Modifying elements on the diagram can be used for two purposes:

 changing the connections between model elements, e.g. moving a process step to another Organization item

 changing the representation of model elements, e.g. resizing process step element

 

 

Selecting Model Elements

For selecting model elements on the diagram the Select tool: on the Home tab of the ribbon is used. Selecting can be done in three different ways:

 selecting one element

 selecting multiple elements

 selecting elements inside an area with Area Select or Lasso Select

 

One element is selected simply by clicking it. Multiple elements can be selected by clicking them one by one while holding down the Shift key. Multiple elements can also be selected by drawing either a rectangle or a lasso-shaped area inside which all the elements are selected. You can select which selection tool to use by clicking the button next to the Select button on the Home tab of the ribbon. The rectangle can be drawn by pressing down the left mouse button on the top-left corner and dragging the mouse to the bottom-right corner while holding down the left mouse button. The lasso can be drawn by pressing down the left mouse button and drawing an area so that the start and end points meet. Whenever overlapping elements are selected, double-clicking opens the properties dialog for the selected element.

 

Elements can be selected also with the Tab key. If there are not any elements selected, the element closest to the top left corner of the diagram is selected. If an element (or multiple elements) is selected, pressing Tab selects the next element to the right/down. This order can be reversed by holding the Shift key down while pressing the Tab key.

 

All selected elements can be deselected by clicking on empty space in the diagram. A single selected element can be deselected by clicking it with the left mouse button while holding down the Shift key.

 

 

Moving Elements

All elements except for connected connectors can be moved by pressing the left mouse button down inside the element and then dragging it to new location. Connectors are automatically moved with elements to which they are connected. If you have manually customized a connector's path, it is altered as little as possible when the elements it is connected to are moved. A connector's starting or ending point can be moved by first selecting the connector and then pressing the left mouse button down over the starting or ending point and dragging it into new location. The connector is connected to an element in the case the end is dragged over an element that has the "Allow flow linking" behavior option enabled. The target element gets strong red borders when a connector is hovered above it, indicating that the connector is connected to the element in the case the mouse button is released. If this location is inside a process step or a store, the target element's borders become red and the connector is connected to it. When moving connectors with the keyboard, the behavior is slightly different. See the Moving Elements with the Arrow Keys section below for more details. See also the Moving and Modifying Connectors and Connector Text Labels section for additional information about special characteristics related to moving connectors. Connectors can be dragged if they are not connected to any element. Dragging a connector retains the shape of the connector if the new starting or ending point is not above an element. In addition, see the Using Modifier Keys when Moving Elements section below for information about how modifier keys can help you with modeling.

 

If a note is drag-and-dropped over a an element with the "Allow note linking" behavior option enabled, the note is connected into the element and shown as an icon inside it. Note that this can be done only with the mouse.

 

If an element is moved over another element and attached elements are allowed for that element, the target element's borders become red, indicating that the element is connected to the element in the case the mouse button is released.

 

If an element with the "Allow flow linking" behavior option enabled is moved over the starting or ending points of connectors, the connectors are connected to the element.

 

When elements are moved, they are considered to belong to the organization item in which their top border (left border in vertical modeling) is located.

 

Moving Elements with the Arrow Keys

In addition to using the mouse, the arrow keys can be used for moving the elements as well. However, organization items and checkpoints cannot be moved with the arrow keys. There are also restrictions concerning moving connected connectors. If the other end of the connectors is connected, the free end can be moved with the arrow keys. Additionally, if both ends of the connector are connected to model elements, the routing of the connector can be edited with the arrow keys when the mouse cursor is hovering over a middle point (i.e. a point that can be used for resizing a connector) of the connector. If a connector is not connected to any element, it can be moved with the arrow keys in a manner similar to dragging. When using the arrow keys for moving elements, the elements are moved one grid distance (if grid is used) or one pixel at every keypress. Holding down the Ctrl key ignores the grid and moves the element one pixel to the direction chosen.

 

Using Modifier Keys when Moving Elements

•If an element is moved with the Alt key held down, it is not snapped to grid even if the "Snap to grid" option is enabled in the View Settings group of the ribbon.

•If an element is dragged with the Shift key held down, it is moved only vertically or horizontally, not both.

•If you move any element(s) with the Ctrl key held down, a new similar element is created and the new element follows the mouse cursor to the destination location. In the case the selection contains stores or information items, you are asked whether to create copies of these elements or create new instances of the stores and/or organization units.

 

Moving and Modifying Connectors and Connector Text Labels

Whenever a connector is selected, its connection points become colored in the following manner:

•Connected starting point of a connector is a red rectangle.

•Connected end of a connector is a red square.

•Not connected starting point of a connector is a green rectangle.

•Not connected end of a connector is a green square.

•All routing handles are yellow diamonds with black border lines.

 

Please note the following about moving connectors and text labels in them:

•If a connector that's not connected to any elements is selected and dragged right after the selection, the whole connector is moved regardless of the point from which it is dragged.

•To move a text label, first select the connector and then move the label.

•To change the connector routing, first select the connector, then move the routing handles.

 

 

Resizing Elements

All elements can be resized by pressing the left mouse button down on a small white-and-blue box handle over an edge or a circle handle in the corner of the element and dragging it to new location.

 

Connectors can be manually routed by resizing and moving parts of the connector. If the starting or the ending point of the connector is moved, the connector is automatically re-routed and manual changes are lost.

 

By default, resizing an Organization item moves all elements below or above it to accommodate the new size of the Organization item. If you hold down the Shift key while resizing the Organization item, the other model elements are not moved.

 

Using Modifier Keys when Resizing Elements

•If an element is resized with the Alt key held down, it is not snapped to grid even if the "Snap to grid" option is enabled in the View Settings group of the ribbon, i.e. you can resize the element to sizes between grid distances

•If an element is resized with the Shift key held down, its aspect ratio (i.e. the ratio between the width and the height of an element) is maintained and the element is grown or shrank into the distance where it is resized.

•If an element is resized with the Ctrl key held down, its aspect ratio is maintained and the element is resized to every direction, i.e. all borders are affected.

 

In addition, pop-up menus are used for further modifications of model elements in the diagram.