Drag and drop


To streamline the process of creating a diagram, ModelSphere enables the user to drag and drop objects onto a diagram. The section below describes how to use this functionality.

Drag and drop to move an object

In most cases, the drag and drop feature will move an object (source object) from one container to a new container (target container). The only exceptions where the drag and drop will not result to a move are for assigning a value to an object or creating a graphical representation. When using the drag and drop functionality, the source object always comes from the explorer. However, the target container can be the explorer or the diagram window.
  1. From the explorer, choose a source object by clicking on it.


  2. Hold the mouse button and drag the source object over a target container either in the diagram window or the explorer.


  3. Drop the source object by releasing the mouse button when the target container becomes highlighted and the icon underneath the cursor becomes '+'.
Drag and drop to assign a value to an object

It is possible to assignressources, qualifiers and common items to different objects by using the drag and drop. For these cases, the drag and drop will assign the source object (ressource, qualifier or common item) to the target container instead of moving the source object.

Drag and drop to create a graphical representation

The drag and drop from the explorer to the diagram will create a graphical representation of the object in the diagram. This will only happen if the target container is the diagram and also if the source object can be represented graphically.

Drag and drop rules

In order to keep the integrity of the model, some rules apply.
  1. If the icon underneath the mouse cursor does not become '+', it means that the choosen target container is not a valid container for this source object.


  2. The drag and drop feature cannot be used across two projects.


  3. A source object might be converted to fit into the target container. For instance, an Oracle table will loose its storage parameters if moved into an SQL Server data model.


  4. For the target container to be valid, it has to be the same type as the source container. For instance, it is possible to drag and drop a column to a table. However, it is not allowed to drag and drop a column to a class model.