Use free-form text

You can use free-form text to add additional information to your model.

Insert free-form text

In an open model, you can place text in the modeling area irrespective of other model items. This way you can add additional information to your model.

The model items are arranged in the modeling area. You can see the changes made with the different bars immediately. Thus, color changes made to objects or changes in the size of appearance are displayed at once. Use the bar button Find Search to show relevant objects into the visible model section, even in large models.

You can use the bar buttons to show or hide the Find, Details, Evaluations, Semantic checks, Symbols, and Collaboration bars, as well as the Modeling table.

Click the bar button Find Search to show the Find bar that you can use to have objects selected in the model.

Find bar

Click the bar button Properties Details to show the Properties tab, where you can edit attributes or view occurrences and relationships of objects, for example.

Modeling component - Properties tab

Click the bar button Reports Reports to show the Evaluations tabs and generate reports.

Reports bar

The Symbols bar provides object symbols, graphic objects, and text for insertion into the modeling area. It also allows you to filter the available object symbols by entering names and create connections between objects.

Modeling component - Symbols bar

Click the bar button Comments Collaboration to show the Collaboration bar that you can use to enter notes, improvement proposals, questions, etc., about the model.

Collaboration bar

Table-based modeling enables rapid and comfortable modeling of EPCs and BPMN diagrams. The modeling table is shown by default.

Objects are modeled in a table and simultaneously placed in the model displayed above. Layout takes place automatically. The distance between objects is defined by the spacings specified in the layout options.

Table-based modeling provides a quick and easy way to model processes and process frameworks at an early stage, for example, in meetings during the project planning phase.

Moreover, additional information can be added for models and objects.

It can also be used to navigate in the model. If an object is selected in the table, it is selected in the model and the selected object is moved into the visible area. If an object is selected in the model, it is also selected in the table and the row is displayed in the visible area.

Modeling component - Bar buttons

Modeling area

Warning

Free-form texts are not saved in groups and are thus not protected by access privileges for groups. Therefore, it is possible to have reports output the free-form texts of models for which the person running the report does not have read privileges. Therefore, remember not to include confidential information in free-form texts but to use model and object attributes for that.

Procedure

  1. Open the Symbols bar if it is not already open by clicking Symbols Symbols.

    The Symbols bar provides object symbols, graphic objects, and text for insertion into the modeling area. It also allows you to filter the available object symbols by entering names and create connections between objects.

    Modeling component - Symbols bar

  2. Click Free-form text Text. When you drag the mouse pointer onto the model background, an icon is added to the pointer: Free-form texts

  3. Click the position in the modeling area where you want to place the text. A text box opens, in which you can make your entry.

  4. Click next to the text box to finish the input.

Your text is displayed in the model and you can place it anywhere.

Change free-form text

In an open model, you can change the content of free-form text any way you want.

Warning

Free-form texts are not saved in groups and are thus not protected by access privileges for groups. Therefore, it is possible to have reports output the free-form texts of models for which the person running the report does not have read privileges. Therefore, remember not to include confidential information in free-form texts but to use model and object attributes for that.

Procedure

  1. In the modeling area, click the free-form text twice. Alternatively, you can click the free-form text and then press the F2 key.

  2. Use the arrow keys to select the text area you want to overwrite.

  3. Overwrite the text area you want to modify.

  4. Click next to the text box to end the input.

The free-form text is modified.

Format free-form text

In an open model, you have several options for formatting free-form texts. You can format the entire free-form text as well as a selected part of the free-form text.

Warning

Free-form texts are not saved in groups and are thus not protected by access privileges for groups. Therefore, it is possible to have reports output the free-form texts of models for which the person running the report does not have read privileges. Therefore, remember not to include confidential information in free-form texts but to use model and object attributes for that.

Procedure

  1. To format the entire free-form text, click the free-form text. It is marked by handles.

  2. Activate the Format tab bar.

  3. Select formatting options, such as Bold Bold or Centered Centered.

  4. To format selected free-from text, click the free-form text twice. Alternatively, you can click the free-form text and then press the F2 key. Use the arrow keys to select the text area you want to overwrite.

  5. Select formatting options, such as Bold Bold or Font Font.

The free-form text is formatted.

Tip

Alternatively, you can select all or a part of the free-form text. The formatting toolbar is displayed above the selection to format the selected free-form text.

The formatting toolbar is enabled for the selected texts, for example, for the text of the placed attributes or free-form text. The formatting bar is not available for attributes that the system changes, for example, for the attribute Creator.

You can format the free-form text and placed attributes of models, objects, and connections in the modeling area.

Prerequisite

The attribute you selected can be edited. You cannot change or delete the attribute values of attributes that the system defines. Such values are placed in gray cells, for example, Type.

Procedure

  1. Open a model.

  2. Double-click the free-form text or the placed attribute of a model, object, or connection so that the text is selected. The formatting toolbar is shown.

  3. In the formatting toolbar, click the button for the formatting you want to assign to the selected attribute, for example, Increase indent Increase indent.

    Text formatting bar

    The formatting information is directly applied to the selected attribute.

  4. Click an empty area in the modeling area. The attribute selection is undone.

You have formatted the placed attribute.

Procedure

  1. Select the placed attribute in the modeling area.

  2. Click the attribute again.

    Text formatting bar

The text of the attribute is selected for you to overwrite it, and the formatting toolbar is shown. If you deselect the placed attribute, the formatting toolbar is hidden.

Move free-form text

In an open model, you can place free-form text anywhere in the modeling area.

Warning

Free-form texts are not saved in groups and are thus not protected by access privileges for groups. Therefore, it is possible to have reports output the free-form texts of models for which the person running the report does not have read privileges. Therefore, remember not to include confidential information in free-form texts but to use model and object attributes for that.

Procedure

  1. Click the free-form text and hold down the mouse button.

  2. Drag the free-form text to the position where you want to place it.

  3. Release the mouse button.

The free-form text is placed at the new position.

Tip

You can also move selected free-form text using the keyboard:

  • Use the Shift key and the arrow keys to move it by increments of one gridline.

  • Use the Ctrl key and the arrow keys to move it regardless of the grid.

  • Use the Alt key and the arrow keys to move it by increments of four gridlines.

Use free-form text as occurrence copy

In an open model, you can create a free-form text as an occurrence copy to make changes to text at different positions in the model or in various models at once.

Copy of the occurrence, that is, only the graphical representation of an object, rather than the entire object as with the definition copy.

All occurrence copies of an object represent the underlying object definition.

You can create copies of objects. When copying an object, you can decide whether you wish to create a new object (a definition copy) or a new object symbol for an existing object (an occurrence copy).

It is helpful to create a copy of the object symbol for an existing object - that is, only a copy of the occurrence of an object - if exactly the same object is used at various positions in the model or in different models.

For example, if, in the model, you are creating, Plant 1 supplies goods at various points of the model, it is advisable to use occurrence copies at these points. These refer to the same object, and any changes to this object apply to all occurrence copies.

If you want to rename Plant 1 to Plant A, for example, you only need to do this for ONE of the occurrences: The names of all other occurrences are simultaneously changed to Plant A.

Warning

Free-form texts are not saved in groups and are thus not protected by access privileges for groups. Therefore, it is possible to have reports output the free-form texts of models for which the person running the report does not have read privileges. Therefore, remember not to include confidential information in free-form texts but to use model and object attributes for that.

Procedure

  1. Click the free-form text and select Copy Copy.

  2. In the same model or in another model, click Paste Paste as > Occurrence copy.

  3. Move the mouse pointer to the position in the model at which you want to place the occurrence copy of the free-form text.

A new occurrence exists for the same free-form text. If you edit one of the occurrences, the free-form text of the other occurrences is also changed automatically.

Tip

You can copy free-form text as a normal copy, that is, as text that can be changed without affecting other free-form texts, using the Copy/Paste functionality.

Show formatting toolbar

The formatting toolbar is enabled for the selected texts, for example, for the text of the placed attributes or free-form text. The formatting bar is not available for attributes that the system changes, for example, for the attribute Creator.

You can format the free-form text and placed attributes of models, objects, and connections in the modeling area.

Prerequisite

The attribute you selected can be edited. You cannot change or delete the attribute values of attributes that the system defines. Such values are placed in gray cells, for example, Type.

Procedure

  1. Open a model.

  2. Double-click the free-form text or the placed attribute of a model, object, or connection so that the text is selected. The formatting toolbar is shown.

  3. In the formatting toolbar, click the button for the formatting you want to assign to the selected attribute, for example, Increase indent Increase indent.

    Text formatting bar

    The formatting information is directly applied to the selected attribute.

  4. Click an empty area in the modeling area. The attribute selection is undone.

You have formatted the placed attribute.

In an open model, you have several options for formatting free-form texts. You can format the entire free-form text as well as a selected part of the free-form text.

Warning

Free-form texts are not saved in groups and are thus not protected by access privileges for groups. Therefore, it is possible to have reports output the free-form texts of models for which the person running the report does not have read privileges. Therefore, remember not to include confidential information in free-form texts but to use model and object attributes for that.

Procedure

  1. To format the entire free-form text, click the free-form text. It is marked by handles.

  2. Activate the Format tab bar.

  3. Select formatting options, such as Bold Bold or Centered Centered.

  4. To format selected free-from text, click the free-form text twice. Alternatively, you can click the free-form text and then press the F2 key. Use the arrow keys to select the text area you want to overwrite.

  5. Select formatting options, such as Bold Bold or Font Font.

The free-form text is formatted.

Tip

Alternatively, you can select all or a part of the free-form text. The formatting toolbar is displayed above the selection to format the selected free-form text.

Procedure

  1. Select the placed attribute in the modeling area.

  2. Click the attribute again.

    Text formatting bar

The text of the attribute is selected for you to overwrite it, and the formatting toolbar is shown. If you deselect the placed attribute, the formatting toolbar is hidden.