4.2.2 Objects
All the basic functions needed to create, edit, link and
delete elements in a matrix are collected in the pop-up menus of the axes and
cells. In the following we explain how the different elements of a matrix can be
managed.
Adding objects
Objects in the Matrix Editor form the axes of the matrix. In
contrast to the Diagram Editor, the buttons on the types toolbars of the Matrix
Editor are not commands, but rather show the current selection of what type of
object or relationship to create. The actual commands to add objects are found
in the pop-up menus of the axes, in a similar way to the commands for inserting
rows and columns in a spreadsheet.
To add new objects to an axis:
| 1) | Click
the left mouse button at the place on the axis before which you want to add an
object (if there is no selection the object will be added at the end).
|
| 2) | Open the
axis pop-up menu with the right mouse
button. |
| 3) | Select
Add... from the
menu. |
 | If
you have not previously selected an object type to create from the Types
menu or the toolbar a dialog opens showing the possible object types to be
created. If you have selected an abstract object type for creation, you will be
prompted for the concrete
subtype. |
| 4) | An
empty property dialog opens allowing you to enter design information about the
object created. Enter the properties for the object and click
OK. |
Adding existing objects
In many cases it is more practical to reuse design elements
that are already defined and stored in the repository, rather than creating new
elements. This is especially true in matrices when the same object is often
needed on both axes.
To add an existing object:
| 1) | Click
the left mouse button at the place on the axis before which you want to add an
object.
|
| 2) | Open the
pop-up menu with the right mouse
button. |
| 3) | Select
Add Existing... from the
menu. |
| 4) | A
Component Selection Tool opens, initially allowing you to pick objects that are
already defined in the current graph, but also allowing you to navigate to any
object in the open
projects. |
| | Objects
of legal object types for this graph are shown with normal text, whereas other
objects are shown in italics. Please note that all objects listed with normal
text are not necessarily represented in the current matrix: they may be
represented in a diagram, a table, or in another matrix of the same graph (see
Section 6.2.2). |
| 5) | Choose
the objects you need, and press OK (for more information about the
Component Selection Tool, see Section 3.3.2). |
When
you press
OK, the objects selected will be added into the matrix. If you
edit any of these objects, i.e. change the information about the object through
a property dialog, the change will be immediately propagated to that object
elsewhere, and therefore also available to all graphs and tools that use the
same object. If you want to avoid these updates, you should create new objects
into the matrix instead.
Duplicating objects
While adding an existing object serves its purpose well for
reusing arbitrary objects, it will share the relationships and roles of the
original object. To duplicate an object on the same axis and also create a copy
of its relationships and roles::
| 1) | Click
the left mouse button on the object you want to duplicate.
|
| 2) | Open the
pop-up menu with the right mouse
button. |
| 3) | Select
Duplicate from the menu. |
A new
copy of the selected object will appear next to the original one on the same
axis.
When duplicating, the object, relationships and roles are
copied down to one level, i.e. a new copies of the topmost elements are created
while their attached elements remain referenced. Please note that duplicating
also checks if an element's object is also represented on the other axis, and if
so, takes the bindings for that element into account and duplicates all of the
axis elements for this object.
Editing objects
Information about each object can be edited by selecting
Properties... from the pop-up menu or the Edit menu. There are
also two shortcuts: double-clicking with the mouse and pressing Enter on
the keyboard.
As a result a property dialog opens allowing you to edit
the information related to the object. See Section
3.3.1 for more information on property
dialogs.
Moving objects
You can also change the positions of objects on an axis. To do
this:
| 1) | Select
the object to be moved on the axis with the left mouse button.
|
| 2) | Open the
pop-up menu with the right mouse
button. |
| 3) | Select
Move from the
menu. |
| 4) | Click
the left mouse button on the same axis for a new
location. |
Deleting objects
The axis pop-up menu also includes an operation for removing
objects from an axis (Delete).
To remove an object from an axis:
| 1) | Select
it with the left mouse
button. |
| 2) | Choose
Delete from the pop-up menu or the Edit menu (or press
Delete button in the toolbar). |
As
a result of the operation the object disappears from that position on that axis.
The roles of any relationships it was involved in will also be deleted; if any
relationship is left with fewer than two roles as a result, the relationship and
remaining roles will also be deleted. If the object representation deleted was
the last representation of that object in this graph, the object may also be
removed from the conceptual graph. This depends on the current deletion policy,
which you can choose in the Options Tool (see Section
3.1.3). Deleting an object from a matrix
also checks the relationships displayed in the object's row/column, and if this
is the last representation of that relationship in a representation of this
graph, removes the relationship from the
graph.
Replacing objects
To open the Replace Tool for an object in the Matrix
Editor:
| 1) | Select
the object to be
replaced. |
| 2) | Select
Replace... from the pop-up menu or select Edit |
Replace.... |
| 3) | A
Replace Tool will open. |
For more
information about the Replace Tool, see Section
3.3.5.
