Contents   Introduction   Concepts   User Help   Modeler Help   Browser Help
Administrator Help   Developer Help    Utility Help   Visio   Graphical Modeler

Working with Models

• Loading a Model
• Editing a Model
• Adding an existing Item
• Creating a new Item
• Linking Items
• Discarding a Relationship
• Discarding an Item
• Viewing and Editing Item Details in GIDE
• Saving a Model
• Adjusting Link Properties
• Creating a New Model
• Viewing a related model
• Launching a Model in GIDE

Loading a Model

When in EVA Netmodeler

• Use the button to launch the GM from a window displaying the model details or a link to the model. GM will launch with the appropriate model type and model loaded.

When in GM:

• Select the appropriate model type. When the icon strip has loaded, select the desired Model.

Editing a Model

Once a model is loaded, you can freely interact with it. Typical actions would include:

• Drop existing items from the repository into the model
   
• Create new items of a selected type in the model
   
• Connect items in the model via a chosen relationship type
   
• Delete items from the model by dragging to the trash can
   
• Delete relationships from the model by dragging to the trash can
   
• Move items in the model (connectors will follow)
   
• Rearrange connectors between items by moving vertices (bend points) or adding new vertices. Text labels can also be selected and moved individually
   
• Viewing and editing content of an item in the GIDE pane on the right of the display
   
• Lassoing multiple items and moving them together to a new part of the model space

Adding an existing Item

To add an existing repository item to the model, right click and drag from the icon strip. You will be presented with a list of items of the appropriate type. You can filter the list instantly by typing a string in the filter box. Select an item to drop from the list.

Creating a new Item

To create a new item, left click and drag the appropriate icon from the icon strip to the model space. A new icon will be dropped. You can then name the item as required (double click in the temporary name to select for editing). Note that the item will not exist in the repository (or be accessible for viewing in GIDE display) until the model has been saved.

Linking Items

Select the source item. Handles will appear as little coloured bubbles around the edge of the item. Click on the blue bubble and drag to the target item you want to link to. A list of allowed relationship types between these two types of item on this type of model will appear. Select the type of relationship you want to create. GM links the items and draws a connector between the items. Note: if there is only one permitted relationship type defined in the model type between these items, GM will just insert it automatically and you will not be prompted to select a relationship type.

Discarding a Relationship

Click on the relationship and drag it onto the trash can. It will be removed from the model. Note: Your cursor must be over the trash can icon and the lid must pop open before dropping will delete the relationship. Alternatively you can select the relationship and press the Del key on your keyboard. In both cases, the Graphical Modeler will prompt you to determine whether the delete operation is limited to the current model, or to all models in the repository. In both cases the delete operation applies to the current relationships only - no other relationships will be affected by this operation.

Discarding an Item

Click on the item and drag it onto the trash can. The item will be removed from the model. Note that the item will not be deleted from the repository, since it may still be part of other models. To completely remove an item from the repository and all models, use the GIDE interface or EVA Netmodeler Web Browser interfaces to delete, subject to user permissions.

Viewing and Editing Item Details in GIDE

To bring up item details in the GIDE interface on the right, simply right click the required item in the model space.

Saving a Model

Click the Save tool to save the current model. Any newly added items will be created on the server. Updated items will be updated on the server. Items removed from the model will be deleted from the model on the server but will remain in the repository, unconnected to the current model.

Adjusting Link Properties

If you want to change the routing of a link:

• Select the link by shift clicking on the line. Once selected, several handles appear:
  
• Yellow dots show anchor points on items in the model. You can drag these around to change where the link joins the model item. By default they will be at the closest point to the linked item.
• To remove a line segment, pick up one of the yellow anchor points and place it on top of one of its adjacent anchor points.
• Green triangles show the vertices of the lines (points at which direction changes).Initially there will be just one in the centre of the line. If you want you can drag this to reposition it. Once the midpoint has moved, midpoints will appear on the two line segments created. These can be manipulated in turn and so on.
• Purple dots show the anchor points for line labels. Click and drag to reposition the labels. Note that all these changes will become permanent once you Save the model. The display of these line labels can be toggled on or off using the Relationship Descriptions Toggle on the GM Toolbar
• The Blue Rectangle is a text box into which you can place a relationship name. Note that unlike the line labels described above, this relationship name is not affected by the use of the Relationship Descriptions Toggle and will therefore always be visible on the model.

Creating a New Model

Make sure the desired Model Type is selected. Click the New Model tool. You will be prompted for a model name. Once this is provided, the model space is cleared and you can begin dropping items into the model.

Viewing a related model

If the displayed model has items which are themselves expanded into further models (model in model), those items will have a model decoration on their icon/symbol. Clicking this decoration will load the related model in the current GM view. If the current model has some unsaved changes you will be prompted to save the current model before the related model is loaded. It is easy to navigate back to your original model from a related model (see below)

When the model you are viewing is represented in another model (or several models) as an item, a symbol appears in the icon strip indicating this. Clicking this tool either launches the related model (if there is just one), or presents a list of related models to select the desired one and then launches the selected model.

Launching a Model in GIDE

You can view a model's details and structure, as stored on the server, in the right hand GIDE pane by right clicking the model name in the model selector.