Managing Diagrams

In case of large models containing many entities, a diagram may become too complex to understand and edit. Entity Developer makes model easier to understand by splitting it into several thematic diagrams. For example, all entities, related to sales may be in one diagram, and production entities can be in another diagram. A model can have as many diagrams as you need, and each diagram can contain any model entities.

 

ExpandedToggleIcon        Managing Model Diagrams

Model diagrams are displayed in the Diagrams node of the conceptual model in the Model Explorer. Here you can add a new diagram to your model, remove or rename existing model diagrams at any time. Each model has at least one diagram, which is the default diagram. This diagram is displayed when the model is opened.

If you delete the default diagram, another diagram is marked as default. You cannot delete the last model diagram. You can mark any diagram as default from the diagram shortcut menu.

note Note

You can split your model into diagrams by database schemas when generating it from the database. Read more about this in Choose Model Diagram Contents topic of Create Model Wizard reference.

How to Add a New Diagram

To add a new diagram perform the following steps:

1.Right-click the Diagrams node of the Model Explorer and select New Diagram from the shortcut menu.
2.Enter the diagram name and select entities that will be included into this diagram, then click OK.

How to Rename a Diagram

To rename a diagram perform the following steps:

1.Right-click on the corresponding item of the Diagrams node.
2.Choose Rename from the shortcut menu.
3.Enter the new diagram name and press ENTER.

How to Remove a Diagram

Perform the following steps to remove a diagram from a model:

1.Right-click on the corresponding item of the Diagrams node.
2.Choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
3.Confirm diagram deletion. The corresponding diagram will be deleted from the model.

note Note

Diagram deletion cannot be reversed, however diagram entities are not deleted from the model, they are still available in the Model Explorer, and you can add them to other diagrams.

 

ExpandedToggleIcon        Managing Diagram Entities

To add an entity to a diagram, drag it from the Model Explorer window to the diagram area.

To add entities and associations related to a certain class, complex type or enum type to the diagram, right-click the required object in the diagram area and select the Include Related context menu option.

To delete an entity from the diagram, select it and press DELETE. You will be asked whether to delete it from the model, or just from the diagram. Click No to delete an entity only from the diagram and keep it in the model.

All model changes, for example, deleting entities, properties or associations, affect all the model diagrams immediately.

note Note

When creating an object in the model, the corresponding classes, complex types and enum types are not always created on the diagram. If an entity is created in the Model Explorer docking window, the new object does not exist on the diagram until dragged on it. If you drag a table, view or a procedure from the Database Explorer docking window to the diagram, a new class or complex type will be created automatically.

note Note

It is possible to select the required objects on the diagram, then copy them to clipboard and paste in a new model or on another diagram. When pasting in a new model, objects are created both on the diagram and in the model. When pasting in the same model, in case presentations of these objects already exist in the diagram, then copies of model objects and their presentations are created; in case there are no presentations of the copied objects on the diagram, then the objects themselves are not copied, and only their presentations are created on the destination diagram.

 

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