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

Frames and Drawing Objects

A frame is a rectangular area that can contain both text and pictures on the page. The text outside the frame flows around it. A drawing object can be a text box, rectangle or a line. The drawing object overlays the text around it. You can see frames and drawing objects only if View | Page Mode is selected. However, the content of a frame or text box is still visible if Page Mode is de-selected.

To

Action

See also

Embed a frame or drawing object at the cursor position

Select the Insert | Frame or Insert | Drawing Object menu option.

 

Insert text into the frame or drawing object text box

Click inside the outline and type the text at the cursor position.

 

Rotate text to display it down the side of the frame or text box

Select the Edit | Edit Frame/Drawing Object | Rotate Text menu option and select the text direction.

 

Insert a picture into a frame or drawing object text box

Copy the picture, click inside the outline and paste the picture at the cursor position.

 

Size a frame or drawing object

Click inside the outline, click on a sizing tab on the outline and drag the tab to the required position.

If the frame or text box contains only a picture, the picture size is automatically adjusted to fill the outline; any text inside the outline is automatically wrapped to adjust to the new width.

In a frame the frame height is automatically adjusted, if necessary, to enclose all lines; in a text box, you must adjust the height manually to enclose the text.

 

 

Move the frame or drawing object

Click inside the outline and then move the cursor just outside the outline so that the cursor changes to a plus-shape.

Drag the plus shape (and hence the outline) to the new location.

 

 

Edit the relationship between a frame or drawing object and a point on the page (the vertical base position)

Click on the outline and select the Edit | Edit Frame/Drawing Object | Vertical Base Position menu option.

Select the point to lock the outline to; outlines locked to the top of the page or the top of the margin retain their vertical position when you insert text before them.

 

 

Edit the border and the background of a drawing object

Select the Edit | Edit Frame/Drawing Object | Edit Drawing Object menu option.

On the Line and Fill Attributes dialog, select the options for the preferred border, line color, fill color and wrapping effect on the template text.

 

 

Delete a frame or drawing object

Click on the outline and press ( Delete ).

The editor prompts you to confirm the deletion; click on the OK button.

Note that the deletion is actually reversible - press ( Ctrl+Z ) or select the Edit | Undo menu option.