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.
-
From the explorer,
choose a source object by
clicking on it.
- Hold the mouse button and drag the source object over a target
container either in the diagram window
or the explorer.
- 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.
- 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.
- The drag and drop feature cannot be used across two projects.
- 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.
- 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.