Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

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Configure Diagram Display

A diagram can show or hide information, and represent it in different ways depending on how you configure the display characteristics. You can maintain your display configuration using the diagram 'Properties' dialog ('Diagram' tab).

Access

Ribbon

Design > Diagram > Manage > Properties > Diagram

Layout > Diagram > Manage > Properties > Diagram

Context Menu

Right-click diagram in Project Browser | Properties | Diagram

Right-click background of open diagram | Properties | Diagram

Set the diagram display options

Field/Option/Button

Action

See also

Use Alias if Available

Select this checkbox to display the element alias as the element's name, wherever the alias is specified.

General Settings

Show Additional Parents

Select this checkbox to show the names of all parent elements not in the current diagram, for all Classes and Interfaces.

Hide Page Border (All Diagrams)

Select this checkbox to disable the display of page borders on all diagrams in the model.

Hide Page Border (Current Diagram)

Select this checkbox to disable the display of the page border on the current diagram only. (Disabled if 'Hide Page Border (All Diagrams)' is selected.)

Show Diagram Details

Select this checkbox to show diagram details in a note in the top left corner of the diagram.

Deselect the option to hide the diagram details.

Show Sequence Notes

(On a Sequence diagram) Select this checkbox to display the internal Notes for each Message down the left-hand edge of the diagram. Each note has the same number as the Message it comes from.

Whiteboard Mode

Select this checkbox to display the diagram as if it had been drawn on a whiteboard, with white fill and background.

(This illustration also has 'Hand Drawn' mode enabled.)

Disable fully scoped object names

Select this checkbox to disable the use of fully scoped object names for elements in this diagram.

This option hides the 'Namespace::element Name' if 'Show Namespace' is selected, but not the '(from 'Namespace')' label.

The effect of this option is disabled if 'Fully Qualified Namespace' is also selected.

Hand Drawn

Select this checkbox to display the diagram contents as if they had been roughly drawn by hand.

Show Namespace

Select this checkbox to show the namespace of each element on the diagram.

For Class, Interface, Enumeration, Component, Node and Artifact elements, the namespace is shown as part of the element name; that is, 'Namespace::element Name'.

For elements of other types, the namespace is shown as a '(from 'Namespace')' label beneath the element.

Fully Qualified Namespace

(Enabled when 'Show Namespace' is selected) Select this checkbox to show the fully qualified namespace of each element on the diagram, as a '(from 'Namespace')' label under the element.

Show Shape Scripts

Defaults to selected to show elements and connectors with their Shape Scripts, on the diagram. Clear the checkbox to show elements and connectors in their native shapes.

This option does not affect Custom Compartments. To hide those, deselect the appropriate 'Show Compartments' checkboxes on the 'Elements' tab of the 'Diagram Properties' dialog, or the element 'Feature Visibility' dialog.

Shape Scripts Feature Visibility Define Element Characteristics

Display Element Lock Status

Select this checkbox to add a locking indicator (! or !) outside the top left corner of each locked element on the diagram.

If the element is:

  • Fully locked or locked by another user, the indicator is red
  • Locked by you or by another user in the same user group as you, the indicator is blue
  • Not locked, no indicator displays

Always Open as Element List

Select this checkbox to always display the diagram contents as a Diagram List rather than as a diagram.

Diagram List

Always Open as Gantt

Select this checkbox to always display the diagram contents as a Gantt chart.

The Gantt View

Page Setup

Adjust the scaling of the diagram image according to the size of the page it is to be printed on.

Scale Image to Page Size

Print Page Header and Page Footer

Select this checkbox to add page headers and footers to a print-out of the diagram. The headers and footers are generated from the diagram characteristics, such as the name of the creator and the date of modification.

Background Tile

Click on the button and select a background tile design to apply just to this diagram. The filename of the background design file displays in the left-hand field.

If you no longer want to apply a background tile to the diagram, click on the Clear button.

Diagram Gradients and Backgrounds

Document Generation Options

These are options for generating document reports that include the selected diagram.

Document Options

Exclude image from Documentation

Select this checkbox to exclude this diagram image from any document report generated on the parent Package or element.

Document each contained element in Documentation

Select this checkbox to include documentation on each element in this diagram, in any document report generated on the parent Package or element.

Divide Diagram into Multiple Pages

Select this checkbox to divide each large diagram into separate pages in the document report.

Scaled to page

Rotate Images

Select this checkbox to rotate each diagram image by 90 degrees in the document report.

Default Zoom

This facility is enabled when the selected diagram in the 'Diagram Properties' dialog is open and available for editing in the Diagram View.

Zoom in or out of the diagram to achieve the required magnification using either Ctrl+mouse wheel before you open the 'Diagram Properties' dialog, or the slider control on this 'Diagram' page. Click on the Set as Default button. Now, each time the diagram is opened, it will default to this zoom level.

This diagram-local default zoom overrides any global zoom setting you have imposed for your user ID, using the slider in the Status bar.

Status Bar

Set Layout Style

Click on this button to define the layout of the diagram, to be applied automatically when you select the 'Layout Diagram' options.

Layout Diagram

OK

If you have finished updating the diagram properties, click on this button to save the changes and close the 'Properties' dialog.

Cancel

If you do not want to save the changes you have made, click on this button to discard the changes and close the dialog.

Help

Click on this button to display this Help topic.

Notes

  • The 'Divide Diagrams into Multiple Pages' option is only effective when the 'Scaled Printing' option on the 'Print Advanced' dialog is set to 'None'
  • 'Rotate Images' is only available for bitmap (.bmp) images

Learn more