Navigating the system hierarchy Copy link to clipboard
Double-clicking to navigate in and out Copy link to clipboard
Navigating the system hierarchy is easy:
- To navigate into a subsystem, just double-click on it. The contents of the subsystem will become visible in the main view. For example, see figure "Navigating the system hierarchy": In the top-left view, the user double-clicks on the collision avoidance subsystem. Follow the red arrow to see the main view change to displaying the opened subsystem.
- To move back to the containing system, double-click on the main view’s background; see the green arrows in figure "Navigating the system hierarchy". Alternatively, you can use the breadcrumbs to navigate upwards in the hierarchy. This way you can jump multiple hierarchy levels at once.
Navigating the system hierarchy
Previewing subsystems and input/output elements Copy link to clipboard
Hover with the mouse pointer over a subsystem, input, or output, or click on one of these elements once to get a preview of it. For example, in figure "Previewing a subsystem", the user has moved the mouse pointer over the collision avoidance subsystem (top-left). itemis Model Viewer immediately displays a preview of that block at the lower right of element. The same holds true for figure "Previewing an input", where the user has clicked on input number 1. A preview of the containing block is displayed.
Previewing a subsystem
Previewing an input
Breadcrumbs Copy link to clipboard
At the top of the main view you can see the breadcrumbs trail. It shows the navigation path from the outer model element to the one that your are currently viewing. You can click on any path element (“breadcrumb”) to directly navigate to it.
Figure "Breadcrumbs" shows a breadcrumbs trail that is three levels deep. See also figure "The itemis Model Viewer workbench" where the breadcrumbs trail marked by a blue rectangle.
Breadcrumbs
The Overview view Copy link to clipboard
The Overview view displays a reduced version of the complete model. In figure "The itemis Model Viewer workbench", you can find it in the top-left corner, marked with an orange rectangle.
If the model is larger than the main view’s viewport, a blue rectangular underlay appears in the overview. It highlights that part of the model that is currently visible in the main view. You can drag the underlay across the model to reposition the main view’s viewport to the model region you want to focus on.
- Click at the blue underlay in the overview.
- Keep the (left) mouse button pressed.
- Drag the mouse into the direction you want to pan the diagram. The diagram in the main window will follow.
- When you are done, release the mouse button.
The overview
The overview’s Preserve ratio button controls the overview’s appearance. If the button is pressed, the blue underlay maintains the same display proportions as the main view, and the model elements are scaled in proper proportion. If the Preserve ratio button is not pressed, however, the overview’s area is maxed out an the model image in the overview is scaled up to completely fill the available space. This feature is useful for models that are stretched extremely wide on one of the axes and might help to spot more details in the minified model version. On the other hand, model elements are scaled out of proportion – it’s up to you to decide.
The Outline view Copy link to clipboard
The Outline view displays a hierarchical tree view of the model and its elements. In figure "The itemis Model Viewer workbench", you can find it in the lower-left corner, marked with a green rectangle.
You can expand an element and make its children visible by clicking on the little hollow triangle in front of the element’s name. Click on the (now filled) triangle again to hide the element’s children. Figure "The outline view" shows an outline with one opened and one closed element.
Clicking on a subsystem or chart element in the outline opens that element in the main view. The element’s properties are shown in the properties view.
The outline view