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7.7 Matrix Editor

7.7.1 Graph menu

New... lets you create new graphs with matrix representations. It opens a method selection dialog where you can select the method you want to use.

Open... lets you select an existing graph and open that as a matrix.

View is a submenu that lets you open the current graph:

as Diagram
as Matrix
as Table, or to browse it with the
Graph Browser.

Reports is a submenu that lets you:
Run... available reports
Create new report definitions or modify existing ones, opening a Report Browser.
ASCII Export the whole matrix into a Report Output tool to be saved or pasted into external programs, such as spreadsheets.
HTML Export the whole matrix into a Report Output tool as an HTML table.

Properties... opens a dialog for editing the properties of the graph.

Graph Info... opens a tool for viewing lock information and reuse of the element among different graphs and their representations.

Matrix Info... shows information about the matrix opened, such as number of elements on axes, in cells etc.

Print... sends the current matrix to your default printer.

Exit closes the Matrix Editor.

7.7.2 Edit menu

Delete removes the selected element from the axis or cell of the table.

Explosions... lets you edit or follow the links from the selected element to other graphs. You can add an explosion to an existing or a new graph, open an existing explosion, or remove an explosion.

Decomposition... lets you assign or open a decomposition graph for a selected object on the axis.

Make into Decomposition... lets you make a new decomposition graph from the selected set of elements on an axis, moving them and their relationships into that graph and replacing the group here with a new object.

Move To Decomposition... removes the selected object and its relationships from this graph, adding them to the decomposition graph of your choice.

Replace with Decomposition allows you to remove an existing link to a decomposition graph, and copy the contents into the current graph.

Properties lets you view and edit information about the axis or cell element.

7.7.3 View menu

Column Role shows the role element of the column objects in the cells.

Row Role shows the role element of the row objects in the cells.

Relationship shows relationships in the cells.

Directed? allows you to omit relationships that exist more than one time in the matrix when the related objects are in both axis.

Show All Columns shows all the hidden column objects on the horizontal axis.

Fit Window to Matrix adjusts the size of the window to the size of the matrix.

Refresh reads in all the relationships again and redraws the matrix.

7.7.4 Types menu

Includes a list of possible object types and relationships types. In the example figure the type menu includes the types of an OOAD Object Diagram.

Toolbar toggles the display of the object and relationship types in the toolbar.

7.7.5 Axis menu

Show Text displays the identifying property and no symbols for the objects on the axes.

Show Text + Symbol displays both the identifying property and a symbol for the objects on the axes.

Show Symbol displays only the symbols of the objects on the axes, and no text.

Swap Axes changes the objects on the row axis with those on the column axis.

Axis Tool... opens a tool for making changes quickly to many items on the axis, without refreshing the matrix after each change.

7.7.6 Cell menu

Show Text displays text and no symbols for the elements in the cells.

Show Text + Symbol displays both the text and a symbol for the elements in the cells.

Show Symbol displays only the symbols of the elements in the cells, and no text.

Text Display... lets you select what text is shown for each cell element. Alternatives for cell text display are: name and type, name, type, first letter of type, or ‘X’.

Hide Propertyless? filters out all those elements on the cell that do not have an identifying property. This is useful for hiding the less interesting role of a directed relationship, e.g. From in a Data Flow Diagram.

7.7.7 Format menu

Font... lets you set the font type for the matrix from the platform independent fonts supplied.

Column Widths... lets you set the widths of each axis column via a dialog.

Row Labels’ Widths... lets you set the width for the label text of the row axis via a dialog.

Autowidth automatically sets the widths of elements on both axes.

7.7.8 Analysis menu

Sort... lets you change the order of items on one or both of the axes.

Diagonalise sorts the axis so that cells with relationships are brought close to the diagonal. The choice of which axis’s items to move during diagonalisation is determined by which axis has an item selected.

7.7.9 Help menu

Matrix Editor opens a window showing instructions about the functions of the tool.

Method opens a window showing information about the method used.

7.7.10 Axis pop-up menu

Each axis of the matrix has a pop-up menu with the following items:

Properties... lets you view and edit information about the axis object.

Add... lets you create a new object and add it to the axis.

Add Existing... lets you pick up existing objects and add them to the axis.

Move lets you change the place of the selected object on the axis.

Delete removes the selected object from the axis. Note that you can set different policies for delete using the deletion options (see Section 2.1.3).

Subgraphs include functions for managing explosions and decomposition:

Explosions... lets you edit or follow the links from the selected object to other graphs. You can add an explosion to an existing or a new graph, open an existing explosion, or remove an explosion.

Decomposition... lets you assign or open a decomposition graph for a selected object on the axis.

Make into Decomposition... lets you make a new decomposition graph from the selected set of elements on an axis, moving them and their relationships into that graph and replacing the group here with a new object.

Move to Decomposition... removes the selected object and its relationships from this graph, adding them to the decomposition graph of your choice.

Replace with Decomposition allows you to remove an existing link to a decomposition graph, and copy the contents into the current graph.

The column axis menu has two additional items:

Hide hides the selected object and its column.

Show makes the hidden column adjacent to the selection visible again. View | Show All Columns shows all hidden column objects.

7.7.11 Cell pop-up menu

The cells of the matrix have a pop-up menu with the following items:

Properties.... lets you view and edit information about the element on a cell. If multiple elements exist in the same cell a dialog opens asking which one to edit.

Add... lets you create a new relationship between the row and column objects of this cell.

Move lets you change the place of the selected element on a matrix, i.e. moving a relationship and its roles to be between a different set of objects.

Delete removes the selected element from the cell. If multiple elements exist in the same cell a dialog opens asking which one to choose. Note that you can set different policies for delete using the deletion options (see Section 2.1.3).

Explode... lets you edit or follow the links from the selected element to other graphs. You can add an explosion to an existing or a new graph, open an existing explosion, or remove an explosion.



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