Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

Paste from Project Browser

As well as creating new elements in the current diagram, you can drag existing elements (individually or as a group) from the Project Browser into the diagram. To select multiple elements, click on the element names in the Project Browser while pressing and holding:

•Ctrl  to add single items to the selection of multiple elements, or
•Shift  to select all the elements between the first and last selected items
 

When you drag an element onto a diagram from the Project Browser, the system response depends on whether you are dragging a Package element or any other type of element. For information on dragging a Package element onto a diagram, see the Paste Packages topic.

Access     Drag existing element(s) onto the diagram
(If the Paste Element dialog does not display, press ( Ctrl ) while dragging the elements)

Select Paste options

Field/Button

Detail

See also

Paste as

Click on the drop-down arrow and select one of the paste types:

•Link - Paste the element as a simple link: in this case the one element is represented in the Project Browser and in any diagram to which it has been added; changes to the element are reflected in all diagrams in which it is shown
 
•Instance - Paste a copy of the element as a separate instance of the original element, classified by the original element; this is useful when creating multiple instances of a Class in a Sequence diagram or Communication diagram
 
•Invocation - Paste a copy of a State Machine or Activity element as an invocation of the source element; the resulting element is a State object or Action - respectively - with the source element as its classifier
 
•Property - Paste a copy of the element as a separate Object instance
 
•Attribute - (Available when dragging a classifier onto an element that supports attributes) Create a new attribute classified by the dragged classifier; the attribute is automatically selected in in-place editing so that you can add the attribute name
 
•Child - Paste the element as a child of the copied element - that is, as a new  element (which you are prompted to name) with a Generalization connector back to the copied element; this is very useful when you have a Class library or framework from which you inherit new forms - for example, you can paste a Hashtable as "MyHashtable" which automatically becomes a child of the original Hashtable
 
Used with the Override Parent Operations feature, this is a quick way to create new structures based on frameworks such as the Java SDK and the .NET SDK
 

 

 

 

 

Classifiers and Instances

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit Element Item Name

 

 

 

 

 
Override Parent Operations

 

Structural Elements

If the original element has any child elements (for example, if it is a composite element or nested element, or contains embedded elements) this field contains the value Select. Either:

•Leave this value as is, so that when you click on the OK button the Structural Elements dialog displays, from which you can select the child elements to reproduce with the pasted element, or
•Click on the drop-down arrow and select:
•None to not reproduce any child elements
•All to reproduce all child elements on the original element, or
•Based on Instance <diagram names> to reproduce the configuration of child elements on an instance of the original element on another diagram, if there are any other instances
 

The resulting Object element is created large enough to display the selected child elements laid out neatly within the Object border.

 

 

 

Manage Structural Elements

Copy Connectors

This checkbox is enabled when you select to paste the copied element as an instance, property or invocation.

Select the checkbox to reproduce on the diagram any connectors between the original element and any other elements that have also been pasted to this diagram, as connectors between the instances.

 

 

Select for all

(If dragging multiple elements onto the diagram at once.)

Select the checkbox to apply the dialog settings to all multiple-selected elements being dragged onto the diagram, and to add the elements together.

Leave the checkbox unselected to add the elements to the diagram one at a time, with the opportunity to change the dialog settings for each element.,

 

 

Options

Click on this button to display a short menu from which you can select to:

•Make your settings on this dialog the default for all drag and drop operations from the Project Browser, and
•Display this dialog for drag and drop operations only if you press and hold ( Ctrl ) as you drag the element onto the diagram
 

If you select the Autosave selection as default option, this deselects the Auto Instance checkbox on the Diagram > Behavior page of the Options dialog. The automatic paste operation becomes whatever you have set on the Paste dialog, and is not overridden by the paste-as-instance imposed by the Auto Instance checkbox.

If you select the Use Ctrl + Mouse drag to display this dialog option, you can drag elements from the Project Browser without displaying the dialog; the paste operation complies with whatever settings you used the last time you opened the dialog. To change these settings, hold Ctrl as you drag an element, and edit the field values on the dialog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diagram Behavior

OK

Click on this button to complete the paste operation and close the dialog.

 

 

Cancel

Click on this button to cancel the paste operation and close the dialog.

If you have selected multiple elements, the first-selected element is not pasted, but the remainder are.

 

 

Cancel All

(If dragging multiple elements onto the diagram at once.)

Click on this button to cancel the insertion of all the multiple-selected elements being dragged onto the diagram.

 

 

Help

Click on this button to display this Help topic.

 

 

Notes

•Not all paste options apply to all element types; for many types, the only option available is a Link
•When an element dragged from the Project Browser is pasted into the diagram, its default style and size is applied rather than any alternative styles and sizes used for instances of the element in other diagrams
 

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