OnLine
Applied Information Studies

published 20 Oct 1995 : 01 Jan 1996 updated

Manipulating Graphic Objects in PowerDesigner

PowerDesigner graphic objects conform to common Windows standards for mouse manipulation. Simply click once on any object in the diagram to select it. If you select an entity, its graphic "handles" will be revealed:

You can drag the entity by holding down the left mouse. To resize, click on one of the handles and drag to the desired shape. See also the "Keep Center" and "Keep Aspect Ratio" features on the "Options" menu since these will effect the resize behavior.

To select a relationship, click anywhere on the relationship line. While it is not necessary to select the termination, you must put the cursor pointer directly on the line to select it. Now the end points and any optional bends or "elbows" are highlighted.

You can drag the end points around within the entity but you cannot move them outside or to another entity (see also "Reattaching a relationship").

It rarely makes sense to position the relationship termination carefully by hand. PowerDesigner can arrange attach points at the center of an entity. This allows the relationship line to float around the entity as you rearrange the diagram.