Diagram paper colour for Project

[mikewhit]

I can see how to set colours for diagram elements in a Project: Project - Set Project Custom Colors, and how to set the diagram paper (background) colour for a user on a given PC: Tools - Options - Standard Colors.

But is it possible to set the paper colour on a Project basis, if not, why not ?

I am working on a snapshot copy of a project, and would like a visual reminder that I'm editing the copy and not the original, and diagram background colour seemed to be the best visual clue - until I found I couldn't set it for the Project !

[thomaskilian]

Why not place a text somewhere that reads "COPY"?

[mikewhit]

Code: [Select]

Why not place a text somewhere that reads "COPY"?

On every diagram ?!

But still, it seems odd (even perverse) that I can customise all diagram element appearances for a project, but not the background colour itself.

[thomaskilian]

Well, the need for having a background color seems obvious from your point of view. But as you are the first one to request such kind of feature I guess its absence is not too odd? I just started my Word and looked what they do. You can set a background color but it is only displayed - not printed. And that really seems to be odd. Word is a WYSIWYG tool but does not print the background color (try preview and the color is gone). In case of EA what would you expect to happen with your background color? Print it? Just display? If so, only on selected diagrams or on all? See what I mean: only a little request but a lot of work and there are other topics with more importance - for sure.

Another constructive approach: why not use automation to place the text onto the diagrams? I normally have the details box on the top left turned on. This would be a good place to plaster it with a "COPY" label.

[mikewhit]

Code: [Select]

But as you are the first one to request such kind of feature I guess its absence is not too odd?
If that were the case then everyone with a new suggestion would be ruled out ! ;-)

But no, my point is that, as a display attribute, by which I mean to imply non-printing, I think it has value in terms of a project-wide (or perhaps per-diagram) visual cue; e.g. this is a released project, or this diagram is still preliminary.

Suffice it to say that I could definitely find a use for it, and it's frustrating and inconsistent that it's purely a per-user attribute rather than per-project.

On the same basis, the Watermarking feature (Tools - Options - Diagram - Behaviour) is also per-user.
That might make more sense if you could instead set it

a)for a project
b)for a Print run

[thomaskilian]

Okay, you bet me  
Still I think that the background color for the display isn't the *real* solution. There is a version attribute you could use. If you are working on a preliminary diagram this should be some 0.X version. This attribute is global and if you're going to sync with others they will see that the diagram is preliminary.