How to lock connector tool (relashionship)?

[ebeb]

Hey!

First, I really have to appreciate the support here in the EA forums. I get an answer to my questions really fast which is another bonus point for choosing EA.

Now, my question is, how I can lock the chosen connector arrow (relashionship type). E.g., most of the time I draw a lot of elements (Classes, Requirements...) and then I connect them one by one. Is it possible to keep the relashionship tool because after drawing a connector, the tools gets unselcted and I have to re-click on the tool icon to draw the arrow.

Cheers,

Jan

[«Midnight»]

Check out the keyboard shortcuts in EA. There are quite a few - too many to easily remember them all - but you will quickly find some that are useful for your way of working.

[See the hint at the end of this post.]

These used to be (and still are) found in the EA Help index under Keyboard | Shortcuts. More recently they have been 'promoted' to an "Accelerator Map' of shortcuts. You'll also find this entry in the help index (pointing to the same page).

They are also listed in an EA dialog, which you can invoke from the main menu via Help | Keyboard Accelerator Map. This dialog lists them a few at a time, by general functional area. The resulting lists are easy to work through; perhaps this will be less daunting when you first encounter the list.

[Now the hint...]
To get you started: F3 will let you repeat the last connector. Press the key and draw the connector between the appropriate elements. The connector will be of the same type as the previous one you drew on this diagram. Note that this shortcut is reset at each session, so you have to draw the first connector with the toolbox of QuickLinker. You will find this shortcut on the Diagram list of the Keyboard Accelerator Map dialog (not the Element list).

You might also want to check out the Shift-F3 shortcut. This performs the same function, but for elements rather than connectors. It will allow you to quickly add another element of the same type as you previously added to this diagram (in this session).

HTH, David

[ebeb]

Midnight, thank you!

This seems to be a good solution though it still requires a click everytime you want to use a connector. I'd like to see a solution for this like in OpenOffice Draw where the connector gets unselected except if you double click on it. Then it keeps selected and you can get crazy drawing hundrets of you favorite connectors

Jan

[«Midnight»]

Have you tried out the quicklinker? [The little arrow beside a selected element on a diagram.]

[ebeb]

Yes, I did. But I still have to choose which connector typ I'd like. Despite it is not exactly what I wanted in the first place, your F3 suggestion works pretty good and saves me some time and nerves

[RoyC]

It's marginally less easy than your OfficeDraw facility, but if you hold down F3 you can still "get crazy drawing 100's of your favourite connectors".

[ebeb]

Hey Roy,

thanks, I didn't know that! This really a good suggestion!  

Jan