Model explorer

It would be much more efficient to make use of Model Explorer for your middle to large scale project which has considerable numbers of diagrams and model elements, rather than through Diagram Navigator.

The Model Explorer

The toolbar

Name Icon Description New Model Element Create a new model element. Collapse Collapse the selected model element. Expand   Expand the selected model element. No Sorting Arrange model elements without grouping. Sort By Name Sort model elements by their names in alphabetical order. Sort By Type Sort model elements by their types. Move Selected Model Element Move the selected model elements down or up. This option only works within the same model element type when there are multiple model elements. Refresh Update the content of model explorer.

The description of icons on Model Explorer

Popup menu

Popup menu of model explorer

The Model Explorer lists all the model elements in the project.

The popup menu of Model Explorer

Menu Title	Description
Model	Create a Model.
Model Element...	Create a new Model Element or select a default model in Model Explorer.
Filter Model Element...	Open the Model Element Filter dialog box to filter the diagram elements to appear in the Diagram Navigator.
Show Relationships	Show also Relationship model elements in Model Explorer (default hidden).
Show Sub Diagrams	Show Sub Diagrams in Model Explorer so that user can browse and open Sub Diagrams in Model Explorer.
Show Data Types	Show Data Types in Model Explorer (default hidden).
Show Carriage Return Character	Display line breaks of multi-lined diagram name as carriage return character.
Sorting	Select the way to sort model elements in Model Explorer.
Teamwork	Perform teamwork activities.
Manage Dependent Project...	Add or remove dependent project.
Refresh	Refresh Model Explorer content.
Collapse All	Collapse all tree nodes.
Expand All	Expand all tree nodes.

Popup menu of project

The popup menu of project node in Model Explorer

Menu Title	Description
No View Model Elements...	It lists the model element(s) that either has not been visualized (no view) or has no master view.
Rename...	Rename the project.
Nicknames	Configure or switch to another nickname.
Create Profile	Create a profile.
Model	Create a Model.
Model Element	Create a new Model Element in Model Explorer without the need of creating through diagramming.
Configure Programming Language...	Change to another programming language or configure the type mapping for a language.
Sorting	Select the way to sort model elements in Model Explorer.
Show Relationships	Show also Relationship model elements in Model Explorer (default hidden).
Show Sub Diagrams	Show Sub Diagrams in Model Explorer so that user can browse and open Sub Diagrams in Model Explorer.
Show Data Types	Show Data Types in Model Explorer (default hidden).
Teamwork	Perform teamwork activities.
Manage Dependent Project...	Add or remove dependent project.
Refresh	Refresh Model Explorer.
Collapse All	Collapse the project node.
Expand All	Expand the project node.

Closing and opening the model explorer

Model Explorer is opened by default. To close it, press the X button at the top right corner. On the other hand, it can be opened by selecting View > Panes > Model Explorer from the main menu.

Creating a model

A model is a package like UML element that can store model elements and diagrams. Users are recommended to structure project by using model in order to maintain a clear structure for accessing project data and improve the application performance.

Right click on the root node in Model Explorer and select Model from the popup menu. You can either create a custom model by selecting New Model..., or create a pre-defined model by selecting it in the list.

Select New Model in pop-up menu

Creating a model element

A model element is created when you create a shape on a diagram. If you want to create a model element without visualizing it, you can create it through the Model Explorer. To create a model element:

1. Right click on the root node.
2. Select Model Element> New Model Element..., or select a pre-defined model element from the pop-up menu.
   

   Select New Model Element from the pop-up menu

Forming class diagram from class

1. To form a class diagram, right click on a target class and select Form Diagram > Customize... from the pop-up menu.
   

   Open Form Diagram dialog box

2. As a result, the Form Diagram dialog box prompts out. Enter diagram name and select a relationship. After you select a relationship for classes, the corresponding relationship between the selected classes and their superclasses (ancestors) will be shown in the new diagram.
   

   Form Diagram dialog box

Sorting model elements

In model explorer, model elements are listed under root nodes. You can sort model elements by their names, by their types (e.g. use case, package, etc.) or with no sorting.

To sort by name, click Sort by Name button. The elements will be listed by name, in alphabetical order.

Sort model elements by name

To sort by type, click Sort by Type button. As a result, the elements will be listed by type. To arrange model elements without sorting, click No sorting.

Reordering model elements

Select the model element(s) you want to reorder. If there are multiple model elements you want to select, just click one while pressing Ctrl button and make the other selections.

Click Move Selected Model Element Up button to move the selection upwards, or Move Selected Model Element Down button to move the selection downwards.

Filtering model elements

You can choose which model elements you want to be displayed or not on the model explorer.

Right click on the model explorer's background and select Filter Model Element. In Model Element Filtering Dialog, select the types of model element(s) you want to be displayed by checking the type. Otherwise, uncheck the one you don't want to be displayed.

Model Element Filtering Dialog

Showing/hiding carriage return character

If it is the case that the name of model elements is in multi-line, the character ¶ will be revealed.

When Show Carriage Return Character is selected, line break will be shown.

Show Carriage Return Character is selected

When off, the character ¶ is hidden.

If you want to hide it, uncheck Show Carriage Return Character and the character will automatically be unshown.

Connecting to server for team collaboration

VP-UML's team collaboration support enables your team members work together on projects. To connect to server and perform related activities:

1. Right click on the Model Explorer's background.
2. Select Teamwork> Open Teamwork Client... from the pop-up menu.
   

   Perform teamwork