just like choosing Styles from the Figures menu.

Menu

Check or uncheck this button for each style to control whether the Figures drop menu contains a representation of the particular style.

Button

Check or uncheck this button for each style to control whether the style is represented by a button in the style bar. Reserve buttons for your most common styles.


Inserting a Figure from the Gallery

Although the usual way to add figures to your diagram is by creating them from a figure style, there are also times when you want to add a single figure without first creating a new style. The Insert Figure from Gallery feature provides this capability.

To insert a single figure from the Figure Symbol Gallery

1 	In select mode, choose "Insert from Gallery" from the Figures menu or from the right click menu. Or press the "Insert from Gallery" button on the tool bar.

2 	Select any figure symbol from the Figure Symbol Gallery dialog box.

3 	A new figure with the selected symbol will appear on the screen. You may want to resize it and move it to a better location.


Changing the Size of Figures

A figure can be any size from a sixteenth of an inch to a hundred inches in height and width. You can size a figure as you create it. You can also change the size of an existing figure.

To change the size of a figure

1 	Select the figure.

2 	Move the mouse over one of the eight red handles. The cursor's shape indicates how the figure will size with each handle.

3 	Press the mouse button.

4 	Drag the handle and resize the figure to the desired size. If you decide to cancel at this time before releasing the mouse button, press ESC.

5 	Release the mouse button.

How the figure resizes depends on several things. If the figure has the Center Remains Stationary When Resizing property, then the figure gets larger or smaller in all directions as you drag the handle, but the center stays in the same place. If the figure does not have this property, it extends only in the direction that you drag the handle.

If snap is enabled and the figure has the Height and Width Snap to Grid property, the height and width can only change such that the edges of the figure are positioned along snap grid lines. In effect, this means that the height and width will always be a factor of twice the snap spacing.

If the figure contains text, you will not be permitted to resize the figure such that it will be too small to contain the text. If the figure has the word-wrap property, the text will reformat when you resize the figure, therefore there is no minimum width.

There are also other ways to change the size of a figure. When you type text in a figure, the figure can resize automatically. You can change the size of figures by using the Make Same Size feature. You can also set the height and width of figures explicitly in the Figure Properties dialog box.


Moving Figures

There are several ways to move figures from one place in a diagram to another. When you move a figure, all text that is part of the figure, and all connectors that are attached to the figure move as well.

The move cursor.

To move a single figure without first selecting it

1 	Make sure you are in select mode.

2 	Move the mouse over the figure. The move cursor appears.

3 	Press the mouse button.

4 	Drag the figure to a new location and release the mouse button.

The procedure above works from seltext mode as well as from select mode. However, if you are in seltext mode, be sure that the cursor is actually over a figure and not over a text area within the figure. You can tell that you can move the figure when the move cursor appears.

To move one or more selected figures

1 	Move the mouse cursor over any selected figure. The move cursor appears.

2 	Press the mouse button.

3 	While holding the mouse button down, drag the figures to the new location. While dragging the figures, you can cancel by pressing ESC before releasing the mouse button.

4 	Release the mouse button.

To move selected figures more precisely

1 	Enter select mode.

2 	Select one or more objects.

3 	Use the up, down, right, or left arrow keys on the keyboard to move the objects a small increment in any direction.

The amount the objects move each time you press an arrow key depends on the snap-to-grid diagram property (the button on the tool bar that resembles a magnet). With snap enabled, each press of an arrow key moves the objects by a distance equal to the snap grid spacing. Otherwise, the objects move by one screen pixel.

There are many other ways to move figures indirectly such as aligning, centering on the page, spacing, and so on. You can also set the location of figures explicitly in the Figure Properties dialog box.


Aligning Figures

To align a group of figures

1 	Select the figures.

2 	Choose one of the selected figures to be the model figure, the figure with which the other selected figures are aligned. By default the last figure selected is the model figure. To force a different selected figure to become the model figure, hold down the SHIFT key and click on a different figure.

3 	Choose one of the alignment methods from the Align submenu under the Figures menu.

Align left sides

Align centers

Align right sides

Align top sides

Align middles

Align bottom sides


Making Figures the Same Size

There are many aids for creating figures with a uniform size. One way is to use the figure style default size property and another is to use the snap grid. If you still end up with figures of different sizes that you wish to make the same, you can use the Make Same Size feature.

To make a number of figures the same size

1 	Select the figures.

2 	Choose one of the selected figures to be the model figure, the figure whose size indicates the size to make the other selected figures. By default the last figure selected is the model figure. To force a different selected figure to become the model figure, hold down the SHIFT key and click on a different figure

3 	Choose one of the sizing methods (Height, Width, or Both) from the Make Same Size submenu under the Figures menu.

All of the selected figures will become the same size as the model figure.
There are cases where a figure cannot be made the exact size as the model figure. One example is a figure that has more text than would fit in the figure if it were made as small as the model figure. In this case, the figure is made as small as possible.


Sizing Figures to Text

A figure can be no smaller than the text it contains. Occasionally you may want to make a figure as small as possible for the current text. You can do this by dragging the figure's sizing handles, or more conveniently by using this feature.

To adjust the size of a figure to the text it contains

1 	Select a figure (or group of figures).

2 	Choose Size to Text from the Figures menu.

Each selected figure will shrink to the smallest size possible for its text. If the snap grid is enabled and the figure's properties cause its height and width to snap to the grid, the figure's size may not be as small as possible to contain the text. If this is not the effect you want, turn off the snap grid first. If you want a figure to remain sized to its text automatically when the text changes, you can set its "Keep sized to text" property.


Spacing Figures Evenly

The snap grid is very useful for spacing figures across the diagram or from top to bottom at equal intervals. The Space Evenly feature is useful for this same purpose.

To space a group of figures evenly from left to right or top to bottom

1 	Select at least three figures.

2 	Choose either Across or Down from the Space Evenly submenu under the Figures menu.

3 	The selected figures will be spaced evenly from right to left if you chose across, or top to bottom if you chose down.

The spacing is determined by the average spacing between the right-most and left-most of the selected figures (in the across case), therefore the left-most figure does not move. The space is measured from the center of one figure to the center of another, not by the amount of space between the edges of figures. If the snap grid is enabled, the spacing between figures is an even multiple of the snap spacing. The left-to-right or top-to-bottom ordering of the figures does not change.


Centering Figures on the Page

You can use this feature to center a group of figures on the page, length-wise, width-wise or both. This feature is only available if you have Show Page Boundaries checked in .

To center figures on the page

1 	Select a group of objects (not necessarily only figures).

2 	From the Center on Page submenu under the Figures menu, choose the icon that represents length-wise centering, width-wise centering, or both.

3 	All selected objects are centered as a group on the current page.

Center horizontally

Center vertically

Center horizontally and vertically

Note that when you center many objects on the page, they do not all end up overlapped at the center of the page. Rather, they are centered as if they were one larger object (as a group). This feature is especially useful for final formatting of your diagram. For example, when your diagram is complete, you can Select All and then Center on Page, neatly centering your entire diagram on the page for printing.

If you have multiple pages defined (postering), the objects are centered relative to the whole poster rather than a single page. You should also be aware that if you change the print set-up, such as the paper size, the orientation, or even the printer, page dimensions can change and you may need to re-center your diagram.


Changing Figure Properties

Each figure has a set of properties that define how it looks, how it behaves, and where it's located within the diagram. Most of the initial properties of a figure come from its original figure style. This section describes how to change the figure properties.

To view and modify the properties of a figure

1 	Select the figure.

2 	Choose Properties from the Figures menu or from the right mouse button menu.

Or

1 	Double click on the figure (whether selected or not). Note, double clicking on a figure will edit the figure properties only if you have chosen Display/edit properties in the General page of the Options dialog box.

Use the Figure Properties dialog box to view and modify the figure's properties.

Figure Properties Dialog Box


Figure Properties Dialog Box

Use the Figure Properties Dialog Box to view and modify the properties of one or more figures.This dialog box contains several different groupings of properties organized under tabs with an appropriate heading. To change to a different grouping of properties and their controls, press the corresponding tab. Controls located under each tab are described below.

Figure Properties General Tab

Figure Properties Text Tab

Figure Properties Behaviors Tab

To cause a particular property to be applied to the selected objects, you must actually modify that property. For example, if you select five figures that all have different heights and widths, and you edit their properties and change only the Width field not even touching the Height field, all five figures will acquire the new width and retain their previous height.

Once you've set all of the properties of the figure that you want to change, press one of the following buttons:

Apply

Applies the property changes to the selected figure or figures without exiting the dialog box.

Ok

Applies the property changes to the selected figure or figures and exits.

Cancel

Exits the dialog box and discards any changes you made since last pressing the Apply button. Once you apply changes, those changes remain in effect even if you press Cancel.


Figure Properties General Tab

Use the General tab in the Figure Properties dialog box to view and edit the basic properties of the selected figure such as its location, size, appearance, and color.

Based on style

To change the figure's style, choose a new style from the combo box or the style drop menu located to the left. This will change the appearance of the figure and it will inherit all the properties from the new style you choose. For example, use this control if you created a box and later determine that it should really be a circle.

Styles

This button is just a drop menu to choose a style graphically for the same purpose as Based on style described above.

Left

To change the position of the figure, enter a new location for the left-most edge. The value is the distance from the origin point on the ruler bar (0,0) or equivalently from the left edge of the page (positive measurements are to the right).

Top

To change the position of the figure, enter a new location for the top-most edge. The value is the distance from the origin point on the ruler bar (0,0) or equivalently from the top edge of the page (positive measurements are downward).

Width

To change the width of the figure, enter a new width.

Height

To change the height of the figure, enter a new height.

Text Color

To change the color of the figure's text, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu.

Border Color

To change the color of the figure's border, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu.

Fill Color

To change the color of the interior of the figure, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu.

Bind to style

Check this box to choose whether or not a figure's properties are bound to the style. If a figure's properties are bound to its style, then anytime the style properties change, the figure gets the new properties automatically.

Border width

To change the thickness of the lines that make up the border (outline) of the figure, enter a new border width. You can also change the border width by pressing the up and down spin buttons to the right. Or you can choose one of the standard border widths by pressing the Width drop menu button itself.

Drop Shadow

Check this box to add a drop shadow to the figure to give it a three-dimensional look. You control the size and color from within the Diagram Properties dialog box.

The remainder of the controls in the General tab of the Figure Properties dialog box allow you to change the shape of the figure.

Symbol Gallery

This button is not labeled. It contains a graphical representation of the shape of the current symbol for this figure. Press this button to select a shape from the collection of built-in symbols contained in the Figure Symbol Gallery.

Graphic from File

Press this button to select a graphic for the figure from an external graphics image file such as a Windows Metafile (.WMF or. EMF) or a Windows bitmap file (.BMP or.DIB).

Graphic from Clipboard

Press this button to select a graphic for the figure from an image that is stored in the Windows clipboard. For example, you can create an image in Microsoft Paintbrush and do a Copy of it, then return to this program and paste it right into a figure.


Figure Properties Text Tab

Use the Text tab of the Figure Properties dialog box to view and edit the figure's text and the properties of the figure that affect the display and format of the text.

Text box

This area shows a model of the shape of the figure. The dotted rectangles show the boundaries of the text region(s) in the figure. If the figure shape contains more than one text region, the arrows control which region is selected and marked by a dark gray dotted box.

Text

The text control to the right of the model displays the text that is contained in the figure in the selected text region. The text here can be edited using the usual Windows edit box controls including copy and paste. Notice that text in this box just shows the words. It does not reflect the font, text size, boldness, or alignment as it would in the figure itself. Furthermore, if you edit the text here, you will lose all embedded font controls. For example, if the text as a whole was not bold but you had bolded one word, then if you edit the text through this edit box, that bold word along with the rest of the text in the figure will revert back to the figure font attributes shown in this dialog box.

Alignment

Use the alignment controls to determine how the text is aligned horizontally (left, center, or right) and vertically (top, middle, or bottom).

Font

Choose the font family to display the font.

Bold, Italic, and Underline

Select common font attributes.

Size

Use the drop down box to select a point size for the font.

Text color

To change the color of the figure's text, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu.

Ellipsis (...)

Use the button with the three dots to choose the font attributes using the standard Windows font selection dialog box shown below. Controls in this dialog are self-explanatory.


Figure Properties Behaviors Tab

Use the Behaviors tab of Figure Properties dialog box to view and edit the properties that affect the way the figure behaves within your diagram.

Line too long

This property controls what happens when typed text becomes too wide for the figure. If set to Prevent, additional characters are not allowed. If set to Expand, the figure automatically grows wider as you continue typing. The direction of expansion is controlled by the Horizontal expansion property. If set to Wrap, the width of the figure does not change and the text word-wraps automatically to the next line.

Horizontal expansion

This property controls in which direction the figure expands when it expands automatically in the horizontal direction, such as when you type more text than will fit in the current width of the figure.

Too many lines

This property controls what happens when typed text exceeds the number of lines that fit in a figure of this style. If set to Prevent, additional lines are not allowed. If set to Expand, the figure automatically grows taller as you add lines. The direction of expansion is controlled by the Vertical expansion property.

Vertical expansion

This property controls in which direction the figure expands when it expands automatically in the vertical direction, such as when you type more lines of text than will fit in the current height of the figure.

Center stationary when resizing

Check this property to cause the center of the figure to remain in the same place when you resize it by dragging the handles. You may want to set this property for figures that can be connected to other figures.

Center snaps to grid

Check this property to cause the figure's center to snap to the snap grid when you create, move, or resize it (provided snap is enabled). You will generally want to set this property for figures that are connected to other figures, otherwise it could be more difficult to keep the figures aligned vertically or horizontally.

Height and width snap to grid

When this property is checked (and the snap grid is enabled), the figure's edges align with the snap grid when you create, move, or resize the figure. If you set this property, you'll want to set the Center snaps to grid property as well.

When the height and width snap to the grid, both sides are aligned with snap grid lines which are not necessarily the same as the visible grid lines. In effect, the total width or height is always a multiple of twice the snap spacing. For example, if the snap spacing is one quarter of an inch and a figure has the Height and width snap to grid property, that figure width can be 1/2 in., 1 in., 1 1/2 in. and so on, but it cannot be 3/4 in.

Keep sized to text

When this property is checked, the figure is always sized to exactly fit the amount of text it contains. For example, if you edit text for a figure such that the figure has less text than it had before, the figure will automatically resize itself to shrink down around the new text as soon as you complete editing the text. This property is primarily useful for labels. Used with non-labels, it can cause confusion.

Preserve aspect ratio

When this property is checked, the figure retains its current aspect ratio (its height compared to its width) when you resize the figure by dragging the corner handles or when the figure expands due to typing text. You can still change the aspect ratio of the figure by dragging the side handles, setting the size directly in the General tab, or using the From Selected button.


Connectors

Connectors identify relationships between figures. A typical connector is a line between two figures. Each end of a connector can have a symbol or geometric shape (commonly an arrowhead). A connector can have multiple straight segments that bend and turn corners, and each segment can have an attached label. Connectors can be straight, curved, or smoothed or they can have rounded corners. They can be solid lines, or broken lines of a number of possible patterns and thicknesses.

•	Any two figures can be connected by a single connector.

•	A single figure may have any number of connectors to other figures.

•	Connectors remain attached to the figures they connect, even when those figures move.

•	A connector need not be connected to a figure at either end.

A connector has a number of attributes or properties. Like figures, connectors have stylistic properties such as color and thickness. The initial properties of a connector come from the connector style used to create it.

Creating Connectors

Auto Attach

Segmented Connectors and Junctions

Curved Connectors

Splitting Connectors

Deleting Connector Junctions

Moving the Ends of Connectors

Flipping Connectors

Flow Symbols

Orthogonal Connectors

Changing Connector Properties


Creating Connectors

Creating a new connector takes a few simple steps. You choose a connector style to provide the initial shape and properties of the connector, then you use that style to create a connector on the diagram.

To choose a connector style and initiate connect mode

1 	Click on the button in the style bar that represents the connector type you want to create. If the style you want does not have a button in the style bar, you can use one of the following methods instead.

2 	OR, Press and hold the Connectors button in the style bar to activate the connector style drop menu. Move to the representation of the style, and release the mouse button.  If the style you want still doesn't appear, go to the full connector style list by selecting the ellipsis (...) from the menu.

Choose a Connector Style Dialog Box

1 	OR, Choose the connector style by name from the list box directly below the Connectors button.

The connect cursor indicates you are in connect mode.

After selecting the connector style and entering connect mode, you can use the property bar to change properties of the connector that will be created such as the color and orthogonality. These changes will not affect the style definition only the properties of the new connectors.

Once you have selected the connector style to create...

To connect two figures with a connector

1 	First make sure Auto Attach in the Connectors menu is checked.

2 	While in connect mode, move the connect cursor over a figure. The cursor changes from white arrow to black indicating that you are about to connect to a figure.

3 	Press the mouse button. You can either release the mouse button immediately or keep it pressed until step four.

4 	Move the mouse until it is over the second figure. The cursor color (white or black) indicates whether you are over the second figure.

5 	Click the mouse button again (or release it for the first time). A connector of the style you chose now connects the two figures.

You can also create connectors which are not attached to figures or which are attached at only one end to a figure.

To create an unattached connector

1 	While in connect mode, move the mouse cursor to a position NOT over a figure. The white connect cursor indicates that you are not over a figure.

2 	Press the mouse button. You can either release the mouse button immediately or keep it pressed until step four.

3 	Move the mouse to the point at which you want the other end to terminate (not over a figure).

4 	Double click the mouse to force the end of the connector.

When you are creating a connector, you also have the option of attaching either end of the connector to the middle of a previously existing connector.

To connect to another connector

Create the connector as described above but click either end on an existing connector. The previous connector is split in two and a junction is created with the new connector.


Choose a Connector Style Dialog Box

You get to the Choose a Connector Style dialog box by selecting the ellipsis (...) from the Connectors drop menu.  This dialog box contains all of the styles with complete names, pictures, and descriptions and lets you choose which styles appear on buttons and in drop menus.

To choose a connector style

1 	Scroll to preview all of the available styles.

2 	Click on the style to select it.

3 	Press Ok. Alternately, double-click on the style.

Edit / Add / Remove Styles

While you're here you may want to add, change, or delete connector styles from your diagram. This button just provides a convenient shortcut to the Define Connector Styles dialog box just like choosing Styles from the Connectors menu.

Menu

Check or uncheck this button for each style to control whether the Connectors drop menu contains a representation of the particular style.

Button

Check or uncheck this button for each style to control whether the style is represented by a button in the style bar. Reserve buttons only for your most common styles.


Auto Attach

Auto Attach toggles whether connectors know whether a figure or another connector is beneath the cursor when it is being created. When auto attach is checked, you can attach connectors to figures and other connectors in the usual way - the connector ends snap to figures or connectors that are beneath them. When auto attach is not checked, you cannot attach connectors to figures or other connectors. Connectors simply begin where you click and end where you double-click without becoming attached to object beneath.

The advantage of unattached connectors is that they can start and end anywhere on the diagram, not only on the connect points (centers) of figures, and they can form simple lines. The disadvantage of unattached connectors is that they do not move automatically when other objects move, you must move them separately yourself.


Segmented Connectors and Junctions

A connector can be more than a simple straight line. It can have multiple straight segments that meet at junctions where the connector can turn and bend along its path.

To create a multi-segment connector

Create a connector by any of the usual methods. Instead of clicking the end in a figure or connector, click it where it is not above another object (do not double click or the connector will terminate.) A junction appears and a new segment of the connector forms. Add up to fifty segments this way. Finally, click on a figure or double click while not on a figure to terminate the connector.

To select a multi-segment connector

Select a multi-segment connector just like any other object. If you select any segment of a connector or any junction of a connector, the entire connector (all segments) becomes selected. However, all junctions do not necessarily become selected.

Selected junctions are indicated by four corners of a small red box.

You can always re-arrange the connector by dragging any of its handles. If however, you drag a selected junction, all selected junctions and figures move together.


Curved Connectors

The previous section described how you can create connectors that have multiple straight segments that can be created to wind around a diagram from one figure to another. Multiple-segment connectors can also be curved. Curved connectors can be of three types: simple curved, smoothed, or rounded.

All types of curved connectors require at least one junction (and more than one segment as described in the previous section). If you define a connector as curved but simply connect two figures with no intermediate junction points, the connector will simply be drawn as a straight line. The junction points define control points for each of the different kinds of curved lines. The different kinds of curved connectors and their relation to the junction points is described below.

Curved

Curved connectors are simply connectors that follow a curve starting at one end and always curving toward the next junction point but not passing through it. The curve is similar to a bezier curve or a b-spline, but it is actually much simplified in a way that the relation to the curve's path is intuitive from the position of the intermediate junction points. In our opinion, this is not the case with standard bezier curves where one has to guess where the path of the curve will be, based on the position of the control points.

Smoothed

Smoothed connectors get the name from the fact that the path of the curve is actually a smoothing operation performed on the polyline defined by the intermediate junction points. Therefore the resulting path of a smoothed connector is a line that curves smoothly through each of it's junction points on the way to the next. A smoothed curve is the most intuitive way to define the path of a curved line from a small number of intermediate points.

Rounded

A rounded connector is simply one in which the corners created by the intermediate junction points form rounded arcs from one line segment or the next. The radius of the arc is a property of the diagram and can be set differently for each diagram through the Diagram Properties dialog box.

Curvature selection in the Figure Properties dialog box

Curvature select from the tool bar

To create a curved connector

Use an existing connector style that has the desired curvature characteristic to create a connector with at least on junction point (vertex). This presumes that you have already created a curved connector style or are using a template that contains such a style.

OR, While in connect mode to create a connector, use the menu or the toolbar button to alter the curvature of the connector that you are in the process of creating.

OR, Select the connector and use the menu, the toolbar drop menu, or the Connector Properties dialog box to change the curvature.


Splitting Connectors

You can split a single-segment connector into a multi-segment connector and create a junction in the process.

To split a connector

1 	While pressing and holding the ALT key, move the mouse over the connector at the point you want it split.

2 	While still holding the ALT key, press the mouse button. A new junction appears where the mouse points. Before releasing the mouse button you can move the new junction.

3 	Release the mouse button.

You can repeat this process over and over to create any number of junctions and segments.


Deleting Connector Junctions

You can rejoin segments of a connector by deleting junctions. When you delete a junction, the two segments on either side join to form a single segment.

To remove a segment of a connector

1 	Select the junction that connects the two segments.

2 	Choose Delete Junctions from the Edit menu.

When you delete a junction, two segments join to become one. Either or both of these segments could have an attached connector label. If just one of the segments has a connector label, the label moves to the final segment. If both original segments have attached connector labels, one moves to the final segment, the other is deleted. Naturally, you can select and delete any number of junctions at a time.


Moving the Ends of Connectors

You can move either of the endpoints of a connector. If the endpoint is connected to a figure, you can detach it from the figure, or attach it to a different figure.

To move one end of a connector

1 	Select the connector. Red handles appear at both endpoints of the connector and at each junction if the connector has more than one segment.

2 	Move the mouse cursor over one of the handles at the end of the connector. The resize cursor appears.

3 	Press the mouse button and hold it.

4 	Move the end of the connector.

5 	Release the mouse button.


Flipping Connectors

You can flip connectors so that the ends swap with one another. Flipping works for simple connectors and multi-segment connectors as well.

To flip one or more connectors

1 	Select one or more connectors to flip.

2 	Choose Flip from the Connectors menu.


Flow Symbols

Flow symbols are small shapes that are drawn along the path of a connector at a fixed spacing either in addition to a line or in place of a line. You can configure flow symbols through the Line tab in the Connector Properties and Connector Styles dialog boxes.


Orthogonal Connectors

Orthogonal connectors contain only horizontal and vertical lines and right angles.

In some types of diagrams including flowcharts and org charts, orthogonal connectors are preferred and tend to appear much neater than non-orthogonal connectors. This program has several features that help you create and maintain orthogonal connectors.

One way to assure orthogonal connectors is to make sure that all figures being connected are aligned properly, particularly so that their centers are directly in line. The figure alignment commands can help you align existing figures in this way.

The snap grid is another tool that is useful for keeping figures aligned. When you have a snap grid enabled and you use figure properties that keep the figure center aligned to the grid when moved or resized, it is relatively easy to keep your connectors orthogonal.

However, in any diagram, not all figures that you connect can be aligned and not all connectors are simply a straight line connecting two figures. Therefore, some additional connector properties are also required to help create and maintain orthogonal connections.

This program supports a connector property for this purpose. The orthogonal property of a connector has two possible conditions, manual and guided. This property can be viewed and modified from the General tab in the Connector Properties and Connector Styles dialog boxes.

Manual

The manual option simply means that no assistance is provided by the connector properties to keep the connector orthogonal. Other then the effects of the snap grid if it is enabled, the connector will go exactly where you click. This is useful when orthogonal connectors are not important and when you want very precise control over the placement of connector junctions.

Guided

The guided option is the most generally useful. It helps you create orthogonal connectors when you want but does not limit you to only orthogonal connections. With this option, the connectors snap to a straight angle when they are nearly straight. This behavior is independent of the snap grid. It works even if the snap grid is disabled and it overrides the snap grid if the snap grid is enabled.

One stipulation with guided connectors is that the guiding only occurs when you are creating the connector. This is sufficient because there is a universal rule that favors straight connectors when you move a junction and the snap grid is enabled. Also notice that the guided property has no effect unless the connector point is nearly straight with regard to the previous point. Therefore it does not prevent you from creating a diagonal segment when you choose. This discretion is what makes this option ideal for most every connector.


Changing Connector Properties

Each connector has a set of properties that define how it looks and behaves. Most of the initial properties of a connector come from its original connector style. This section describes how to change the connector properties.

To view and modify the properties of connectors

1 	Select one or more connectors.

2 	Choose Properties from the Connectors menu or from the right mouse menu

Or

1 	Double click on the connector (whether selected or not).

Use the Connector Properties dialog box to view and modify the connector's properties.

Connector Properties Dialog Box

Several connector properties can also be changed simply by selecting the connector(s) and clicking on the buttons and controls on the property bar.


Connector Properties Dialog Box

Use the Connector Properties dialog box to view and modify the properties of one or more connectors.

This dialog box contains several different groupings of properties organized under tabs with an appropriate heading. To change to a different grouping of properties and their controls, press the corresponding tab. Controls located under each tab are described below.

Connector Properties General Tab

Connector Properties Line Tab

Connector Properties Ends Tab

To cause a particular property to be applied to the selected objects, you must actually modify that property. For example, if you select five connectors that all have different colors and thicknesses, and you edit their properties and change only the Color field not even touching the Thickness field, all five connectors will acquire the new color and retain their previous thickness.

Once you've set all of the properties of the connector that you want to change, press one of the following buttons:

Apply

Applies the property changes to the selected connector or connectors without exiting the dialog box.

Ok

Applies the property changes to the selected connector or connectors and exits the dialog box.

Cancel

Exits the dialog box and discards any changes you made since last pressing the Apply button. Once you apply changes, those changes remain in effect even if you press Cancel.


Connector Properties General Tab

Use the General tab of the Connector Properties dialog box to view and edit the basic properties of the selected connector such as its location, size, appearance, and color.

Based on style

To change the connector's style, choose a new style from the combo box or the style drop menu located to the left. This will change the appearance of the connector and it will inherit all the properties from the new style you choose.

Styles

This button is a drop menu for the same purpose as Based on style described above.

Bind to style

Check this box to choose whether or not a connector's properties are bound to the style. If a connector's properties are bound to its style, then anytime the style properties change, the connector gets the new properties automatically. You will want to set this option for most normal connectors.

Orthogonal

This property can provide some assistance in creating and keeping connectors orthogonal (all lines vertical or horizontal). Guided provides adequate help for most cases.


Connector Properties Line Tab

Use the Line tab of the Connector Properties dialog box to view and edit the appearance of the line that is drawn along the connector's path.

Line

A connector line can be one of many line styles such as solid, dashed, dotted, and so on. To change the connector's line style, choose a new line style from the drop menu.

Color

To change the color of the connector, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu.

Width

To change the line width of the connector, enter a width or use the up and down spin buttons. You can also choose a standard width by clicking on the drop menu.

Curvature

Select one of the curvature options for the connector. The path of the connector can be straight, curved. smoothed, or rounded.

Corners

Choose a corner style (also known as a line join style). These options apply to the way that thick straight connectors appear when two segments meet. Note that corners will appear rounded when imported into other documents.

Flow symbols along line

Check this box to enable flow symbols to be drawn along the path of the connector.

Kind

Choose the kind of flow symbol from the flow symbol drop menu.

Fill color

Choose a fill color for the flow symbols.

Border color

Choose a border color for the flow symbols.

Size

Choose the size for the flow symbols.

Spacing

Choose the spacing interval between flow symbols.

Border width

Choose the line width of the borders of the flow symbols.


Connector Properties Ends Tab

Use the Ends tab of the Connector Properties dialog box to view and edit the appearance of the symbols that are drawn at the ends of the connector (such as arrowheads).

End 1

To change the originating end of the connector, choose a color, size, and end symbol.

End 1: Symbol

Select an end symbol shape from the end symbol drop menu. The symbols above the line are always available. The symbols below the line (if any) are the non-built-in symbols used in this diagram. Click on the three dots on the lower right to choose from more symbols in the End Symbol Gallery.

End 1: Fill color

Choose a fill color for this end symbol.

End 1: Symbol size

Choose a size for this end symbol.

End 2

To change the terminating end of the connector, choose a color, size, and end symbol.

End 2: Symbol

Select an end symbol shape from the end symbol drop menu. The symbols above the line are always available. The symbols below the line (if any) are the non-built-in symbols used in this diagram. Click on the three dots on the lower right to choose from more symbols in the End Symbol Gallery.

End 2: Fill color

Choose a fill color for this end symbol.

End 2: Symbol size

Choose a size for this end symbol.

Borders

To change the width of the borders around the connector ends, enter a border width or use the up and down spin buttons.


Labels

Labels are free-floating words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs that you can position anywhere in your diagram. Labels are very useful for titles, notes, descriptions, and so on. A label consists of text and a set of properties such as justification, font, and color. The initial properties of a label come from the label style used to create it.

Creating Labels

Deleting Labels

Changing Label Properties


Creating Labels

Creating a new label takes a few simple steps. You choose a figure style to provide the initial properties of the label, then you use that style to create a label on the diagram.

To choose a label style and initiate text mode

1 	Press and hold the Labels button in the style bar to activate the label style pick menu. Move to the representation of the style, and release the mouse button. Not all styles are displayed in this menu so you may have to choose the three dots to see all of them (see the next section).

Choose a Label Style Dialog Box

1 	OR, choose the label style by name from the label style combo box.

2 	OR, press the text button in the tool bar (it looks like a large "T")  to create a label of the most recently used label style.

After selecting the label style, you can use the property bar to change properties of the label that will be created such as the color, font, text size, and justification. These changes will not affect the style definition, only the properties of the new labels.

Once you have selected the label style to create...

To create a label

1 	Use the mouse to position the new label. The text cursor points to the position where the bottom left corner of the label will be located (for a left-justified label).

2 	Click the mouse button.

3 	Type the label text.

4 	When you are done adding or changing the text, you can either press ESC to save your changes and remain in text mode, press the right mouse button to save your changes and return to select mode, or simply click on the diagram to create another label.

After you create a label, you may want to rotate it so the text is vertical rather than horizontal.

See Rotating Text

To create a label (automatic method)

1 	From text mode or select mode or seltext mode...

2 	Point the mouse at the location where you want to place the label

3 	Start typing text on the keyboard. A label is created automatically containing the text you type.


Choose a Label Style Dialog Box

You get to the Choose a Label Style dialog box by selecting the ellipsis (...) from the Labels drop menu.  This dialog box contains all of the styles with complete names, pictures, and descriptions and lets you choose which styles appear on buttons and in drop menus.

To choose a label style

1 	Scroll to preview all of the available styles.

2 	Click on the style to select it.

3 	Press Ok. Alternately, double-click on the style.

Edit / Add / Remove Styles

While you're here you may want to add, change, or delete label styles from your diagram. This button just provides a convenient shortcut to the Label Styles dialog box just like choosing Styles from the Labels menu.

Menu

Check or uncheck this button for each style to control whether the Labels drop menu contains a representation of the particular style.

Button

Check or uncheck this button for each style to control whether the style is represented by a button in the style bar. Reserve buttons for your most commonly used styles.


Rotating Text

Labels can be rotated so that the text is drawn vertically top to bottom or bottom to top.

To rotate a label

1 	Select one or more labels.

2 	Press the toolbar button that represents the way that you want the text rotated.  The text rotation toolbar buttons show "ABC" at different angles.

3 	OR, choose one of the commands in the Rotate submenu of the Labels menu.

4 	OR, right click and choose a command from the Rotate submenu.

When a label is rotated, you cannot edit the text by clicking on it while in text mode.  Instead, use the Edit Text command to edit the text through the figure's property dialog box.


Deleting Labels

Deleting labels is similar to deleting figures.

To delete a label (standard method)

1 	Select the label.

2 	Choose Clear from the Edit menu, or press the DEL key.

To delete a label (automatic method)

1 	Edit the text in the label, and delete all the text.

2 	Labels that contain no text are deleted automatically.


Changing Label Properties

Each label has a set of properties that define how it looks and behaves. Most of the initial properties of a label come from its original label style. This section describes how to change label properties.

To view and modify the properties of a single label

1 	Select the label.

2 	Choose Properties from the Labels menu or from the right mouse button menu.

Or

1 	Double click on the label (whether selected or not). Note, double clicking on a label will edit the label properties only if you have chosen Display/edit properties in the General page of the Options dialog box.

Use the Label Properties dialog box to view and modify the label's properties.

Label Properties Dialog Box

Several label properties can also be changed simply by selecting the label(s) and clicking on the buttons and controls on the property bar.


Label Properties Dialog Box

Use the Label Properties dialog box to view and modify properties for one or more labels. This dialog box contains several different groupings of properties organized under tabs with an appropriate heading. To change to a different grouping of properties and their controls, press the corresponding tab. Controls located under each tab are described below.

Label Properties General Tab

Label Properties Text Tab

Label Properties Behaviors Tab

To cause a particular property to be applied to the selected objects, you must actually modify that property. For example, if you select five labels that all have different heights and widths, and you edit their properties and change only the Width field not even touching the Height field, all five labels will acquire the new width and retain their previous height.

Once you've set all of the properties of the figure that you want to change, press one of the following buttons:

Apply

Applies the property changes to the selected label or labels without exiting the dialog box.

Ok

Applies the property changes to the selected label or labels and exits the dialog box.

Cancel

Exits the dialog box and discards any changes you made since last pressing the Apply button. Once you apply changes, those changes remain in effect even if you press Cancel.


Label Properties General Tab

Use the General tab of the Label Properties dialog box to view and edit the basic properties of the selected label such as its location, size, appearance, and color.

Based on style

To change the label's style, choose a new style from the combo box or the Styles drop menu located to the left. This will change the appearance of the label and it will inherit all the properties from the new style you choose.

Styles

This is a drop menu for the same purpose as Based on style described above.

Left

To change the position of the label, enter a new location for the left-most edge. The value is the distance from the origin point on the ruler bar (0,0) or equivalently from the left edge of the page (positive measurements are to the right).

Top

To change the position of the label, enter a new location for the top-most edge. The value is the distance from the origin point on the ruler bar (0,0) or equivalently from the top edge of the page (positive measurements are downward).

Width

To change the width of the label, enter a new width here.

Height

To change the height of the label, enter a new height here.

Text color

To change the color of the label's text, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu. Use of this drop menu is described elsewhere. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the text in the nearest solid color.

Bind to style

Check this box to choose whether or not a label's properties are bound to the style. If a label's properties are bound to its style, then anytime the style properties change, the label gets the new properties automatically.


Label Properties Text Tab

Use the Text tab of the Label Properties dialog box to view and edit the label's text and the properties of the label that affect the display and format of the text.

Text

The text control to the right of the model displays the text that is contained in the label in the selected text region. The text here can be edited using the usual Windows edit box controls including copy and paste. Notice that text in this box just shows the words. It does not reflect the font, text size, boldness, or alignment as it would in the label itself.

Alignment

Use the alignment controls to determine how the text is aligned horizontally (left, center, or right) and vertically (top, middle, or bottom).

Font

Choose the font family to display the font.

Bold, Italic, and Underline

Select common font attributes.

Size

Use the drop down box to select a point size for the font.

Text color

To change the color of the label's text, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu. Use of this drop menu is described elsewhere. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the text in the nearest solid color.

Ellipsis (...)

Use the button with the three dots to choose the font attributes using the standard Windows font selection dialog box shown below. This method also allows you to preview a sample of the font as you select it Controls in this dialog are self-explanatory.


Label Properties Behaviors Tab

Use the Behaviors tab of the Label Properties dialog box to view and edit the properties that affect the way the label behaves within your diagram.

Line too long

This property controls what happens when typed text becomes too wide for the label. If set to Prevent, additional characters are not allowed. If set to Expand, the label automatically grows wider as you continue typing. The direction of expansion is controlled by the Horizontal expansion property. If set to Wrap, the width of the label does not change and the text word-wraps automatically to the next line.

Horizontal expansion

This property controls in which direction the label expands when it expands automatically in the horizontal direction, such as when you type more text than will fit in the current width of the label.

Too many lines

This property controls what happens when typed text exceeds the number of lines that fit in a label of this style. If set to Prevent, additional lines are not allowed. If set to Expand, the label automatically grows taller as you add lines. The direction of expansion is controlled by the Vertical expansion property.

Vertical expansion

This property controls in which direction the label expands when it expands automatically in the vertical direction, such as when you type more lines of text than will fit in the current height of the label.

Center stationary when resizing

Check this property to cause the center of the label to remain in the same place when you resize it by dragging the handles.

Center snaps to grid

Check this property to cause the label's center to snap to the snap grid when you create, move, or resize it (provided snap is enabled). You will generally not want to set this property for labels.

Height and width snap to grid

When this property is checked (and the snap grid is enabled), the label's edges align with the snap grid when you create, move, or resize the label.You will generally not want to set this property for labels.

Keep sized to text

When this property is checked, the label is always sized to exactly fit the amount of text it contains. For example, if you edit text for a label such that the label has less text than it had before, the label will automatically resize itself to shrink down around the new text as soon as you complete editing the text. You will generally want to set this property for labels.

Preserve aspect ratio

When this property is checked, the figure retains its current aspect ratio (its height compared to its width) when you resize the figure by dragging the corner handles or when the figure expands due to typing text. You can still change the aspect ratio of the figure by dragging the side handles, setting the size directly in the General tab, or using the From Selected button.


Connector Labels

Labels can be attached to connectors to form connector labels. Connector labels are useful for describing the purpose of a connector or the relationship that the connector represents between two figures.

•	A connector can have only one label. Multi-segment connectors, described later in this chapter, can have one label per segment.

•	The center of a connector label attaches to any point on the connector. When the connector is drawn, it breaks around the label rather than going through it.

•	The center of a connector label attaches to any point on the connector. When the connector is drawn, it breaks around the label rather than going through it.

•	The center of a connector label attaches to any point on the connector. When the connector is drawn, it breaks around the label rather than going through it.

•	When the connector moves, any attached connector label moves as well. The connector label remains attached to the same point on the connector at the connector's new location.

Creating Connector Labels

Moving Connector Labels

Deleting Connector Labels


Creating Connector Labels

You create a connector label just like an ordinary label except that you attach it to a connector.

To create a connector label

1 	Enter text mode by pressing the text mode button on the tool bar or by choosing a label style from the style bar.

2 	Move the mouse over a connector. The mouse cursor changes (has an X through it)  to indicate that you are over a connector.

3 	Click the left mouse button to create the connector label.

4 	Type in the text for the label.

A single segment of a connector can have only one connector label.


Moving Connector Labels

Once you've created a connector label, you can adjust its position on the connector, or move it to a different connector.

To move a connector label

1 	In select mode, move the mouse over the connector label. The move cursor appears (points in four directions).

2 	Press the left mouse button and hold it down.

3 	Drag the connector label. The label slides across to the point on the connector nearest the mouse, or to a point on a different connector.

4 	Release the mouse button. If the label does not move to the new location, there is something wrong with the location - the connector may already have a label.


Deleting Connector Labels

Deleting a connector label is just like deleting an ordinary label with a few minor exceptions.

To delete a connector label

1 	Select the label.

2 	Choose Clear from the Edit menu, or press the DEL key.

Or

1 	Edit the text in the label, and delete all the text.

A connector label, like any other label, is automatically deleted when it contains no text.

When you delete the connector to which the label is attached, the label is deleted automatically.


Text

Text plays a very important role in most diagrams. You can use text to add descriptions for figures, labels for connectors, titles, comments, annotations, instructions, and so on. You can to add text just about anywhere quickly and easily.

The Text Area

Text Mode Cursors

Adding Text to Figures and Labels

Rotating Text

Editing Text

Selecting Text

Using the Keyboard to Edit Text

Cutting Copying Pasting Text

Replacing Text

Setting Text Attributes

Special Considerations for Text


The Text Area

Most figures have an outline shape and reserve the majority of the inside of the shape for text. The portion of the figure that is reserved for text is called a text area. You cannot see the text area on the screen but it is there, and it is the only part of a figure that can contain text.

A label always has one and only one text area that is the same size as the label. A figure, on the other hand, can have any number of text areas. If a figure has no text area, you cannot add any text to the figure. If it has multiple text areas, you can add text to each of the areas independently.

The number of text areas, and their locations within a figure, are part of the figure symbol definition.


Text Mode Cursors

The cursor can take onw of several shapes when you are in connect mode.  Each shapes provides information about what will hapen when you click at the current mouse position.

The normal text mode cursor.  If you click when the cursor is this shape, you will create a new label.

If you click when the cursor is this shape, you will edit text in an existing figure or label.  This shape indicates that you are over a label or a figure's text area.

If you click when the cursor is this shape, you will create a connector label - a new label that is attached to the connector beneath the cursor.


Adding Text to Figures and Labels

You can add text to a text area of any label or figure (see previous section for a discussion of text areas).

To add text to a figure or label

1 	Enter text mode.

2 	Move the cursor anywhere over a label or over a figure's text area. The cursor is surrounded by the corners of a box to indicate you are over a text area.

3 	Click the mouse button to begin adding text.

Figures can have multiple text areas. You can add text to any of these areas by clicking on different parts of the figure.

To add text to a figure (automatic method)

1 	Move the cursor over a figure's text area.

2 	Start typing text on the keyboard. You are automatically placed in text mode entering text. If the figure contained any previous text, the typed text replaces it.

Adding Text to Labels

Labels are similar to figures except that a label cannot exist if it has no text. Consequently, you add text to a label when you create it. If you do not add any text when creating a label, or if you later remove all the text, the label is deleted automatically.

See also:

Text mode cursors


Editing Text

To edit figure or label text

1 	Enter text mode.

2 	Move the cursor anywhere over a label or over a figure's text area. A framed text cursor indicates the cursor is over text.

3 	Click the mouse button to begin editing the text.

NOTE: The above procedure cannot be used to edit rotated text. To edit rotated label text, use one of the additional methods described below.

Additional methods for editing figure or label text

There are also some other methods available for editing the text of a figure or label. Use the method you find most convenient.

1 	Select the figure or label and choose Edit Text from the Edit menu.

2 	Select the figure or label and choose Edit Text from the right click menu.

3 	Select the figure or label and press the F2 key.

4 	Double-click on the figure or label. This works to edit text only if you have selected Display/edit properties in the General page of the Options dialog box.

See also:

Text mode cursors

The text area

Using the keyboard to edit text


Using the Keyboard to Edit Text

The following table lists the functions available from the keyboard when working with text:

ESC        Quit editing text
RIGHT      Move right one character
LEFT       Move left one character
UP         Move up one line
DOWN       Move down one line
CTRL-RIGHT Move right one word
CTRL-LEFT  Move left one word
HOME       Move to the start of the current line
END        Move to the end of the current line
CTRL-HOME  Move to the start of all text
CTRL-END   Move to the end of all text
TAB        Move to the next text area
SHIFT-TAB  Move to the previous text area
BACKSPACE  Delete the character to the left of the cursor
DEL        Delete the character to the right of the cursor
ENTER      Add a "hard" line break

You can use any of the keys that move the cursor in combination with the SHIFT key to extend the current text selection.

A few obscure punctuation characters are not allowed.

Some international characters, for example the German umlaute, may not be available on all keyboards.  To type these characters, use the ALT key with the ANSI character code entered from the numeric keypad.  For example, the ANSI code for an "ae" character is 230.  To type this character, while holding down the ALT key, type 0230 on the numeric keypad.  (Always include the leading zero.)


Selecting Text

To perform operations such as Cut, Copy, and Clear, you need to select a range of text.

To select a range of text

1 	Enter text mode.

2 	Move the cursor anywhere over a label or over a figure's text area. A framed text cursor indicates the cursor is over text.

3 	Press the left mouse button and hold it down to begin selecting the text.

4 	Drag the mouse to select text. The selected text becomes highlighted.

To select a word of text

1 	Enter text mode.

2 	Move the cursor anywhere over a label or over a figure's text area.

3 	Double-click the left mouse button to select the word beneath the cursor.

To select all text within a label or figure

1 	Enter text mode.

2 	Move the cursor over a label or a figure's text area.

3 	Triple-click the left mouse button.

To extend a text selection

While holding down the SHIFT key, click the mouse on additional text to select.


Cutting Copying Pasting Text

Selected text can be cut to the Windows clipboard, copied to the clipboard, and pasted from the clipboard. The combination of these features allows you to move text from one figure to another, copy text from one figure to another, or copy text from one diagram to another. You can also copy text to and from other programs.

To delete text (without moving it to the clipboard)

1 	Select a range of text.

2 	Press the DEL key or choose Clear from the Edit menu.

To cut text (and move it to the clipboard)

1 	Select a range of text.

2 	Choose Cut from the Edit menu.

To copy text to the clipboard

1 	Select a range of text.

2 	Choose Copy from the Edit menu.

To paste text from the clipboard

1 	Position the cursor to the location in the text where you want to add the text from the clipboard.

2 	Choose Paste from the Edit menu. The text from the clipboard is added at the cursor position. If any text was selected, the pasted text replaced the selected text.

See also:

Replacing text


Replacing Text

If any text is selected when you type from the keyboard or Paste, the selected text is first deleted before the new text is entered. This is a handy way to replace text.

To replace a range of text

1 	Select the range of text to replace.

2 	Type the replacement text from the keyboard or Paste the replacement text from the clipboard.

3 	The text that was originally selected is deleted before the new text is added.

See also:

Cutting, copying, and pasting text


Changing Text Fonts and Styles
Setting Text Attributes

Text attributes such as the font, size, color, and styles (bold, italic, and underline) can be set for the entire figure or label or for any portion of text within the figure or label. If you want all of the text within a figure or label to have the same attributes, you can set those attributes in the Text tab of the Figure or Label Properties dialog boxes, or you can select the figure or label and use the property bar buttons (for instance the Bold button) to change the font attributes of the entire figure or label.

However, you can also change the text attributes of a portion of the text for a single figure or label in the following ways:

To set the text attributes of a portion of text within a figure or label

1 	In text mode, select the range of text.

2 	Use the property bar to alter the attributes of the selected range of text.  For example, use the Bold, Italic, or Underline buttons to change the style, or use the Font combo box to choose a different font, or the font size combo box to choose a different point size, or even the text color drop menu to choose a different text color.

To set the text attributes of an individual word within a figure or label

1 	In text mode, select the word of text. There are a couple of ways to do this. The obvious way is just to click and drag until the whole word is selected. Another is to double click on the word. Another convenient way is to just place the cursor within the word after the first letter but before the last without any selection.

2 	Use the property bar buttons to change the font, font size, color or styles such as bold, italic, and underline for the word.

You can also control the text attributes of the text that you are about to type. Normally, text that you type will appear in the base font attributes of the figure or label. In addition, if the cursor is located within the text in a place with its own text attributes (such as in the middle of a word that is bolded), typed text will naturally appear accordingly. However, you can also choose to select different text attributes to appear as you type.

To set the text attributes for text that you are about to type

1 	In text mode, move the cursor to a position that is not within a word. It can be in front of or immediately following a word, or at the start or end of all the text.

2 	Use the property bar buttons to change the font, font size, color or styles such as bold, italic, and underline for the text that you are about to type.

3 	Without moving the cursor, type your text. The attributes of the typed text will reflect those you just chose. If you move the cursor, for example by pressing the arrow keys, Typed text will return to using the text attributes already at the new cursor location.


Special Considerations for Text

•	When typing in a figure or label with word-wrap active, this program remembers the difference between hard carriage returns (those you insert by pressing the RETURN key), and soft carriage returns that are inserted automatically during word wrap. Hard carriage returns remain in effect until you delete them. Soft carriage returns get added and deleted automatically every time the text is reformatted, such as when you resize the figure.

•	A single figure or label can contain a maximum of 4095 characters including those that are not visible such as carriage returns. This limit applies to the sum of all text in all text areas of a figure.

•	Within a single figure or label, you are limited to a maximum of 20 different text colors and 20 different fonts.

•	Text entry is always insert mode as opposed to overstrike mode. In overstrike mode, each new character you type would replace the next character in the previous text. Some other programs use the INSERT key to toggle between insert and overstrike mode. This program does not.

•	Undo is not supported for individual operations within text mode, for example, to undo the deletion of a single word. You can use Undo to undo all text changes since you started editing the figure or label.


Figure Styles

Like paragraph styles in word processors, styles are the true definitions of objects. In order to create any object, a figure, label, or connector, you usually start with a predefined style. The style defines the initial characteristics and behaviors of the object. The shape, the location of the text, the text justification, the initial color, and so on, are all parts of the figure style. When you create a figure, you choose one of the predefined styles to become the basis for the new figure.

To work with figure styles choose Styles from the Figures menu. If no styles are defined, you will be immediately prompted to create a new style. Otherwise, the Define Figure Styles dialog box appears. This dialog box allows you to view and modify attributes of the existing styles.

Define Figure Styles Dialog Box


Define Figures Dialog Box
Define Figure Styles Dialog Box

This dialog box allows you to view and modify attributes of the existing styles, delete old styles, and create new styles.

The Define Figure Styles dialog box contains tabs for General, Text, and Behavior styles which are described in following sections.  Common controls are described below.

Figure Styles General Tab

Figure Styles Text Tab

Figure Styles Behaviors Tab

Model

The upper left corner of the dialog box contains a model of the figure style. The model is an illustration of how a figure of this style will appear in your diagram. As you modify style attributes that affect the appearance of the style, the model helps you to visualize the outcome.

Style Selection

Below the model is a list box containing names of all the figure styles presently included in your diagram. The style that is selected is the one being shown in the model and reflected throughout all the other controls in the dialog box. When you make a change, this is the style that is altered.

Above the list box is a button labeled Styles that provides a drop menu for changing the selected style.

New

Press this button to create a new style. The New Figure Style dialog box appears to prompt for the name of the new style.

Press OK immediately to accept the default name, or enter a more descriptive name of your own. The name must not match the name of any existing style.

We strongly recommend that you enter a descriptive name for the style. This will help you remember the style's purpose. Now is the time to do it, because if you want to change the name later, the only way to do it is to copy the style to one of a new name and delete the old style. This can be inconvenient because you may have to go back and define and existing objects of the old style to the new style (by editing its properties).

Immediately after you create a new style, you will need to select a figure shape by pressing one of the Select or change shape buttons.

Copy

Press this button to create a new style that is a copy of the current style. Enter a descriptive name for the style as with New above.

Rename

Press this button to change the name of the currently selected style.

Delete

Press this button to delete the currently selected style. You will be asked to confirm the deletion before it takes effect. Be very careful. Deleting a style cannot be undone. If you have any doubts, save your diagram before deleting any styles.

When you delete a style, any objects in the diagram that were created with this style and bound to it become unbound.

Close

Press this button to exit the dialog box. If you have made changes to the currently selected style that you have not yet applied, you will be asked to do so before exiting.

Apply

Press this button to apply all the changes you have made to the currently selected figure style. You should apply your changes before switching to select a different style or closing the dialog box. If you forget, you will be asked whether to apply or discard the changes before going on.

The Selected Style

Setting Figure Style Symbol or Graphic


Figure Styles General Tab

Use the General tab of the Define Figure Styles dialog box to view and edit the basic properties of the selected figure style such as its description, default dimensions, and colors.

Description

The description is a short text description of the style. This description is displayed in the status bar when the style is selected.

Width

Enter the default width for figures of this style here. Figures that you create of this style will begin at this size.

Height

Enter the default height for figures of this style here. Figures that you create of this style will begin at this size.

From Selected

Rather than typing dimensions for Width and Height, you can select a single figure before entering the figure style dialog box, then press this button to use the width and height of that figure as the style's defaults. This button will be grayed unless a single figure is selected in your diagram when you invoke the dialog box.

Text color

To change the color of the text for figures of this style, choose a color from the color selection drop menu. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the text in the nearest solid color.

Border color

To change the color of the border for figures of this style, choose a color from the color selection drop menu. Borders must be a color that can be drawn solid on your screen. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the border in the nearest solid color.

Fill color

To change the interior fill color for figures of this style, choose a color from the color selection drop menu. There are no restrictions on the fill color, it does not have to be solid.

Border width

To change the thickness of the lines that make up the border (outline) of figures of this style, enter a new border width. You can also change the border width by pressing the up and down spin buttons to the right.

Drop Shadow

Check this box to add a drop shadow to the figure style to give it a three-dimensional look. All drop shadows in a diagram are the same size and color. You control the size and color from within the Diagram Properties dialog box.

Bind to style

When this property is checked, any object created with this style is automatically bound to the style. This means that if the style changes in the future, the object will change as well. If an object is not bound to the style, future changes to the style will not effect the object.

In drop menu

If this button is checked, the style appears in the figure style drop menus, otherwise it does not. This is the same as checking Menu in the Choose a Figure Style dialog box.

Style bar button

If this button is checked, a button with a representation of the style is included in on the style bar. Style bar buttons are useful for frequently used styles. Because the representation on a style bar button is not exact (contains no color or line thickness), they are not useful for every style. This is the same as checking Button in the Choose a Figure Style dialog box.

Select or change shape


Select or change shape

The remainder of the controls in the General tab of the Define Figure Styles dialog box help you to set the shape (graphic definition) of the figure style.

Symbol Gallery

This button isn't labeled.  It contains a representation of the current symbol shape. Press this button to select a shape for the figure style from the collection of built-in symbols contained in the symbol gallery. See the following section for detailed instructions.

See Setting Figure Style Symbol or Graphic

Graphic from File

Press this button to select a graphic definition for the figure style from an external graphics image file such as a Windows Metafile (.WMF or. EMF) or a Windows bitmap file (.BMP or.DIB). See the following section for detailed instructions.

Graphic from Selected

Press this button to copy a shape (symbol or graphic definition) for the figure style from a single figure that you selected in your diagram prior to entering this dialog box. For example, suppose you have copied and pasted a clipart image into your diagram and want to use that image as the shape of a figure style. Select the lone figure that appeared when you pasted the image into your diagram. Then open this dialog box, select the figure style (or create a new one), and press this button. This button will be grayed unless a single figure is selected in your diagram when you invoke the dialog box. See the following section for more details.

Graphic from Clipboard

Press this button to select a shape (graphic definition) for the figure style from an image that is stored in the Windows clipboard. For example, you can create an image in Microsoft Paintbrush and do a Copy of it, then return to this program and paste it right into a style definition. See the following section for detailed instructions.


Setting Figure Style Symbol or Graphic

The graphic definition can be either a predefined symbol or an imported graphics image. It can be anything as simple as a rectangular box or as complex as an elaborate drawing created by an artist in a drawing program.

Using an EDGE Diagrammer symbol as a figure style graphic

Press the Figure Symbol Gallery button (it is unlabeled but contains a graphic representation of the current symbol) to access the Figure Symbol Gallery dialog box to select a figure symbol. See the following section for instructions.

The Figure Symbol Gallery is a library of the pre-defined symbols available to your diagram. Use the figure symbol gallery to select a symbol when (a) changing a figure shape in the Figure Properties dialog box, (b) selecting a figure style shape in the Define Figure Styles dialog box, or (c) using the Insert from Gallery feature.

The program comes with an initial collection of figure symbols. These are categorized by shape and by diagram type such as flowcharting symbols. You can add new symbols to your gallery by obtaining extension packs from the publisher.

Figure symbols are stored in .EDF files (one per category) on your hard disk in the program's Symbols folder. These are ASCII text files that you can use to create new symbols.

To choose a figure symbol as the figure style graphic

1 	From the Define Figure Styles dialog box, go to the General tab and press the Symbol Gallery button to invoke the Figure Symbol Gallery dialog box. The Figure Symbol Gallery dialog box displays all of the installed figure symbols that are available for use.

2 	Click on a figure symbol.

3 	Press OK to use the symbol. (or double click on a symbol)

Figure Symbol Gallery Dialog Box

Using a graphic image as a figure shape

You can define a figure style using a graphic or clipart image imported from a file, from a figure in your diagram, or from the Windows clipboard. This program supports Microsoft standard Windows Metafiles (*.WMF and *.EMF) and Windows bitmap files (*.BMP and *.DIB). A complete discussion of supported formats is contained elsewhere (see  Importing Graphics).

To import a graphic image from a file to serve as the figure style shape

1 	Press the Graphic from File button in the Define Figure Style dialog box.

2 	Choose the graphic file type in the List files by type box.

3 	Select a graphics file and press OK.

To copy a graphic image or symbol from an existing figure to serve as the figure style shape

1 	In your diagram, select the single figure that contains the graphic that you want to use as your figure style shape. This might be a figure that was created when you pasted a clipboard image into your diagram from another program.

2 	Enter the Define Figure Styles dialog box by choosing Styles from the Figures menu.

3 	Press the Graphic from Selected button in the General section of the dialog box.

To import a graphic image from the Windows clipboard to serve as the figure style shape

1 	Copy a graphic image into the Windows clipboard. In another program, this is usually as simple as selecting the image and choosing copy.

2 	Enter the Define Figure Styles dialog box by choosing Styles from the Figures menu.

3 	Press the Graphic from Selected button in the General section of the dialog box.


Figure Symbol Gallery Dialog Box

Use the Figure Symbol Gallery dialog box to select a figure symbol.

This dialog box displays the installed figure symbols. The highlighted box indicates the selected symbol. At the left is a list of categories. Check Show text areas to display the text areas within the symbols. Select a symbol by clicking on it and pressing OK, or by double-clicking on it.

Categories

Each item in the categories list identifies a category of symbols, either a collection of similar symbols, or symbols used in a particular type of diagram.  Select a list item to  display the symbols of the category in the symbols window to the right.

Symbols

The large symbols window displays all of the symbols available in the selected category. Use the scroll bar to reveal any that are not visible. Click on a symbol to select it.

Show text areas

When checked the text areas within each symbol are show as rectangles with dotted lines.

Symbol

The name of the selected symbol is repeated here.

OK

Press OK to exit the dialog box and select the symbol that you highlighted.

Cancel

Press Cancel to exit the dialog box and keep the previously defined symbol or graphic.


Figure Styles Text Tab

Use the Text tab of the Define Figure dialog box to view and edit the style's text and the properties of the style that affect the display and format of the text.

Text box

This area shows a model of the shape of the figure. The dotted rectangles show the boundaries of the text region(s) in the figure. If the figure shape contains more than one text region, the arrows control which region is selected and marked by a dark gray dotted box.

Text

The text control to the right of the model displays the text that is contained in the figure in the selected text region. The text here can be edited using the usual Windows edit box controls including copy and paste. Notice that text in this box just shows the words. It does not reflect the font, text size, boldness, or alignment as it would in the figure itself.

Alignment

Use the alignment controls to determine how the text is aligned horizontally (left, center, or right) and vertically (top, middle, or bottom).

Font

Choose the font family to display the font.

Bold, Italic, and Underline

Select common font attributes.

Size

Use the drop down box to select a point size for the font.

Text color

To change the color of the figure's text, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the text in the nearest solid color.

Ellipsis (...)

Use the button with the three dots to choose the font attributes using the standard Windows font selection dialog box shown below. This method also allows you to preview a sample of the font as you select it. Controls in this dialog are self-explanatory.


Figure Styles Behaviors Tab

Use the Behaviors tab of the Define Figure Styles dialog box to view and edit the properties that affect the way figures of this style behave within your diagram.

Line too long

This property controls what happens when typed text becomes too wide for the figure. If set to Prevent, additional characters are not allowed. If set to Expand, the figure automatically grows wider as you continue typing. The direction of expansion is controlled by the Horizontal expansion property. If set to Wrap, the width of the figure does not change and the text word-wraps automatically to the next line.

Horizontal expansion

This property controls in which direction the figure expands when it expands automatically in the horizontal direction, such as when you type more text than will fit in the current width of the figure.

Too many lines

This property controls what happens when typed text exceeds the number of lines that fit in a figure of this style. If set to Prevent, additional lines are not allowed. If set to Expand, the figure automatically grows taller as you add lines. The direction of expansion is controlled by the Vertical expansion property.

Vertical expansion

This property controls in which direction the figure expands when it expands automatically in the vertical direction, such as when you type more lines of text than will fit in the current height of the figure.

Center stationary when resizing

Check this property to cause the center of the figure to remain in the same place when you resize it by dragging the handles. You may want to set this property for figures that can be connected to other figures.

Center snaps to grid

Check this property to cause the figure's center to snap to the snap grid when you create, move, or resize it (provided snap is enabled). You will generally want to set this property for figures that are connected to other figures, otherwise it could be more difficult to keep the figures aligned vertically or horizontally.

Height and width snap to grid

When this property is checked (and the snap grid is enabled), the figure's edges align with the snap grid when you create, move, or resize the figure. If you set this property, you'll want to set the Center snaps to grid property as well.

When the height and width snap to the grid, both sides are aligned with snap grid lines which are not necessarily the same as the visible grid lines. In effect, the total width or height is always a multiple of twice the snap spacing. For example, if the snap spacing is one quarter of an inch and a figure has the Height and width snap to grid property, that figure width can be 1/2 in., 1 in., 1 1/2 in. and so on, but it cannot be 3/4 in.

Keep sized to text

When this property is checked, the figure is always sized to exactly fit the amount of text it contains. For example, if you edit text for a figure such that the figure has less text than it had before, the figure will automatically resize itself to shrink down around the new text as soon as you complete editing the text.

Preserve aspect ratio

When this property is checked, the figure retains its current aspect ratio (its height compared to its width) when you resize the figure by dragging the corner handles or when the figure expands due to typing text. You can still change the aspect ratio of the figure by dragging the side handles, setting the size directly in the General tab, or using the From Selected button.


The Selected Style

The Styles dialog box always displays the style attributes of a single selected style. Each of the tabbed groups of attributes labeled for example General, Text, and Behaviors all refer to a different set of attributes belonging to this same selected style.

You can tell which style is currently selected because it's name is highlighted in the list box of styles at the left side of the dialog box, and a picture of the style is shown in the model area above the list box.

You can select a different style by clicking on its name in the list box located at the left of the dialog box or by choosing a new style from the Styles drop menu. As you move from style to style changing or viewing attributes of the style, you will see the right half of the dialog box change to reflect the new style's attributes.

If you attempt to switch styles after making changes to the current style properties but before you apply those changes to the style, you will be asked whether you want to apply the changes before switching to the new style.


Label Styles

Label styles are similar to figure styles. Label styles define the initial characteristics and behaviors of labels. Labels are essentially specialized figures. Therefore, working with label styles is very much like working with figure styles.

To work with label styles, choose Styles from the Labels menu. If no styles are defined, you are immediately prompted to create a new style. If any styles are defined, the Define Label Styles dialog box appears.

Define Label Styles Dialog Box

Connector Label Styles


Define Label Styles Dialog Box

This dialog box allows you to view and modify attributes of the existing label styles, delete old styles, and create new styles.

The Define Label Styles dialog box contains tabs for General, Text, and Behavior styles which are described in following sections.  Common controls are described below.

Label Styles General Tab

Label Styles Text Tab

Label Styles Behaviors Tab

Model

The upper left corner of the dialog box contains a model of the label style. The model is an illustration of how a label of this style will appear in your diagram. As you modify style attributes that affect the appearance of the style, the model helps you to visualize the outcome.

Style Selection

Below the model is a list box containing names of all the label styles presently included in your diagram. The style that is selected is the one being shown in the model and reflected throughout all the other controls in the dialog box. When you make a change, this is the style that is altered.

Above the list box is a button labeled Styles that provides a drop menu for changing the selected style.

New

Press this button to create a new style. The New Label Style dialog box appears to prompt for the name of the new style.

Press OK immediately to accept the default name, or enter a more descriptive name of your own. The name must not match the name of any existing style.

We strongly recommend that you enter a descriptive name for the style. This will help you remember the style's purpose. Now is the time to do it, because if you want to change the name later, the only way to do it is to copy the style to one of a new name and delete the old style. This can be inconvenient because you may have to go back and define and existing objects of the old style to the new style (by editing its properties).

Copy

Press this button to create a new style that is a copy of the current style. Enter a descriptive name for the style as with New above.

Rename

Press this button to change the name of the currently selected style.

Delete

Press this button to delete the currently selected style. You will be asked to confirm the deletion before it takes effect. Be very careful. Deleting a style cannot be undone. If you have any doubts, save your diagram before deleting any styles.

When you delete a style, any objects in the diagram that were created with this style and bound to it become unbound.

Close

Press this button to exit the dialog box. If you have made changes to the currently selected style that you have not yet applied, you will be asked to do so before exiting.

Apply

Press this button to apply all the changes you have made to the currently selected label style. You should apply your changes before switching to select a different style or closing the dialog box. If you forget, you will be asked whether to apply or discard the changes before going on.

The Selected Style


Label Styles General Tab

Use the General tab of the Define Label Styles dialog box to view and edit the basic properties of the selected label style such as its description, default dimensions, and colors.

Description

The description is a short text description of the style. This description is displayed in the status bar when the style is selected.

Width

Enter the default width for labels of this style here. This field is not particularly important for labels because they resize automatically to fit their text.

Height

Enter the default height for labels of this style here. This field is not particularly important for labels because they resize automatically to fit their text.

From Selected

Rather than typing dimensions for Width and Height, you can select a single figure or label before entering the label style dialog box, then press this button to use the width and height of that object as the style's defaults. This button will be grayed unless a single figure is selected in your diagram when you invoke the dialog box.

Text color

To change the color of the text for label of this style, choose a color from the color selection drop menu. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the text in the nearest solid color.

Bind to style

When this property is checked, any object created with this style is automatically bound to the style. This means that if the style changes in the future, the object will change as well. If an object is not bound to the style, future changes to the style will not effect the object.

In drop menu

If this button is checked, the style appears in the label style drop menus, otherwise it does not. This is the same as checking Menu in the Choose a Label Style dialog box.

Style bar button

If this button is checked, a button with a representation of the style is included in on the style bar. Style bar buttons are inappropriate for all but the simplest label styles.


Label Styles Text Tab

Use the Text tab of the Define Label Styles dialog box to view and edit the style's text and the properties of the style that affect the display and format of the text.

Text

The text control to the right of the model displays the text that is contained in the figure in the selected text region. The text here can be edited using the usual Windows edit box controls including copy and paste. Notice that text in this box just shows the words. It does not reflect the font, text size, boldness, or alignment as it would in the figure itself.

Alignment

Use the alignment controls to determine how the text is aligned horizontally (left, center, or right) and vertically (top, middle, or bottom).

Font

Choose the font family to display the font.

Bold, Italic, and Underline

Select common font attributes.

Size

Use the drop down box to select a point size for the font.

Text color

To change the color of the figure's text, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the text in the nearest solid color.

Ellipsis (...)

Use the button with the three dots to choose the font attributes using the standard Windows font selection dialog box shown below. This method also allows you to preview a sample of the font as you select it. Controls in this dialog are self-explanatory.


Label Styles Behaviors Tab

Use the Behaviors tab of the Define Label Styles dialog box to view and edit the properties that affect the way labels of this style behave within your diagram.

Line too long

This property controls what happens when typed text becomes too wide for the figure. If set to Prevent, additional characters are not allowed. If set to Expand, the figure automatically grows wider as you continue typing. The direction of expansion is controlled by the Horizontal expansion property. If set to Wrap, the width of the figure does not change and the text word-wraps automatically to the next line.

Horizontal expansion

This property controls in which direction the figure expands when it expands automatically in the horizontal direction, such as when you type more text than will fit in the current width of the figure.

Too many lines

This property controls what happens when typed text exceeds the number of lines that fit in a figure of this style. If set to Prevent, additional lines are not allowed. If set to Expand, the figure automatically grows taller as you add lines. The direction of expansion is controlled by the Vertical expansion property.

Vertical expansion

This property controls in which direction the figure expands when it expands automatically in the vertical direction, such as when you type more lines of text than will fit in the current height of the figure.

Center stationary when resizing

Check this property to cause the center of the figure to remain in the same place when you resize it by dragging the handles. You may want to set this property for figures that can be connected to other figures.

Center snaps to grid

Check this property to cause the figure's center to snap to the snap grid when you create, move, or resize it (provided snap is enabled). You will generally want to set this property for figures that are connected to other figures, otherwise it could be more difficult to keep the figures aligned vertically or horizontally.

Height and width snap to grid

When this property is checked (and the snap grid is enabled), the figure's edges align with the snap grid when you create, move, or resize the figure. If you set this property, you'll want to set the Center snaps to grid property as well.

When the height and width snap to the grid, both sides are aligned with snap grid lines which are not necessarily the same as the visible grid lines. In effect, the total width or height is always a multiple of twice the snap spacing. For example, if the snap spacing is one quarter of an inch and a figure has the Height and width snap to grid property, that figure width can be 1/2 in., 1 in., 1 1/2 in. and so on, but it cannot be 3/4 in.

Keep sized to text

When this property is checked, the figure is always sized to exactly fit the amount of text it contains. For example, if you edit text for a figure such that the figure has less text than it had before, the figure will automatically resize itself to shrink down around the new text as soon as you complete editing the text.

Preserve aspect ratio

When this property is checked, the figure retains its current aspect ratio (its height compared to its width) when you resize the figure by dragging the corner handles or when the figure expands due to typing text. You can still change the aspect ratio of the figure by dragging the side handles, setting the size directly in the General tab, or using the From Selected button.


Connector Label Styles

Connector labels are just ordinary labels and do not require a new kind of style. You can create a connector label from any label style. A connector label has a few added restrictions that a standard label does not have. For instance, a connector label is always center-justified vertically and horizontally and always expands when text is added and always grows from the center. The corresponding style properties are ignored for connector labels.


Connector Styles

Connector styles define the initial characteristics and behaviors of connectors. This section describes how to define, create, modify and delete connector styles.

To work with connector styles, choose Styles from the Connectors menu. If no styles are defined, you are immediately prompted to create a new style. If any styles are defined, the Define Connector Styles dialog box appears.

Define Connector Styles Dialog Box


Define Connector Styles Dialog Box

This dialog box allows you to view and modify attributes of the existing connector styles, delete old styles, and create new styles.

The Define Connector Styles dialog box contains tabs for General, Line, and Ends styles which are described in following sections.  Common controls are described below.

Connector Styles General Tab

Connector Styles Line Tab

Connector Styles Ends Tab

Model

The upper left corner of the dialog box contains a model of the connector style. The model is an illustration of how a connector of this style will appear in your diagram. As you modify style attributes that affect the appearance of the style, the model helps you to visualize the outcome.

Style Selection

Below the model is a list box containing names of all the connector styles presently included in your diagram. The style that is selected is the one being shown in the model and reflected throughout all the other controls in the dialog box. When you make a change, this is the style that is altered.

Above the list box is a button labeled Styles that provides a drop menu for changing the selected style.

New

Press this button to create a new style. The New Connector Style dialog box appears to prompt for the name of the new style.

Press OK immediately to accept the default name, or enter a more descriptive name of your own. The name must not match the name of any existing style.

We strongly recommend that you enter a descriptive name for the style. This will help you remember the style's purpose. Now is the time to do it, because if you want to change the name later, the only way to do it is to copy the style to one of a new name and delete the old style. This can be inconvenient because you may have to go back and define and existing objects of the old style to the new style (by editing its properties).

Copy

Press this button to create a new style that is a copy of the current style. Enter a descriptive name for the style as with New above.

Rename

Press this button to change the name of the currently selected style.

Delete

Press this button to delete the currently selected style. You will be asked to confirm the deletion before it takes effect. Be very careful. Deleting a style cannot be undone. If you have any doubts, save your diagram before deleting any styles.

When you delete a style, any objects in the diagram that were created with this style and bound to it become unbound.

Close

Press this button to exit the dialog box. If you have made changes to the currently selected style that you have not yet applied, you will be asked to do so before exiting.

Apply

Press this button to apply all the changes you have made to the currently selected figure style. You should apply your changes before switching to select a different style or closing the dialog box. If you forget, you will be asked whether to apply or discard the changes before going on.

The Selected Style


Connector Styles General Tab

Use the General tab of the Define Connector Styles dialog box to view and edit the basic properties of the selected connector style.

Description

The description is a short text description of the style. This description is displayed in the status bar when the style is selected.

Bind to style

Check this box to choose whether or not a connector's properties are bound to the style. If a connector's properties are bound to its style, then anytime the style properties change, the connector gets the new properties automatically. You will generally want to set this option for normal connector.

In drop menu

Check this box to have this style appear in the Connectors style drop menu.

Style bar button

Check this box to have the style appear on a button on the style bar.

Orthogonal

This property can provide some assistance in creating and keeping connectors orthogonal (all lines vertical or horizontal). Guided provides adequate help for most cases.


Connector Styles Line Tab

Use the Line tab of the Define Connector Styles dialog box to view and edit the line of the selected connector style.

Line

A connector line can be one of many line styles such as solid, dashed, dotted, and so on. To change the connector's line style, choose a new line style from the drop menu.

Color

To change the color of the connector, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu.

Width

To change the line width of the connector, enter a width or use the up and down spin buttons. You can also choose a standard width by clicking on the drop menu.

Curvature

Select one of the curvature options for the connector. The path of the connector can be straight, curved. smoothed, or rounded.

Corners

Choose a corner style (also known as a line join style). These options apply to the way that thick straight connectors appear when two segments meet. Note that corners will appear rounded when imported into other documents.

Flow symbols along line

Check this box to enable flow symbols to be drawn along the path of the connector.

Kind

Choose the kind of flow symbol from the flow symbol drop menu.

Fill color

Choose a fill color for the flow symbols.

Border color

Choose a border color for the flow symbols.

Size

Choose the size for the flow symbols.

Spacing

Choose the spacing interval between flow symbols.

Border width

Choose the line width of the borders of the flow symbols.


Connector Styles Ends Tab

Use the Ends tab of the Define Connector Styles dialog box to view and edit the appearance of the symbols that are drawn at the ends of the connector (such as arrowheads).

End 1

To change the originating end of the connector, choose a color, size, and end symbol.

Symbol

Select an end symbol shape from the end symbol drop menu. The symbols above the line are always available. The symbols below the line (if any) are the non-built-in symbols used in this diagram. Click on the three dots on the lower right to choose from more symbols in the End Symbol Gallery.

End Symbol Gallery

Fill color

Choose a fill color for this end symbol.

Symbol size

Choose a size for this end symbol.

End 2

To change the terminating end of the connector, choose a color, size, and end symbol.

Symbol

Select an end symbol shape from the end symbol drop menu. The symbols above the line are always available. The symbols below the line (if any) are the non-built-in symbols used in this diagram. Click on the three dots on the lower right to choose from more symbols in the End Symbol Gallery.

End Symbol Gallery

Fill color

Choose a fill color for this end symbol.

Symbol size

Choose a size for this end symbol.

Borders

To change the width of the borders around the connector ends, enter a border width or use the up and down spin buttons.


End Symbol Gallery

The End Symbol Gallery is a library of the pre-defined end symbols (arrowheads and such) available to your diagram. Use the end symbol gallery to select an end symbol to use as the shape of a connector's arrowhead.

The end symbols

The program comes with an initial collection of end symbols including a number of built-in arrows that are always visible in the drop menu. These are categorized by shape and by diagram type. You can add new symbols to your gallery by obtaining extension packs from the publisher.

End symbols are stored in .EDE files (one per category) on your hard disk in the program's Symbols folder. These are ASCII text files that you can use to create new symbols. For a complete reference to creating and editing custom symbols see the Formats and Customization Guide.

End Symbol Gallery Dialog Box


End Symbol Gallery Dialog Box

Use the End Symbol Gallery dialog box to select an end symbol as the shape of a connector end (such as an arrow head).

Symbol List

Select a symbol by scrolling through the complete list and clicking on the symbol of your choice.

Symbol:

This field describes the name of the symbol.

File:

This field identifies the file where the symbol was located.

Centered

If checked it means the selected end symbol is centered at the endpoint of the connector.

Rotates

If checked it means that the end symbol is rotated in the direction of the connector.

Description box

The description area at the bottom displays the comment fields from the file that contains the symbol definition.  By convention, the comments describe the symbol collection name and the producer of the symbols.

OK

Press OK to exit the dialog box and select the symbol that you highlighted in the list.

Cancel

Press Cancel to exit the dialog box and keep the previously defined symbol or graphic.


Tools

There are a number of tools for working with diagrams. This chapter describes these tools and how to use them. It also describes some miscellaneous features, diagram properties, and options. Because all of these features are available in the Tools menu, we'll describe them in the order of their appearance there.

Importing Graphics Files

Exporting Diagrams to a Graphics File

Diagram Properties

Options


Importing Graphics Files

You can import graphics such as clip art files directly into your diagrams using the Import Graphics feature in the File menu. You can import any file that is a Windows Metafile (.WMF), and Enhanced Windows Metafile (.EMF), WIndows Bitmap (.BMP or .DIB), of JPEG (.JPG). Once you import a graphic into your diagram, it becomes an ordinary figure that you can manipulate as you like.

To import a graphics file into your diagram

1 	Choose Import Graphics from the Tools menu.

2 	Select the file that you wish to import.  You can use the file type control at the bottom to look for different types of files.  If the file can be imported, it will be displayed in the Preview area to the right.

3 	Press the Import button.  A new figure will appear in the middle of the active view which will contain the imported graphic.

Another way to import a graphics file, or even a bunch of selected graphics files is to drag and drop them into your diagram.

To import a graphics file into your diagram with Drag and Drop

1 	Open a diagram in this program.  If you have more than one diagram open, make sure the one you want to import into is active.

2 	Go to the Windows Explorer. Locate and select the graphics files that you want to import into your diagram.  You can use the shift key to select more than one.

3 	Drag the selected files over this program and drop them (let go of the mouse button).  The graphics will be imported and appear as new figures in the center of the active view.

Notes

Imported graphics are actually imported copies of images NOT links.  If you cause a change to the graphics file, that change will not appear in your diagram unless you re-import the file.

When you import bitmap clip-art, you may want portions of the bitmap to be transparent, that is for items below to "show through" rather than have the bitmap obscure the complete rectangular area of the figure.  If you choose, you can tell your diagram to treat all white portions of bitmaps as transparent.  Set this up in the Diagram Properties dialog box.  Two things to keep in mind (1) transparency only effects the screen, not printing and (2) transparency slows the drawing of bitmaps.

You will often want to import other graphics formats such as .TIF, .GIF, .CGM, and so on.  This program cannot support all graphics formats directly.  Instead, you can import these graphics by converting them to a supported format.  The easiest way to do this is simply to import them into a high-performance publishing package similar to Microsoft Word, then export (or Paste) them into this program.  Inconvenience is the only drawback.

NOTE: Imported JPEG files get converted into bitmaps for internal storage.  This means that the image quality may suffer when the image is resized after importing.  To maintain a high quality, import and do not resize the graphic.  If you need to change the size, do it with a JPEG tool (such as LViewPro) before importing.


Exporting a File
Exporting Diagrams to a Graphics File

You can export a diagram to a disk file in a standard graphic format so that you can later import the diagram into a different program (or even into this program as a graphic). For example, if you export a diagram to a file as a Windows Metafile, you can then use Microsoft Word's Insert Picture feature to add the diagram to a Microsoft Word document.

The program now supports exporting to a JPEG file (.JPG).  This file format is standard for web page graphics.

Note that exporting objects does not remove them from your diagram.  Exporting is a lot like Copying and Pasting in another program only you copy to a disk file rather than to the Windows clipboard.

To export the objects from your diagram to a graphics file

1 	Select all the objects that you want to be exported.  If you do not select any objects, ALL objects in your diagram will be exported.

2 	Choose Export Graphics from the Tools menu.

3 	Select a file name and a file format and press the Save button.  You should use the ".WMF" file extension for Windows Metafiles and the ".EMF" file extension for Enhanced Windows Metafiles.

You can transfer diagrams and portions of diagrams to other programs more conveniently through the Windows clipboard by using Cut and Copy. However, there are a few advantages to using Export instead. Once you export a diagram to a file, you can easily store and transport that file. You can also use other commercially available programs to convert the file to other graphics formats that are not supported directly.

When you export as a Windows Metafile, the stored format is actually what's known as a "placeable metafile" which is more useful and more broadly supported than a raw metafile.

Once you export a diagram to a file, you cannot reload that file into this program as a diagram. The exported file is essentially a snapshot of the image of the diagram and does not contain the actual diagram definition.


Diagram Properties

Each diagram has a set of properties that are saved with the diagram. you can change these properties for each diagram. To view and modify the properties of the diagram, choose Diagram Properties from the Tools menu.

The Diagram Properties dialog box contains groupings of properties organized under tabs with an appropriate heading. To change to a different grouping and their controls, press the corresponding tab. Controls located under each tab are described below.

Diagram Properties General Tab

Diagram Properties Grid and Snap Tab

Diagram Properties Style Bar Tab

Once you've set all of the properties that you want to change, press one of the following buttons:

Apply

Applies the property changes to the diagram without exiting the dialog box.

Ok

Applies the property changes to the diagram and exits the dialog box.

Cancel

Exits the dialog box and discards any changes you made since last pressing the Apply button. Once you apply changes, those changes remain in effect even if you press Cancel.


Diagram Properties General Tab

Use the General tab in the Diagram Properties dialog box to set the basic properties of your diagram.

Drop shadow offset

Enter the distance that a drop shadow protrudes from beneath a figure that has the drop shadow property.

Drop shadow color

To change the color of drop shadows in your diagram, choose a different color from the color selection drop menu. Use of this drop menu is described elsewhere.

Corner Radius

Enter the corner radius for this diagram. This is the radius that defines the amount of rounding that occurs for all corners of rounded connectors.


Diagram Properties Grid and Snap Tab

Use the Grid and Snap tab in the Diagram Properties dialog box to set the visible grid and the snap grid for your diagram.

Show grid

Check this box to display a grid over your diagram. This box controls only the appearance of the grid as a visual guide, not whether objects snap to the grid. The grid is displayed either as dots or lines based on options set in the Options dialog box. You can also turn the grid on and off with the grid button on the tool bar.

Spacing (for visible grid)

Choose the spacing between the drawing of grid lines in your diagram.

Snap to grid

Check this box to have your diagram objects snap to the underlying snap grid. you will usually want this to be the same as the visible grid and use them together. Take note that figures and label have a property that tells them whether that particular figure or label snaps to the grid. Therefore, for any particular object to snap to the grid, it must have it's Snap center to grid property set and the Snap to grid diagram property must be set. You can also turn snap on and off with the snap button on the tool bar.

Spacing (for snap grid)

Choose the spacing for snap alignment. A snap spacing that is smaller than the visible grid spacing works well. For instance, try a snap spacing of an eighth inch and a grid spacing of a quarter inch.


Diagram Properties Style Bar Tab

The style bar on the left of the screen is the most important part of the work space. It contains controls for accessing your diagram styles quickly and easily. To help make the style bar even more convenient, several aspects of the layout are under your control. We've already seen that you can control which styles appear in drop menus and which have buttons on the style bar. Here we can control the size of the style bar, the layout of the buttons, and the size and spacing. The settings you choose here will be saved with the diagram.

Label Buttons

Use the spin control to choose how many columns of label buttons appear in the style bar. Then choose the height of the label buttons in screen pixels. With these two properties taken together, you can control the size and shape of all label buttons in the style bar. We actually recommend that you not use buttons for label styles, but we provide these controls for conformity.

Figure Buttons

Use the spin control to choose how many columns of label buttons appear in the style bar. Then choose the height of the label buttons in screen pixels. With these two properties taken together, you can control the size and shape of all figure buttons in the style bar.

Connector Buttons

Use the spin control to choose how many columns of connector buttons appear in the style bar. Then choose the height of the label buttons in screen pixels. With these two properties taken together, you can control the size and shape of all connector buttons in the style bar.

Width of style bar

Choose the width of the style bar in screen pixels. Only a limited range is allowed.

Restore Defaults

Press this button to restore the style bar to the default width, columns and heights.

Changing the order of Style Buttons


Options

To view and modify the program options, choose Options from the Tools menu.The options are personal preferences that you will most likely change infrequently once you determine how you prefer them. They are saved in your configuration on your computer rather than in diagram files.

The Options dialog box contains groupings of options organized under tabs with an appropriate heading. To change to a different grouping and their controls, press the corresponding tab. Controls located under each tab are described below.

Options General Tab

Options View Tab

Options Zoom Tab

Options Colors Tab

Options Save Tab

Once you've set all of the options that you want to change, press one of the following buttons:

Ok

Applies the options changes and exits the dialog box.

Cancel

Exits the dialog box and discards any changes you made.


Options General Tab

Use the General tab in the Options dialog box to set the basic program options.

Screen size

You are asked to provide the exact measurement (use a ruler) of the actual picture on your monitor from the top to the bottom. The default is set for a standard fourteen inch monitor.

This program needs to know this measurement so that it knows what 100% zoom means. If you have this value set correctly and zoom is set to 100%, you can actually measure the object on the screen and it will match its true size. This only affects the display, printing will always be exact because Windows knows what 100% means for your printer.

Double click on figure

You can choose what you want to happen when you double-click the mouse on a figure in your diagram. If you choose Edit figure text, double-clicking will take you quickly and conveniently to editing the text of the figure, bypassing the need to click on the text mode button and then on the figure text. If you choose Display/edit properties, double-clicking will pop up the figure properties for that figure.

Measurements

Choose either English (inches) or Metrics (centimeters) as your measurement units. All measurements are displayed in these units.

Measurements such as line widths and font sizes are measured in points (abbreviated pts). There are 72 points to the inch. Your choice of measurement units does not effect these measurements - they are points both for english and for metrics.

Create one figure at a time

When you create a figure and this option is checked, the new figure automatically becomes selected and the mode changes back to select mode as soon as one figure is created. To create another figure, you'll have to press the figure style button again and repeat the process. Without this option checked, you remain in figure create mode until you change modes yourself.

Create one connector at a time

When you create a connector and this option is checked, the new connector automatically becomes selected and the mode changes back to select mode as soon as one connector is created. To create another connector, you'll have to press the connector style button again and repeat the process. Without this option checked, you remain in connect mode until you change modes yourself.

Open most recent file on start-up

When this option is checked. The most recently edited diagram will be opened automatically when you start the program.


Options View Tab

Use the View tab in the Options dialog box to control how your diagram is displayed and what options on the user interface are visible.

Show status bar

Check this box to display the status bar, also known as a message bar, at the bottom of the screen. The status bar displays brief help and status information.

Show property bar

Check this box to display the property bar. The property bar is located directly beneath the tool bar - it is the second button bar. The property bar is very useful for changing certain figure, label, and connector properties conveniently.

Show rulers

Check this box to display rulers on the top and left of the diagram views. Rulers help you lay out your diagram as it will appear on the printed page. They are also useful for providing an indication of the view's location within your diagram and the current amount of zoom magnification.

Show page boundaries

Check this box to turn on the display of page boundaries and margins. Page boundaries are determined by your print settings which you can adjust with print set-up. They reflect the current paper size, printer selection, page orientation, and so on. We recommend that you display page boundaries in most cases. They are required in order to perform certain features such as (obviously) Center on page. The time when they are not necessary or even particularly useful is when you are editing an embedded OLE diagram that really belongs to another document and therefore has no page layout information of its own.

Margins displayed are hard margins. They reflect the outer limit that you can print to on your selected printer - as opposed to spacing margins that you can set.

Highlight text boxes in text mode

Check this box to help identify the location and boundaries of text boxes within figures. When this box is checked and you are in text mode, as you move the cursor over a figure's text box, it is highlighted so you can see its boundaries.

Grid

Choose whether to display the visible grid as lines or dots.


Options Zoom Tab

Use the Zoom tab in the Options dialog box to control zoom options. Currently the zoom options are the preset zoom intervals.

Although you can always zoom to any magnification you choose, EDGE Diagrammer lets you set up six preferred zoom magnifications for convenient use.You can choose the degrees of detail that you find most conducive to your way of working. It is these percentages that appear in the main Zoom menu, and which are used as stopping points when you press the plus and minus zoom buttons on the tool bar or when you press they plus or minus keys on the keypad.

Enter any zoom intervals you prefer. The valid range is from 10% to 300% though the upper range may vary based on your display. Enter the intervals in any order, they will be sorted automatically when you are done.


Options Colors Tab

Use the Colors tab in the Options dialog box to customize some of the colors used on the user interface to portray your diagrams.

Page

The page color is the color of the background area of your diagram that falls within the boundaries of the page. You can choose any color you like. Because most paper is white, choosing white will most accurately represent the printed result.

Off page

The off page color is the color of the background area of your diagram that falls outside the boundaries of the page. You will usually want to avoid this area when you create your diagram.

Margins

Choose a color for the margins that is visible on top of the page color. The margins are drawn as dashed lines surrounding the edges of the page. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the margins in the nearest solid color.

Grid

Choose a color for the grid that is visible on top of the page color and the off page color. The grid color only applies if the grid is drawn as lines. If it is drawn as dots, the dots are always black. If you select a color that cannot be drawn solid, Windows draws the grid in the nearest solid color.

Handles

The handles are the small squares that appear on the corners and edges of objects that you select. The color you choose is purely a personal preference. Red is the default.

Restore Defaults

Press the Restore Defaults button to return all of the colors to their preset values. The default colors are valid for any screen resolution, even 16-color displays and they all work well together. Once you set better colors, you may find the defaults to be rather dull.


Options Save Tab

Use the Save tab in the Options dialog box to select automatic file saving and backup options.

Create backup file (.BAK) of previous revision whenever you save a diagram

When this box is checked, every time you save a diagram, the previous revision of the diagram is saved as a .BAK file in the same directory as the diagram file. For example, if you open the diagram MYCHART.EDG, edit it and save it, MYCHART.EDG will contain the latest changes you made and MYCHART.BAK will contain MYCHART.EDG as it was before you made any changes. If you later decide that you want to revert to the previous version, just open the .BAK file and Save As the original file name (such as MYCHART.EDG). Remember that each time you intentionally save your diagram, the .BAK file is updated. This includes any time that you save your diagram except for Autosaves (see below).

Autosave all open diagrams periodically

When this box is checked, the program will automatically save your diagrams every so often based on the value of "minutes between autosaves" which can be from 2 to 60. This feature is useful to minimize loss of data from power outages, computer crashes, or program bugs.

Autosave saves your diagram to disk as if you performed the Save All feature, that is to say that the file is written back to the same .EDG file that was opened. You don't need to do anything special to regain your most recent diagram after a system failure. We recommend that if you use the Autosave feature you also use the backup feature so that if the Autosave feature accidentally saves changes that you didn't like you can always go back to the version you last saved intentionally.


File Operations
Managing Windows and Files

A number of features are available from the File menu to perform file-level or system operations. These features allow you to load files (diagrams), save files, print files, and so on. This chapter describes each of these features and the features that manage the windows in which files are displayed.

Multiple Document Interface

Managing Windows

Creating a New Diagram

Creating Custom Templates

Opening an Existing Diagram

Opening an Additional View of a Diagram

Saving a Diagram

Setting Page Boundaries

Poster

Printing

Exiting


Multiple Document Interface

This program supports the Microsoft Windows Multiple Document Interface standard also known by the abbreviation MDI. As a multiple document interface, this program allows you to open a number of different documents (in our case diagrams) simultaneously in different windows and to open multiple windows that view different parts of the same document. The MDI model is very powerful for working with several diagrams at once or for managing large or complex diagrams.

Whenever you create a new diagram or open an existing diagram as described in this chapter, this program will create a new window from which to view the diagram. You can have several such windows at a time. You can also create additional views of loaded diagrams and use the window arrangement commands to minimize, maximize, cascade, and tile all of the windows.


Managing Windows

You can use the following commands found in the Window menu to manage the arrangement of diagram windows.

Cascade

Choose this command to arrange all of the non-minimized diagram windows so that they overlap one another and are offset slightly by the upper-right corners.

Tile

Choose this command to arrange all of the non-minimized diagram windows so that they are side-by-side filling the entire program area.

Arrange icons

Choose this command to automatically arrange the icons of all minimized windows.


Creating a New Diagram

There are two ways to create a new diagram. You can create a new diagram from one of the existing diagram templates that contain predefined figure, connector, and label styles. Alternately, you can create a new diagram without any predefined styles.

To create a new diagram without predefined styles

1 	Choose New from the File menu.

2 	Press the None (start blank) button in the Choose a Diagram Template dialog box.

A new diagram with no predefined styles still contains a single label style. Without at least one label style, many operations would not be possible.

To create a new diagram from a diagram template

1 	Choose New from the File menu.

2 	Select a diagram template file (in the Template folder) from the Choose a Diagram Template dialog box.

This program comes with some basic diagram templates such as the flowcharting template.  You can check the Preview box to see a preview of what a diagram made with the template might look like.  If you actually want to start from an existing diagram, rather than just a template, open one of the sample diagrams located in the Samples folder.


Creating Custom Templates

When you create a new diagram, you can start from a diagram template that contains an initial set of figure, connector, and label styles. In addition to the few templates that come with the program, you can create your own templates for your custom diagrams.

Templates are exactly like ordinary saved diagram files. The only difference is that when you use them as a template (the New command) any figures or connectors in the diagram are ignored. When you create a new diagram by choosing New from the File menu, you can choose to start from any diagram template located in the \Program Files\AFlow\Template folder. Therefore, all you have to do to create your own diagram template is to copy a diagram to this subdirectory.  In fact, you can open any existing diagram using the New command and it will be used as a template to create a blank copy of a new unnamed diagram.

To create a custom diagram template

1 	Create a custom diagram with all of your own figure, connector, and label styles.

2 	Save the diagram in the template directory. You can so by choosing Save As from the File menu and changing the directory to  \Program Files\AFlow\Template. You will probably want to check the Preview option to include a preview picture.

3 	The next time you create a new diagram, you can choose your custom template as the starting point.

NOTE: It is safe to add your custom templates to the  \Program Files\AFlow\Template folder.  If you later install a newer version of the program in the same directory, it may add other templates, but it will not touch yours.


Opening an Existing Diagram

To open a diagram that was previously saved

1 	Choose Open from the File menu.

2 	Select the file that contains the diagram. You can check the Preview button to get a rough idea of what the diagram looks like before you open it. Previews are available for diagrams saved using the Save Preview option. You can also select multiple files to open simultaneously by holding down the shift and control keys and clicking on additional files.

To open a recently used diagram

Choose the diagram by filename from the File menu.

To open a file by dragging and dropping from the File Manager or Explorer

In the Windows File Manager or Explorer, select a single diagram file or a number of files and drag them on top of the program icon or on the running program. Release the mouse button and the diagrams will be opened and ready for editing.


Opening an Additional View of a Diagram

To open a new window for an open diagram

1 	If you have multiple diagrams open, make sure the one that you want another view of is active.

2 	From the Window menu, choose New Window.

A new window will be created with an identical view of the diagram. You can now scroll, zoom, and edit the same diagram through two independent views. You can even drag objects from one view of the diagram to another, something that you cannot do between views of different diagrams.


Saving a Diagram

To save changes to a diagram

If the diagram already has a file name and you want to save your changes back to the same file, simply choose Save from the File menu.

To save changes to all open diagrams

You can choose Save All from the File menu to save all your open files to disk with one command.

To save a diagram to a file

If the diagram is new and has never been saved to a file, or to save a diagram to a different file, choose Save As from the File menu and select the file name.

The Save As dialog box contains a Save Preview checkbox.  If you check this, your diagram will be saved with a thumbnail preview of roughly what the diagram looks like.  This preview will be visible when you view the file with the Open dialog box.


Setting Page Boundaries

The program does not force you to use page boundaries for your diagrams. However, you will most likely want to print your diagram at some point so we recommend that you set up your page boundaries before constructing your diagram. Your page boundaries can be affected in two areas Print Setup and Poster, both available from the File menu.

Setting page type

Choose Setup from the File menu. Select the printer, paper size, and printing orientation (portrait or landscape). Since all of these might effect the shape of your printed page area, you can save yourself some work by setting them before starting work on your diagram.

See also

Poster


Postering
Poster

Postering is the way to handle very large diagrams.

If you have a very large diagram, you might want to construct it so that you can print it on several sheets of paper and then tape together all the pieces into a large wall poster. This program helps you do this kind of postering by letting you set up a poster grid that will display with your page boundaries.

Setting a poster grid

1 	Choose Poster from the File menu.

2 	Use the Poster dialog box to choose the number of pieces of paper that will make up your poster.

The Poster dialog box has the following controls:

Rows

Enter the number of rows in the grid. Rows and columns are both limited to six but they may be limited to a smaller number for larger paper sizes.

Columns

Enter the number of columns in the grid. Rows and columns are both limited to six but they may be limited to a smaller number for larger paper sizes.

Print crop marks

If you select this option, thin crop marks print in the corners of each page. Since it is impossible for today's printers to print to the very edge of the paper, you will need to cut the margins off of every sheet before taping together your poster. Crop marks guide you to cut the proper amount. You should choose this option unless you use one row and one column.

Multiple Page charts


Multiple Page Charts

How do I create multiple pages for my diagrams?

This program does not directly support multi-page diagrams.  Instead, it provides a very simple model where a large diagram can be printed on multiple pages (a process we call postering).  It supports OLE linking and embedding for serious "book" type diagrams that require the full power of a word processor to organize diagrams into a large document.  It also supports linking diagrams to one another to create a large "virtual" diagram that spans many files, one page per file.  We believe this model is simpler and ultimately less restrictive than having a single diagram with multiple pages.

The page model

A diagram is best thought of as a single, contiguous illustration. If a diagram gets too large, this program helps you break it down into manageable portions. However, a diagram is NOT a book. You won't find any page numbers in this program. You always work with a diagram as a whole. You may choose to break a large diagram into multiple pages strictly to print different sections of your diagram on different pages. This process is called postering because the usual intent is to tape the pages together to build a large wall poster of your diagram.

Think of your workspace as a very large virtual chalkboard. You may choose to design your diagrams to fit nicely on a page, or you may prefer to build a diagram without consideration for printed output. If you really require a multi-page book-type diagram, you can create it in a word processor and use OLE to insert diagrams onto each page.

Postering

Postering refers to the technique of creating a very large diagram and laying it out and printing it onto a grid of sheets of paper.  You can then manually attach all the sheets to form a wall poster of your diagram.  The advantage of this technique is that it is very simple and flexible and lets you design your diagram right on the grid.  You can also use postering to provide a limited multi-page capability by using each grid as a separate page.

See Postering

OLE

OLE compatibility provides the ultimate in creating diagrams as part of large documents.  You create a large document such as a user manual in a program like Microsoft Word.  Then you insert (embed) as many diagrams as needed into this document.  The larger program provides the pagination, headers, footers, table of contents, and so on.

See also OLE


OLE Embedding Diagrams

A diagram can be embedded into a document created by an application like Microsoft Word(tm). When a diagram is embedded in a document, it becomes part of the document but remains a complete Amazing Diagram that can later be edited and updated.

To insert a new diagram into a Word (or similar) document

1 	From Microsoft Word(tm), choose Object from the Insert menu.

2 	Choose the Create New tab.

3 	From the types list, choose WizFlow Flowchart.

4 	Follow the procedure to create a new diagram.

5 	When the diagram is complete, choose Exit & Return to Document from the File menu.

6 	Resize the resulting diagram if you like.

To insert a copy of an existing diagram into a Word (or similar) document

1 	From Microsoft Word(tm), choose Object from the Insert menu.

2 	Choose the Create From File tab.

3 	Select the name of the diagram file.

4 	Resize the resulting diagram if you choose.

To embed a portion of a diagram into a Word document

1 	Open any diagram file with this program.

2 	Select the portion of the diagram that you'd like to embed in the Word document.

3 	Choose Copy or Cut from the Edit menu.

4 	In Word, choose Paste from the Edit menu.

5 	Resize the resulting diagram if you like.


Printing

Printing diagrams is similar to printing in any other Windows program.

To print a diagram

1 	Use Print Setup to make sure that your printer is set up properly with the correct paper and so on. You do not need to set-up your printer each time you print.

2 	Choose Print from the File menu.

3 	Choose the options you want in the Print dialog box then press OK.

When you print a diagram that has more than one page, you can select a range of pages to print rather than printing the whole diagram. Page numbering is from left to right and top to bottom. For example, page one is at the upper left corner, page two is immediately to the right of page one, and the last page is at the lower right corner.

To print all open diagrams

You can choose Print All from the File menu to print all your open diagrams with one command.


Exiting

To exit

1 	Choose Exit from the File menu. Other standard Windows methods of exiting programs work also, such as pressing ALT-F4 or choosing Close from the System menu.

2 	If your diagram contains changes that have not been saved, you will be prompted to save them before exiting.


Advanced Features

This section introduces some advanced features that help you work more effectively with large numbers of diagrams or with diagrams that are tightly connected to some other document.

Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)


Object Linking and Embedding
Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)

This program supports Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding specification version 2.0. OLE (oh-lay) as it is commonly called, makes it simple and convenient to insert or embed diagrams within documents created by other applications which can serve as OLE containers.

Microsoft Word(tm) is one example of a very popular application that exploits the ability to be an OLE container. Throughout this section, we'll refer to Word as a typical OLE container application. But don't forget that there are MANY such applications on the market and all will work more or less the same with this program's OLE features.

Using OLE, you can embed diagrams directly inside Word documents such that they become a part of the document, are saved within the document file, and nevertheless can later still be edited. In addition, you can choose to store only a reference called a link to a diagram file within Word. With a link, you can simply edit the diagram file and the changes will automatically appear in the Word document. Linking and embedding together provide the capability to use diagrams anywhere that a diagram would be convenient without the hassle of having to store and maintain the diagram elsewhere at the same time.

This program acts as an OLE Server, not as a container like Word. It is a full server as opposed to a mini-server because it can also run stand-alone as a normal application.

OLE Embedding Diagrams

OLE Linking to Diagrams


OLE Linking to Diagrams

A diagram can be linked to a document created by an application like Microsoft Word. When a diagram is linked in a document, it remains a separate diagram file and a reference or link is saved in the document. If you later make changes to the diagram, those changes will be reflected automatically in the document that contains the link.

To insert a link to a diagram into a Word document

1 	Use this program to create a diagram in the usual way.

2 	Save the diagram to a file.

3 	In Word, choose Object from the Insert menu.

4 	Choose the Create from File tab.

5 	Check the Link to File box.

6 	Select the name of the diagram file.

7 	Resize the resulting diagram if you choose.

When an OLE document contains links to diagrams or other OLE objects, those objects must remain in place when the document is used. If you delete a diagram that is referenced from an OLE document, the reference will not know where to find the diagram. Likewise, if you copy the document that contains the link, you should also copy the linked diagrams so that the links remain valid.


Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTIONS

1 	How do I create a new page?  How do I create a large diagram that doesn't fit on one page?

2 	How do I change to landscape mode?

3 	How do I set custom margins?

4 	How do I change how an object looks in my diagram without affecting how future diagrams will look?

5 	What's the difference between "properties" and "styles"?

6 	What's this "bind" concept mean?

7 	What if I want to connect two figures with a connector but I don't want the connector to attach to the center of the figures?

8 	Why when I import a JPEG image, doesn't it look as good as I like when it scales?

9 	How do I use the program to create graphics for my web page?

10 	Can I group a bunch of objects into one big object?

11 	I want a shape that is not included.  How can I create it or obtain it?

12 	How can I change page orientation such as portait to landscape?

13 	Is it possible to make a connector that is a double line?

ANSWERS

1. How do I create a new page?  How do I create a large diagram that doesn't fit on one page?

In this program you always work with a diagram as a whole. Think of your diagram workspace as a very large virtual chalkboard. When your diagram gets too large for a single page, there are several options.

•	Use a larger page.  If you have access to a printer that can print a bigger page, or even a plotter, this program can probably handle it.  Use Print Setup to select a different page size for your diagram.  The page information is saved with each diagram.

•	Break the diagram into smaller parts and store each part in a different diagram file. For convenience you can use the diagram linking feature to connect diagrams.  One way to link diagrams is to create a figure in diagram A that has the text "Click here to view diagram B", then link the figure to diagram B.  Another way is to use hierarchical diagram linking.  For example, create a simple high-level flowchart and link each figure to a lower-level chart that expands the meaning of the figure.  The downside of the linking approach is that the separate files have to be moved around together, saved together, and printed separately.

•	Use the Postering feature.  With this feature you can lay out your diagram on a grid of pages.  The usual intent is to tape the pages together to build a large wall poster of your diagram. However, you may also split your diagram up into several pages and use the grid only to manage and print the pages separately.

•	Finally, if you really require a multi-page book-type diagram, you can create it in a word processor and use OLE to insert diagrams onto each page.  For example, use MS Word to create a multi-page document.  On each page, use Insert Object to embed or link a different diagram.  This way the Word document will contain the diagrams.  You can read and print the document on any computer, but to edit the diagrams, you'll need a computer with this program installed.

2. How do I change to landscape mode?

Page set-up is controlled through Print Set-up.  Use print set-up to adjust your page layout and that information will be saved with your diagram.

3. How do I set custom margins?

This version of the program does not provide custom margin settings.  It uses the paper size and printer information to add in "hard" margins (those which are the minimum size possible).

4. How do I change how an object looks in my diagram without affecting how future diagrams will look?

When you create a diagram, that diagram contains a "copy" of all the styles that were in the diagram template you selected.  Therefore, changes to styles in your diagram affect only that diagram UNLESS you intentionally edit the diagram template file.  For example, suppose you create a flowchart but for this particular flowchart, you want all the shapes to have thicker borders than usual.  After you do the New to create the diagram, go into Figures Styles and select each shape and change its border width, then make your diagram and save it.  If you wanted this change to apply for all future flowcharts you create, open the diagram template file and make the change there. Better yet, create a new template of your own so that the next time you update the program you won't lose it - future upgrades will overwrite the current template files.

5. What's the difference between "properties" and "styles"?

A style is like a model or template for creating new objects.  Once you create an object, that object's style determines its initial properties.  Properties are specific to a particular object.

6. What's this "bind" concept mean?

Every object you create begins with a style. The style determines certain things about how that object will look, its color is a good example.  When an object is bound to its style, it automatically updates if you update the style.  For example, if you change the Process style color from white to red, all process boxes that you've added to your diagram will become red, except those that are not bound. You can change whether an object is bound to its style by changing the Bind checkbox in the object's properties.  It gets a little tricky when you discover that each style also has a Bind checkbox.  The bind field in a style just determines the default bind state for objects created with the style.

7. What if I want to connect two figures with a connector but I don't want the connector to attach to the center of the figures?

This is a very common question.  Future versions will attempt to address this with more connecting options.  For now, you can always create a connector that starts and stops anywhere you want by turning off "Auto Attach" in the Connectors menu.  When you start connect mode, click anywhere to start a connector, then double click anywhere else to end it exactly where you want.  The trade-off is that the connector will not be attached to the figure, so if you move the figure, you'll have to move the connector manually.  Of course, you can select any number of objects and move them together to avoid this inconvenience.

8. Why when I import a JPEG image, doesn't it look as good as I like when it scales?

JPEG graphics are converted to bitmaps for internal usage.  Therefore when you resize the image in your diagram it becomes distorted as with all raster graphics.  Often JPEG images are photographic quality and this distortion is very noticeable.  If you import it and do not resize it, it will not distort (even though it may look distorted because of your zoom settings).  If you want to scale a JPEG image so it does not distort as badly, do so with a drawing tool such as LViewPro before you import it.

9. How do I use the program to create graphics for my web page?

Use the Export Graphic Tool to save your diagram as a JPEG (.JPG) file.  This is one of the standard graphic types (along with GIF) that are used in web pages.  Another way is to use the OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) capability in conjunction with a web publishing tool.  Most such tools wil allow you to embed OLE objects like this program's diagrams right onto your pages and still use this program to edit the diagrams.

10. Can I group a bunch of objects into one big object?

Unlike some other programs, you cannot group a bunch of objects together to create a bigger object.  However, you can use lasso-select to select and move objects as a group.  And if you really need to create "group" objects, you can select the objects that you want to group, export them as a graphic file (WMF is best), and then import that file.

11. I want a shape that is not included.  How can I create it or obtain it?

There are several options.  The simplest way is to create it as a bitmap with a paint program and then import it as the shape in a new figure style.  However, this method will leave the shape rather limited in functionality unlike the built-in shapes.

For the technically inclined with some programming experience, you might want to try to create your own shapes using the built-in macro language.  If it's a simple change to an existing shape, this is quite easy - just open the SYMBOLS\*.EDE files with a text editor to see the format.  You can obtain a document describing the format and how to use it from the publisher or by email (pacestar@compuserve.com).

You can also choose to contact the manufacturer (pacestar@compuserve.com) to request custom symbols be created for you.  You will need to provide drawings of the symbols you want and there will be a charge that will vary depending on how complicated the symbols are.

12. How can I change page orientation such as portait to landscape?

Page set-up is controlled through the Print Set-up properties under the file menu.  Even though you set your page set-up in the Print set-up area, the settings are saved within your diagram and do not effect your permanent printer settings.

14. Is it possible to make a connector that is a double line?

You can't actually do this outright, but you can use an alternative method.  Create a connector and add flow symbols to it (the one that look like a double line).  Position the flow symbol close enough together so that they overlap, for example use a size of 5 pts and a spacing of 4 pts.  The result will be a rough but usable double line.


Troubleshooting

1 	How can I improve program performance?

2 	Connectors, text, and borders don't draw in the color I want.

3 	EMF import problem.

4 	Underlines get broken up.

5 	Page is blank when I print.

6 	Connector line "corners" do not reflect the corner type I chose.

ANSWERS

1. How can I improve program performance?

First, make sure your computer has adequate memory.  It's also important to know what parts of diagrams are the slowest to process so you can avoid them unless necessary.  First of all the overall complexity of the diagram is very important, such as the number of figures and connectors.  You can increase performance by breaking a large complex diagram into multiple smaller ones.  Avoid excessive imported graphics. They require a large number of steps to draw.  Also slower are (in order of most to least slow) (a) Curved connectors, especially smoothed (b) Connectors with thick and/or patterned lines (dashed or dotted) (c) Connectors with flow symbols - these can really slow down redraws.

2. Connectors, text, and borders don't draw in the color I want.

Connectors, text, and figure borders (anything drawn with lines), has to be drawn in a color that is solid on the output device.  In the case of a black and white printer, the only solid colors are black and white.  On a 16 color video display, there are 16 different solid colors. Windows can create other colors on the screen for fills by dithering (adding patterns of multiple colors) but it cannot do so for lines or text.  Therefore, it you choose a dithered color like blue-green and try to use that color as a connector color, the connector will actually be drawn in the nearest solid color (blue or green on the display, black on a black and white printer.)

3. EMF import problem.

When importing an EMF which contains an embedded bitmap, the position of the bitmap may be incorrect.  We believe this to be an error in Windows format conversion - we cannot fix it.  Try importing it into another program like MS Word, then cut and paste.

4. Underlines get broken up.

When copying objects to metafiles or cutting and pasting into other programs, underlined words will occasionally display breaks or gaps in the underline between some characters. This is a natural consequence of the way the program positions and formats text to keep it aligned properly with the figures.  you can minimize the effect by avoiding scaling the image after the paste.

5. Page is blank when I print.

If your diagram looks fine on the screen but you get only a blank page when you print, you have probably positioned your objects on the wrong part of the page. To view your objects in the diagram choose "Zoom" and "All Objects" from the menu.  You wil see your entire diagram and should see the current page also.  The white rectangle represents the portion of your diagram that is on the page.  Any part of your diagram that is not over the white rectangle will not be printed. You can move all of your objects by choosing "Select All" from the "Edit" menu and dragging the objects over the page with your mouse.

6. Connector line "corners" do not reflect the corner type I chose.

Connector lines can have different corner types (also known as joins).  These can be rounded, mitered, or beveled.  There are a few cases where even after you set a corner type, the line will still be drawn rounded regardless of the type you choose.  This is a know deficiency of patterned lines (dashed and dotted).  Mitered and beveled corners may not print correctly on your printer either if your printer doesn't support line joins.


Support

We encourage all our users to provide comments and suggestions about this program.  This program is supported by voice, fax and Internet e-mail.

E-Mail

Support questions may be addressed to: pacestar@compuserve.com.

Fax

You may fax us at (602) 504-1258

Internet

Be sure to visit our Internet Web site: http://www.pacestar.com.


Glossary

A

align

arrowhead

auto attach

auto backup

auto save

B

bind

BMP

C

center on page

clear

connector label

connector segment

connector

context menus

copy

cursor

curvature (of a connector)

curved connector

cut

D

diagram

drop shadow

duplicating

E

embed

EMF

end symbol gallery

end symbol

export

F

figure symbol gallery

figure symbol

figure

fit to text

flip

flow symbols

G

gallery

GIF

guided orthogonal connectors

J

JPEG

junction

L

label

landscape

linked

M

message bar

O

object

orthogonal

P

page orientation

parent link

paste

patterned lines

portrait

poster

properties

R

right-click menus

rotate text

rounded connector

S

select mode

seltext mode

smoothed connector

snap grid

space evenly

standard sizes

style bar button

style bar

style

T

template

text area

text mode

tool bar

U

unattached connector

unattached connectors

undo

V

vertex

visible grid

W

WMF

Z

zoom


Index

A

Adding Text to Figures and Labels

Advanced Features

Aligning Figures

Auto Attach

B

Basics

C

Centering Figures on the Page

Changing Connector Properties

Changing Figure Properties

Changing Label Properties

Changing style bar layout

Changing Text Fonts and Styles

Changing the Size of Figures

Choose a Connector Style Dialog Box

Choose a Figure Style Dialog Box

Choose a Label Style Dialog Box

Choosing Colors

Connector Label Styles

Connector Labels

Connector Properties Dialog Box

Connector Properties Ends Tab

Connector Properties General Tab

Connector Properties Line Tab

Connector Styles Ends Tab

Connector Styles General Tab

Connector Styles Line Tab

Connector Styles

Connectors

Contents

Copying Objects

Creating a New Diagram

Creating Connector Labels

Creating Connectors

Creating Custom Templates

Creating Figures

Creating Labels

Curved Connectors

Cutting Copying Pasting Text

Cutting Objects

D

Define Connector Styles Dialog Box

Define Figures Dialog Box

Define Label Styles Dialog Box

Deleting Connector Junctions

Deleting Connector Labels

Deleting Labels

Deleting Objects

Diagram Components

Diagram Properties General Tab

Diagram Properties Grid and Snap Tab

Diagram Properties Style Bar Tab

Diagram Properties

Duplicating Objects

E

Easy to Use Standard Sizes and Dimensions

Editing Text

End Symbol Gallery Dialog Box

End Symbol Gallery

Exiting

Exporting a File

F

Figure Properties Behaviors Tab

Figure Properties Dialog Box

Figure Properties General Tab

Figure Properties Text Tab

Figure Styles Behaviors Tab

Figure Styles General Tab

Figure Styles Text Tab

Figure Styles

Figure Symbol Gallery Dialog Box

Figures

File Operations

Find Dialog Box

Finding and Replacing Text

Flipping Connectors

Flow Symbols

Frequently Asked Questions

G

General Editing

Getting Around in a Diagram

Glossary

I

Importing Graphics Files

Index

Inserting a Figure from the Gallery

Introduction

L

Label Properties Behaviors Tab

Label Properties Dialog Box

Label Properties General Tab

Label Properties Text Tab

Label Styles Behaviors Tab

Label Styles General Tab

Label Styles Text Tab

Label Styles

Labels

M

Making Figures the Same Size

Managing Windows

Modes

Moving Connector Labels

Moving Figures

Moving Objects to the Front and Back

Moving Objects with Precision

Moving Objects

Moving the Ends of Connectors

Multiple Document Interface

Multiple Page charts

O

Object Linking and Embedding

OLE Embedding Diagrams

OLE Linking to Diagrams

Opening an Additional View of a Diagram

Opening an Existing Diagram

Options Colors Tab

Options General Tab

Options Save Tab

Options View Tab

Options Zoom Tab

Options

Orthogonal Connectors

P

Pasting Objects

Postering

Printing

Q

Quick Start Tutorial

R

Replace Dialog Box

Replacing Text

Rotating Text

S

Saving a Diagram

See Copying Objects to Other Programs

Segmented Connectors and Junctions

Select or change shape

Selecting and Deselecting Objects

Selecting Text

Setting Figure Style Symbol or Graphic

Setting Page Boundaries

Sizing Figures to Text

Spacing Figures Evenly

Special Considerations for Text

Splitting Connectors

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Styles and Properties

Support

T

Text Mode Cursors

Text

The Property Bar

The Selected Style

The Snap Grid

The Style Bar

The Text Area

The Tool Bar

The Workspace

Tools

Troubleshooting

U

Undo

Uninstalling EDGE Diagrammer

Using Controls

Using the Keyboard to Edit Text

Using the Mouse

Using Zoom mode

Z

Zoom

Zooming in and out

Zooming to a special view


Easy to Use Standard Sizes and Dimensions
Title


align

An operation in whcih you line up the sides or centers of a group of objects.


arrowhead

A special case of an end symbol.  An end symbol can be any other shape as well.


auto attach

A feature that enables new connectors to attach to figures when you click on the figures.  Attached connectors remain attached even when the figure moves.


auto backup

A feature that automatically preserves the last saved version of your diagram in a .BAK file.  You can revert to the previous version by opening the .BAK file and saving it.


auto save

A feature that you can choose to enable to performs a save operation on all open diagrams every so often to prevent the possibility of losing data in the case of a crash or power outage.


bind

An object that is bound to its style will automatically adopt the properties of that style if the style changes.


BMP

The standard Windows graphics bitmap format. a BMP image can be scaled but it does not look as good after it is scaled.


center on page

An operation in which an object or group of selected objects is centered on the page.


clear

an operation in which an object or selecte group of objects is deleted permanently from a diagram and NOT saved in the Windows clipboard.  A clear operation can be undone immediately with Undo.


connector label

A connector label is a special type of label that is attached to a connector.  When the connector moves, the connector label follows.


connector segment

A segment is a "leg" of a connector that runs in a straight line from a figure or junction to another figure or junction.


connector

A connector is a line that connects two figures. A connector  usually represents a path between two figures or some other logical relationship. Each end of a connector can have an attached shape such as an arrowhead.


context menus

These are pop-up menus that appear when you right click the mouse on a diagram object - also called right-click menus.  They contain menu operations that apply to the object that is selected or clicked on.


copy

An operation in which you send a duplicate of the selected objects to the Windows clipboard where they can later be pasted to a different part of the diagram or to a different diagram altogether, even to a different program.


cursor

A shape on the screen that identifies where the mouse is pointing.


curvature (of a connector)

A connector is either straight, curved, smoothed, or rounded.


curved connector

Curved connectors are simply connectors that follow a curve starting at one end and always curving toward the next junction point but not passing through it.


cut

An operation in which an object or group of selected objects are removed from the current diagram and placed in the Windows clipboard where they can be pasted to another location within the diagram or to another program.


diagram

A diagram is a complete set of objects, styles, definitions, and properties which are saved together in one file.


drop shadow

A shadow that shows from beneath a figure giving the figure a three dimensional appearance.


duplicating

Duplicating is like copying but it is faster and does not send data to the clipboard.  To duplicate, you clcik on an objects or selected objects while holding down the control key and drag a copy of the selected objects to a new location.


embed

When a diagram is embedded in another document, it does not need a file of its own.  It's entire definition is stored in the other document.


EMF

An EMF (Enhanced Windows Metafile) is a vector (scalable) graphic file format supported as the standard exchange format between 32-bit windows applications.


end symbol gallery

A library (on disk) of shapes that are available for use by the program to define the shape of end symbols (arrowheads).


end symbol

A mathematical definition for the shape of either end of a connector  - such as an arrowhead.


export

The process of saving a diagram on disk in a format that is useful to another program such as a graphics format like JPG or WMF or BMP.


figure symbol gallery

A library (on disk) of shapes that are available for use by the program to define the shape of figures.


figure symbol

A mathematical description of the shape of a figure and the number, size, and locations of text areas within the figure.


figure

A figure is the most common type of object in a diagram.  It can be a circle or a box or any other shape.  It can have descriptive text, and it can be connected to other figures with connectors.


fit to text

An operation in which a figure is shrunk as much as possible to exactly be the right size to contain its text.


flip

An operation that can be performed on a connector so that it points the other way.


flow symbols

Flow symbols are shapes drawn along the length of a connector line at the size and spacing you choose. They can be dots, arrows, or many other shapes provided.


gallery

A library (on disk) of shapes that are available for use by the program to define the shape of figures or end symbols.


GIF

A GIF image is a graphic image that contains bit-mapped graphics data of up to 256 colors.  It is most often used to store non-photographic quality images or icons such as button designs and simple graphics.  With JPEG, it is one of the most common graphic formats found on the internet.


guided orthogonal connectors

A property of a connector that guides the creation of an orthogonal  connector (only horizontal and vertical segments).  When you create a connector, it becomes vertical or horizontal if it is approximately straight, but you can still create diagonal lines.  Unlike automated orthogonal connectors, other figures are not moved to force it to stay orthogonal.


JPEG

A JPEG or JPG image is a graphic image that contains compressed bit-mapped graphics data.  It is most often used to store photographic quality images of large numbers of colors.  It is the most common graphic format found on the internet.


junction

A junction is the point at which two or more connector segments meet and bend in a different direction.


label

A label is a text object located anywhere in a diagram.  A label can be used for a note, a title, a comment, an annotation, and so on.


landscape

A page orientation in which the page is printed lengthwise - the longer end is at the top and bottom of the page.


linked

When a diagram is linked to another document in the OLE sense, it still reqquires a file of its own, but the document contains a link ot that file. In another sense of this term, diagrams can be linked together such that by clicking on a link in one diagram, another is opened in it place.


message bar

The area below the diagram that contains help messages, the zoom percentage, and keyboard status.


object

An object is any component of a diagram such as a figure, label, connector, or junction.


orthogonal

An orthogonal connector is made up of only vertical and horizontal lines at right angles.


page orientation

When output is printed on a page, it can either be printed like a letter (portrait) such that the shorter dimension of the page is on top and bottom, or sideways (landscape) such that the longer dimension of the page is on top and bottom.


parent link

A diagram can contain knowledge that another diagram is its parent such that when you clickon the go to parent toolbar button, the parent diagram is opened in its place.


paste

An operation in which you cause data in the Windows clipboard to be duplicated in the current diagram.  Most often used as a copy-paste operation to create a duplicate of an object or group of objects, or a cut-paste operation to move  an object or group of objects.


patterned lines

A connector can be drawn with a line that is patterned, either solid, dashe, dotted, or one of many other defined line patterns.


portrait

A page orientation in which the page is printed widthwise - the shorter end is at the top and bottom of the page.


poster

You can create a diagram that is larger than a single page by arranging several pages into a grid.  When you print the pages, you can attach them together to make a large wall poster.


properties

The internal attributes of an object such as size, shape, and color.


right-click menus

These are pop-up menus that appear when you right click the mouse on a diagram object - also called context menus.  They contain menu operations that apply to the object that is selected or clicked on.


rotate text

Text labels can be rotated 90 degress so they are vertical and read either top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top.


rounded connector

A rounded connector is one in which the corners created by the intermediate junction points form rounded arcs from one line segment or the next.


select mode

When you are in this mode, you can select and move objects and perform many other operations.  When you are in this mode, the cursor looks like the standard Windows cursor.


seltext mode

This mode is a combination of select mode and text mode.  You can select items but you can also edit text.  The enter seltext mode, press the tool bar button that has an arrow cursor and the letter "T".


smoothed connector

A smoothed connector follows a path that curves smoothly through each of it's junction points on the way to the next.


snap grid

The invisible grid that control how objects "snap" to particular sizes and locations.  You can turn the snap grid on or off by pressing the tool bar button that looks like a magnet.


space evenly

An operation in which space out a goup of objects such that the space between them is equal.


standard sizes

Several properties have a small list of pre-defined sizes available for you to select from in a list.  For example, you can select a line width that is "Fine", "Medium", "Heavy", or "Very Heavy" in addition to specifying an exact point size.  The standard sizes are intended to be common, attractive, and useful selections.


style bar button

These are the buttons located on the style bar on the left side of your screen.  You can click on one of these buttons to create an object of the style it represents.


style bar

The style bar is the large area to the left of the diagram that contains buttons and list boxes.  All of the controls on the style bar help you choose a style in order to create a new object.


style

A style is a basic object definition.  Like paragraph styles in word processors, EDGE Diagrammer has figure styles, connector styles, and label styles.  When you create any of these types of objects, the style defines the initial characteristics of the object.


template

A file that contains predefined styles.  When you create a new diagram you can begin with a diagram template.


text area

A rectangular area within a figure where text is permitted.


text mode

In text mode, you can create labels and edit figure text.  Enter text mode by clicking on the "T" button or by choosing a label style.  When you are in text mode, the cursor looks like a text caret.


tool bar

The tool bar is the area above the diagram that contains small square buttons.  Tool bar buttons provide a shortcut for commands that can also be found in menus.


unattached connector

Most connectors are attached to figures and move when the figures move.  Unattached connectors are free-standing and have to be moved separately.


unattached connectors

Connectors that are not attached to a figure.  Unattached connectors do not move automatically when other figures move.  You can use unattached connectors to connect a line anywhere on a figure.


undo

An operation that allows you to undo the last change you made to the diagram.  It is only available for the very last change.


vertex

A point at which a line changes direction.  In this program a vertex is referred to as a connector junction.


visible grid

The grey-colored grid that appears beneath the diagram objects.  The visible grid is a visual aid only.  It helps you line up objects by sight.


WMF

An WMF (Windows Metafile Format) is a vector (scalable) graphic file format supported as the standard exchange format between 16-bit windows applications.  It is also used by 32-bit Windows applications but has less power than the newer EMF.


zoom

An operation in which the view of the screen "zooms" either larger or smaller to display more or less detail.