Sparx Systems Forum

Enterprise Architect => Suggestions and Requests => Topic started by: skiwi on August 15, 2011, 11:49:41 am

Title: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: skiwi on August 15, 2011, 11:49:41 am
We had a constructive and productive thread for 8.0 diagram enhancements (http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1277094607/0), but there is a lot more that can be achieved, so I'd like to again collate suggestions and improvements, with the end goal of a widely supported feature request to Sparxs that hopefully will achieve success and favour in subsequent releases.

Some suggestions for 9.0 that have already been made areSome 8.0 enhancements not actioned (http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1277094607/0)And earlier
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements: group actions
Post by: skiwi on August 15, 2011, 11:52:05 am
When I have selected a group of elements, let me select a handle and drag a size or corner to resize all elements in the group.
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/MinEduProduction-EA_2011-08-15_13-20-15.jpg)
not in v11
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: Eve on August 16, 2011, 08:31:36 am
Quote
  • drag elements with shift (http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1277094607/22#22)
Maybe you should try that again. Shift allows a single dimension of movement, whichever is done first. Has since the feature was introduced.
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: skiwi on August 16, 2011, 09:40:01 am
Quote
Maybe you should try that again. Shift allows a single dimension of movement, whichever is done first. Has since the feature was introduced.
I stand partially corrected.
If I click on an object and start dragging and then press shift I can move the object anywhere (to me this is a bug). This is the way I was trying to get the functionality to work.

If I press shift and then click on the object it is restricted to the vertical or horizontal depending on which direction I move it first, as you say.

Why is this distinction important?

Because If I press shift, then click on an object, often the object I click on is NOT selected, eg I select (click on) an object in the foreground, but (because shift is on, an underlying object is selected (surely this is a bug)).
therefore this functionality is NOT available.
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/testanddebug-EA_2011-08-16_11-40-44.jpg)
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: Eve on August 16, 2011, 10:05:33 am
As I said before, try again.

Your selection isn't removed in the you lift the mouse button. (ie. a click) If you hold shift and you can start dragging on an element that is selected.
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements: shift drag selection
Post by: skiwi on August 16, 2011, 12:46:13 pm
Here is what I did, is this what you are saying?

I LMB click on the foreground object (see diagram above), and hold the mouse button down. [no selection highlighting appears around the foreground object]
I press and hold down the shift key. [the object remains un-highlighted].
I drag using the mouse [the foreground object is highlighted as soon as it starts to move], the foreground object then will move without constraint.

(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/testanddebug-EA_2011-08-16_14-00-15.jpg)

I also tried this
I LMB click on foreground object to select it
I press and hold shift key.
I LMB click, hold, and drag using LMB button on foreground object
The underlying object then moves in a constrained fashion.
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/Greenshot_2011-08-16_14-44-09.jpg)

[timestamp=1393893540] RMB should have been LMB
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements: shift drag selection
Post by: skiwi on September 21, 2011, 07:29:31 am
Reported as bug/feature request

not in EA 11
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: Thelonius on September 21, 2011, 08:04:36 am
Thanks for your persistence, skiwi. You're a better man than I am.
 :)
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: skiwi on September 21, 2011, 12:55:31 pm
A quick reponse from Sparx, thanks

It is not possible to select and shift drag an object when it has a
background object all round it.
Please fix this.
 
We were able to reproduce this behaviour and have logged it as a bug to be fixed.  
Reference Number: 11091224

Effectively it seems the problem is that embedded elements cannot be selected via shift+click.  This also causes problems if you are wanting to select multiple elements via shift+click.  As a workaround in both cases you could consider making the background element not selectable (using the right click "Selectable" option).


Feature request: allow shift key to be selected after drag, causing
object(s) being moved to move either vertically or horizontally only

I will submit a feature request on your behalf so that this is considered for implementation in a future release.
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: Michael Rufer on November 03, 2011, 08:59:40 pm
Quote
Effectively it seems the problem is that embedded elements cannot be selected via shift+click.  This also causes problems if you are wanting to select multiple elements via shift+click.  As a workaround in both cases you could consider making the background element not selectable (using the right click "Selectable" option).
There is an easier workaround for selecting multiple embedded elements, just hold the ctrl-key and click to select the elements.
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: skiwi on November 04, 2011, 06:05:05 am
Quote
There is an easier workaround for selecting multiple embedded elements, just hold the ctrl-key and click to select the elements.
The use case is to be able to use the shift key to select because that is required to use the restricted to horizontal/vertical drag feature.
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements
Post by: qwerty on November 04, 2011, 06:33:24 am
I never got that shift-thing to work as one Sparxian explained it. EAUI. I still trust my eyes here - and they don't get better these days. Like Paolo cited someone: a genius steals the best ideas from somewhere. Have a look how Apple implemented alignment in Keynote (the better "powerpoint"). That's cool.

q.
Title: Re: 9.0 diagram enhancements: shift drag selection
Post by: skiwi on March 04, 2014, 11:48:17 am
Quote
Here is what I did, is this what you are saying?

As far as I can see v11 no change

Pressing shift and the dragging only works in the vertical plane.
Feature request was to have this work in the horizontal plane as well, the first movement of the mouse indicating what plane the constraint is in.

Where an entity is in front of another entity it is as confusing as ever.
Selecting the foreground object, then pressing shift, and then dragging drags the background object, talk about a side effect. (Bug)
(http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn245/copperkiwi/Sparx/EAExample-EnterpriseArchitect_2014-03-04_13-42-36_zps4f58af1c.png)