Tools for editing elements

There are several tools you can use to edit elements in a diagram.

You can use them to create space between elements, align them, select elements, delete them and more.

Edit with the Ring

You can use the left menu of the Ring to edit elements.

Depending on the element you select, the Ring contains the editing tools you can use for that element.

Hover over icons to see tooltips that help you understand the actions they perform.

Tool	Icon	Description
Edit element type		The options available depend on the type of element.
Copy		Copy the element.
Paste		Paste the element.
Delete		Delete the element.
Add label		Add labels to elements that don’t have room for an internal label.
Edit label		Edit labels.
Collapse Supbrocess		Collapses the Subprocess and hides its contents.
Expand Subprocess		Expands the Subprocess to show its contents.

Auto Layout tool

The Auto Layout tool automatically tidies up your diagrams by evenly aligning and spacing elements and connections. It enables you to create visually consistent and comprehensible diagrams and saves you time and the effort of manually moving elements into the proper position.

To automatically tidy up your diagram:

• In the toolbar, click .

Create space tool

You can use the create space and remove space tools if you need to create space for additional elements or reduce the diagram size.

Create space

1. Click .

   The moment you activate the tool, guides appear in the diagram.

2. Position the pointer over the area of the diagram where you want to create space.

3. Click, hold and drag in the direction you need to create space — horizontally or vertically — then release.

   To deactivate the tool, click again or press ESC.

Remove space

1. Click .

2. Position the pointer over the area where you want to remove space.

3. Click, hold and drag in the direction you need to remove space — horizontally or vertically — then release.

   To deactivate the tool, click again or press ESC.

Select elements

There are several ways to select elements in a diagram.

You can select an element by clicking on it or by using the Rectangular Selection or Select All tools.

Once you’ve selected the elements you can move, copy, delete or align them.

Rectangular selection tool

This tool enables you to select multiple elements in the diagram.

1. In the toolbar, click .

2. Click and drag the pointer to define an area around the elements you want to select.

   To deactivate the tool, click again or press ESC.

Select all tool

This tool enables you to select all the elements in the diagram.

• In the toolbar, click .

  To deactivate the tool, click again or press ESC.

Align elements

You can align and distribute one or multiple elements using the Ring or align and distribute them manually using guides and margins.

Align with the Ring

Use the Ring to align elements vertically or horizontally.

When you align elements vertically you can also align them to the right, left and in the center.

When you align elements horizontally you can also align them at the top, bottom or in the middle.

1. Select the elements you want to align.

2. Use the alignment options in the right Ring menu.

Align manually

If you’re adding elements from the Element Palette you can use the guides that appear to help you align the elements.

Vertical and horizontal guides appear when you drag and drop an element near another element. Margins also appear to help you distribute the elements evenly.