Palette Style Toolbar
Start from Visual Paradigm Suite 2.2 SP1, all types of diagram allows you to create diagram elements from any diagram types. For example, you can draw classes, use cases, and sequence diagram lifelines all in a single diagram. This facilitates a more flexible modeling process, and you can now express your real idea by mix-and-matching the desired elements together.
For this breakthrough, our diagram toolbar is also enhanced to a palette style toolbar. You can customize the categories of diagram element buttons to use, expand/collapse categories, and even customize the look-and-feel of the toolbar to best fit your requirements.
Creating Element using Toolbar
To create an element using the toolbar, you can either select a button and click on the diagram to create the element in its default size, or drag on the diagram to define the initial size of the element, or you can drag a button from the toolbar to the diagram to create the corresponding element.
Animated Demo
Select in Toolbar and Click on Diagram
Select the desired element by clicking on its button. If the button of this element is hidden in a group, click on the drop down button of the button group and select the item there.
Click on the diagram, the element is created in its default size at the mouse position.
Select in Toolbar and Define Initial Size in Diagram
Select the desired element by clicking on its button.
Drag on the diagram, a rubber band rectangle appears. Continue dragging to define the desired size of the element.
Release the mouse button when done. The element is created in the specified size at the mouse position.
Drag-and-Drop from Toolbar to Diagram
Click and drag the button of the desired element on the toolbar (if the button of this element is hidden in a group, you need to click on the drop down button of the button group and select the item there to bring it on top of the group first).
Drag the button over the diagram and release the mouse button to drop it. The element is created in its default size at the mouse position.
Adding/Removing Category
Every diagram provides a pre-defined set of toolbar categories so you can easily draw related kinds of elements together. For example, a Sequence Diagram palette shows the Communication Diagram, State Machine Diagram and Activity Diagram categories in addition to the Sequence Diagram and Basic categories.
To customize the categories of each diagram type, click on the double arrow button of the palette, expand the Category submenu and select/deselect a category to show/hide it.
Animated Demo
Toolbar Operations
Beside the add/remove of categories, you can further customize the palette by expanding/collapsing the categories, select to show button name or expand (flatten) button groups.
Animated Demo
Expanding/Collapsing Category
To expand/collapse a category, click on the category header to toggle its expanded/collapsed state.
Expanding One Category
To expand a category and collapse all the others, click on the button on the right of the category header.
Show Button Name
To show/hide button names, click on the double arrow button of the palette and select/deselect Show Name.
Expand Group
To expand (flatten) all button group items, click on the double arrow button of the palette and select Expand Group.
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