The Relationships Window

Ribbon

Show > Window > Relationships

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Element | Relationships

Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl + Shift + 2

Reorganize display

You can click on and drag column headings across the display to arrange them in a different sequence.

You can also right-click on the column headings and set up the types and values of information to display, using the Field Chooser, Group Box and Filter Bar.

Display Connector Properties

Either:

• Double-click on a relationship in the list
• Click on the relationship and press the G key, or
• Right-click and select 'General Properties'

The '<connector type> Properties' dialog displays showing the 'General' tab, on which you can view and edit the connector properties.

Display Properties of Source Role

Either:

• Double-click on a relationship in the list and select the 'Role(s)' tab
• Click on the relationship and press the S key, or
• Right-click and select 'Source Role'

The '<connector type> Properties' dialog displays showing the 'Roles' tab, on which you can view and edit the properties of the Source Role defined in the relationship.

Display Properties of Target Role

Either:

• Double-click on a relationship in the list and select the 'Role(s)' tab
• Click on the relationship and press the T key, or
• Right-click and select 'Target Role'

The '<connector type> Properties' dialog displays showing the 'Roles' tab, on which you can view and edit the properties of the Target Role defined in the relationship.

Hide / Show connector on diagram

If the related element exists on the current diagram, and the connector is shown (View column has the value Visible), you can hide it. Right-click on the item line and select Hide Relation.

If the related element exists on the diagram and the connector is hidden (View column has the value Hidden), you can re-display it. Right-click on the item line and select Show Relation.

Apply Appearance to One or More Connectors On the Current Element on the Current Diagram

Select one or more relationships, then right-click and select 'Appearance'.

On the 'Connector Appearance' dialog, click on the drop-down arrow in the:

• 'Line Color' field, and select the color to apply to the connector lines
• 'Line Thickness' field, and select the line thickness of the connector lines

Click on the OK button to apply the settings to all the selected connectors on the element.

For the selected connectors, you can also right-click and select 'Line Style', and one of the listed styles. The style is immediately applied to the connectors on the diagram.

Display the properties of the Source element

Either:

• Right-click on the relationship item and select 'Source Properties', or
• Click on the item line and press the Enter key

The element 'Properties' dialog displays for the source element in the relationship.

Display the attributes or operations of the Source element

Right-click on the relationship item and select 'Source Features | Attributes' or 'Source Features | Operations'. (Alternatively, click on the item and press F9 or F10, respectively).

The '<element name> Features' dialog displays for the source element, showing the 'Attributes' or 'Operations' tab as appropriate.

Display the properties of the Target element

Either:

• Right-click on the relationship item and select 'Target Properties', or
• Click on the item line and press Shift+Enter

The element 'Properties' dialog displays for the target element in the relationship.

Display the attributes or operations of the Target element

Right-click on the relationship item and select 'Target Features | Attributes' or 'Target Features | Operations'. (Alternatively, click on the item and press Shift+F9 or Shift+F10, respectively).

The '<element name> Features' dialog displays for the target element, showing the 'Attributes' or 'Operations' tab as appropriate.

Find Related Element in Project Browser

Right-click on the item line and select Locate Source or Locate Target as appropriate.

The related element is highlighted in the Project Browser.

Add Related elements to current diagram

If any related elements are not shown on the current diagram, then:

• The View column has no value and
• The related element name is in parentheses ()

You can select the relevant relationships and add the elements to the diagram.

Select the item line(s), then right-click and select Place Element(s) in Diagram. The cursor changes to the 'drop element' symbols (small rectangle and arrow with a boxed plus sign); move the cursor to the point in the diagram at which to drop the related elements, and click the mouse button.

This facility is useful in building up a picture of how an element interacts with the rest of the model, especially when reverse engineering an existing code base.

Locate Related Elements in Diagrams

Right-click on the item line and select the 'Find in all Diagrams' option.

If the related element exists only in one diagram, that diagram is displayed with the related element highlighted. The focus of the Relationships window switches to the related element.

If the related element exists in more than one diagram, the 'Element Usage' dialog displays, listing the diagrams. Click on one of the diagrams and on the Open button to display the selected  diagram with the related element highlighted.

Delete Relationship

Right-click on the item line and select the 'Delete Connection' option.

A prompt displays to warn you that the selected items will be deleted from all diagrams and from the model, and that the action cannot be reversed. This message refers to the relationship only - the source and target elements remain in the diagram and in the model.

Click on the Yes button to proceed with the deletion.