3.2.2 Graph Browser
 | See
also Section 3.2.1 for features common
to all browsers |
The Graph Browser (
Figure 3–24) provides a graph
hierarchy based view on the repository. The Graph Browser allows you to inspect
the contents of the selected graph, and perform operations on the graph and its
contents. Like all browsers, the
Graph Browser is
integrated into the Main Launcher. It is also possible to launch a new Graph
Browser instance in its own window from the Launcher’s
Browsers | Graph
Browser menu.
Figure 3–24. Graph browser.
The middle list shows all
the graphs that belong to the selected projects or are sub-graphs of them, and
the list on the right shows the elements of the selected graph. You may
determine which elements (objects, relationships, or roles) of the selected
graph are visible in the right hand list from the pull-down list labeled
Show. In
Figure 3–24 all
objects of the graph ‘TASTW’ are shown (please note that the
contents of the Graphs list is filtered to show only WatchApplication models
whose name starts with capital
‘T’).
Browsing graph hierarchies
The Graph Browser also allows you to inspect hierarchies
between graphs. Whether the hierarchy shown in the tree view is that of
decomposition, explosion, both of them (the default setting) or none can be
changed from the
Tree pull-down list. In
Figure 3–24 the hierarchy is shown
according to explosion structures: e.g. ‘TASTW’ graph has direct
sub-graphs called ‘Time’ and ‘Timer’ (there are also
others but as the view is filtered with ‘T*’, only the ones with a
‘T’ as the first character in their names will be shown).
| Note
that a graph may occur more than once in the hierarchy, e.g. if it is used as a
decomposition of an object in several different graphs. In this case, the
hierarchy below that graph is shown only the first time it occurs: only the
graph itself is shown below each graph for which it is a
sub-graph. |
Managing graphs
From the menu of the Graphs list (
Figure 3–25) you can open graphs in
editors, execute and access generators, view the properties of graphs, open
graphs in the Info Tool, duplicate graphs, delete graphs or their
representations, and create new graphs. This menu is largely similar to the
Graph menu in the editors, with the addition of duplication and deletion
operations.
Figure 3–25. Menu for managing graphs.
To duplicate
or replace a graph:
| 1) | Select
a graph from the list (with the left mouse
button). |
| 2) | Open
the pop-up menu (with the right mouse
button). |
| 3) | Select
Duplicate / Replace Graph... and a Replace Tool
will open. |
The Replace Tool is described
in Section
3.3.5. If Deep Copy or Copy
to Depth is selected, and no context is added to the right-hand list of the
Replace Tool, the operation will simply create a new graph that is a duplicate
of the current graph. Copying to a depth of 1 will result in the objects from
the original graph being shared with the duplicate graph. Copying to a depth of
2 will create new copies of those objects, but not of any objects they may
contain in properties, and not of any explosion or decomposition graphs they may
have.
To delete a graph, select it and choose
Delete
Graph from its pop-up menu. If the graph has subgraphs
that would no longer be used as subgraphs by any graph in an open project, you
will be asked if you want to delete those subgraphs too. The tree of subgraphs
will be shown in a dialog, with those to be deleted selected. You can change the
selection, adding and removing graphs-to-delete as desired. Ctrl-click will
toggle the selection of one graph; Shift-click allows selection of multiple
graphs. The selected graphs will be deleted, along with any subgraph links to
them in open projects.
| Graphs
can also be deleted individually or en masse from the Graph Manager – for
more information about the Graph Manager and its usage, please see Section 3.2.5. |
Similarly,
you can delete some or all representations of a graph
, but
leave the conceptual graph. Note that if you delete representations, their
relationships will be deleted and objects may be deleted depending on your
current deletion settings. If you want to keep the conceptual relationships and
objects, open a new diagram representation on the graph first, and do not delete
that. Alternatively, you could open a Diagram Editor and select and copy the
elements you want to keep. After deleting the unwanted representations, you can
open a new diagram for that graph and paste the copied elements there.
To delete representations of a graph:
| 1) | Select
a graph from the list (with the left mouse
button). |
| 2) | Open
the pop-up menu (with the right mouse
button). |
| 3) | Select
Delete
Representation... |
A
list dialog opens for selecting the representations to be deleted.
| 4) | Choose
the representations to delete and press
OK. |
If no graph is currently
selected, the menu allows you to create a new graph. You can then select that
graph and open it in an editor.
Managing other elements
The element list on the right has four operations: viewing and
editing the properties of the element, inspecting its use in different models,
copying it to the clipboard or replacing the element.
To open a property dialog for a given element in a Graph
Browser:
| 1) | Double
click the element with the left mouse button.
Or |
| 1) | Select
an element with the left mouse button.
|
| 2) | Open the
pop-up menu (shown on the right in Figure
3–26).
|
| 3) | Select
Properties... |
Figure 3–26. Menu for managing elements.
Property
dialogs, the Info Tool and Replace Tool are described in more detail in sections
3.3.1,
3.3.3 and
3.3.5.
