Drawing Gadgets

Drawing diagram in traditional diagramming tool is a tedious work, as modeler need to go back and forth between diagram and toolbars for performing different tasks. Visual Paradigm introduces resource-centric modeling interface, which increase the productivity and make a lot of fun in diagramming. Let's see resource-centric in action in the following movie. The first part of movie shows how to create classes using resource icon. The second part shows how to use resource to connect classes with different type of relationship. Part 3 and 4 show how to use group resource and structure resource in class diagram and activity diagram. Part 5 shows how "Quick Connect" resource helps in drawing large sequence diagram. The final part shows how to use generic resource to create any type of shapes and relationship.

Know-how

• Showing and hiding resource icons

Specify status, difficulty, priority, version, iteration, phase and discipline of each model element for project management purpose.

UML, BPMN, SysML and ERD are good graphical notation for describing engineering and business concepts. Having text annotation in diagram increases the readability of the diagram. Agilian support various annotation options. The following movie shows you how to use UML note, callout shape and freehand shape to annotate diagrams and diagram elements.

Express your thought and detail with voice documentation feature. Voice documentation lets you records or link any audio recording to all model elements in your project.

Tutorial

• Documenting your model with voice

Search and locate diagram and model element is a critical feature when project and diagrams are growing bigger and bigger. Agilian provides a lot of navigation functions for modeler to search and locate diagrams and model elements in a project. These navigation functions include jumping to diagram, jumping to shape, finding alternative views of model element, bookmark shapes and navigating between relationship ends.

Agilian provides a reference feature for linking internal and external resources with model elements. Internal resources include diagrams and shapes. External resources include any type of document (e.g. MS Word, PDF...) and website URL. Modeler may open the linked resource by opening the reference dialog box or by using the reference resource-centric icon attached to each shape. The following movie shows reference feature in action.

Selection function is a crucial function of drawing tool but people usually not aware good selection function can save a lot of time in diagramming. Visual Paradigm has invented a lot of selection function to increase the usability. The following movie shows some advanced selection functions. They include general shape selection, inverse selection, select same type of shapes, handi-selection and set selectable on and off.

The mouse gestures function is designed for modeler to create and connect shapes in diagram with simple mouse cursor movements. The mouse gestures function can be used with mouse (Windows: dragging with right mouse button down, Mac OSX: dragging with Cmd button down and Linux: dragging with Ctrl button down). The following movie shows mouse gestures in action.

Modeling is not just about creating diagrams but also the ease of refinement. Good visual modeling tool allows modeler to create and manipulate diagrams in effective way. Agilian provides sweeper and magnet functions for expanding and compacting diagram without messing up the layout. Please see how sweeper and magnet in action in the following movie.

Compare different portions of a very big diagram is troublesome. Agilian can split diagram vertically or horizontally for viewing different parts of diagram without scrolling back and forth. The following movie shows you how to split diagram view in action.

Automatic expand diagram base on the growth of design. Margins can be defined visually. The following movie shows you how automatic expansion of diagram margin works in class diagram.

Agilian provides several semi-automatic and automatic layout functions. Semi-automatic layout functions include aligning shapes in different directions, making shapes in same width/height, and distributing shapes evenly. Agilian also supports automatic layout function to tidy up reverse engineered diagrams.You may check out the effects of circular, organic and orthogonal style automatic layout below.

Before layout	After layout	Circular styleOrganic styleOrthogonal style

Showing deep level of packages may make the diagram very difficult to read and be modified. Agilian provides a package header to present deep level package in single-lined header. Package header saves a lot of space and increase the readability of diagram. Please see the package header screenshot below.

Agilian allows reusing same model element in different diagrams. This function called multiple views of single model element. You may drag a model element from model explorer tree to diagram, or use the completion popup when creating the shapes.

Agilian allows temporary or permanently pinning the connector end of connector. The following movie shows you how to use the temporary and permanent pin function.

Specify all association properties once without going through deep dialog boxes.

Organize diagrams and model elements systematically is important when modeling middle to large scale projects. The Model Explorer in Agilian provides a flexible tree structure to organize diagrams and model elements. The "Model" acts like a folder in file system for organizing project contents. Model explorer allows creating unlimited number and levels of model. A well structured project can increase the performance of the tool significantly. The following movie shows you how to create and manage model, create diagram and shapes under model and share same model element in different diagrams.

Tutorial

• Organize Sequence Diagram with Model

Know-how

• Tips for working with large scale project

Spell check:

	English

	Brazilian

	French

	German

	Spanish

Agilian supports spell checking and suggestion for English, Brazilian, French, German and Spanish.

Every element in VP project has a unique URL. You can send the URL to your colleagues to locate the target elements easily.

Evaluate a business process in diagram and show the number of message flows, total process costs and total processing of hours of the process.

Process statistic

Step 1 of 2: Show statistic

Open the BPD where the process is modeled. Right click at the diagram background and select Utilities > Show Statistic... from the popup menu.

Step 2 of 2: Read statistic

Read the statistic. You can optionally export the report to MS Excel by clicking on the button Export to Excel.

Specify hotkey for creating diagram elements (e.g. use case) on diagram. This make it possible to create shape in quick. E.g. press "U" to create a use case.

Configure diagram hotkey

Step 1 of 6: Open the Options window

Select "Tools > Options" from the main menu.

Step 2 of 6: Open the Keys menu

Select Keys from the list on the left hand side.

Step 3 of 6: Find the command

Enter in search field the command you want to define hotkey. For example, enter Use Case if you want to edit the hotkey of creating a use case.

Step 4 of 6: Select the command

Click on the command you want to edit.

Step 5 of 6: Enter the key binding

Enter the key binding at the bottom of window. Click OK and restart the tool.

Step 6 of 6: Done!

You can now create shape with the key binding defined.