LML Diagrams

Asset Diagram

Learn more about creating, modifying and removing Assets and Conduits in Innoslate's Asset Diagram.

 Using Asset Diagrams

Function Description
Creating Asset Diagrams Using ‘Diagrams View’ in Innoslate, you can create a new ‘Asset Diagram.’
Asset Diagram Constructs The ‘Asset Diagram’ supports two unique diagram constructs: an ‘Asset’ and a ‘Conduit.’ 
Adding an Asset An ‘Asset’ construct can be added to an ‘Asset Diagram’ via drag-and-drop.
Modify an Asset An overview of the editing options for an Asset Construct. 
Adding a Conduit ‘Conduit’ construct can be added to an ‘Asset Diagram’ via drag-and-drop.
Modify a Conduit An overview of the editing options for a Conduit Construct.
Removing a Construct A construct can be easily removed from an ‘Asset Diagram.’
Adding Pictures to an Asset Diagram Add a background picture or to a specific construct in an Asset Diagram.
Editing Multiple Assets An overview of the editing options for multiple Assets when selected.
Asset Diagram Settings Review of the Settings options for the Asset Diagram.

 

The ‘Asset Diagram’ is traditionally known as a block diagram or a physical block diagram. This diagram conforms to the LML Specification 1.4 definition of an ‘Asset Diagram’, which requires a diagram representation of the physical components of a system model.

AssetDiagram

Creating Asset Diagrams

Within the ‘Diagrams Dashboard,’ users can create a new diagram by clicking the ‘Create Diagram’ button in the top right corner of the page.  

creating_asset

Clicking the ‘Create Diagram’ button will open the Create Diagram dialog where you will be directed through the process of creating a new diagram.

  1. Choose Which Type of Diagram to Create
    In step 1, select ‘Asset Diagram,’ under ‘LML,’ as your diagram type.

                   creating_asset_step1

     

    Click the ‘Next’ button.

                        creating_asset_step2

  2. Specify New Root Action Information
    In step 2, you will be prompted to input a diagram ‘Name’ (required), ‘Number’ (optional), and ‘Description’ (optional). Then, click the ‘Finish’ button to save and automatically open your new Asset Diagram.

                         creating_asset_step3

Asset Diagram Constructs

The ‘Asset Diagram’ supports two unique diagram constructs, an ‘Asset’ and a ‘Conduit.’ Each diagram construct is described in more detail below:

  • Asset

    This construct is used to capture the physical components of a system.

    In the system model, a simple Asset entity is generated to represent an ‘Asset’ construct with no additional diagram-specific information. Innoslate’s default database schema includes labels to specify the type of this Asset entity as a(n) Architecture, Block, Context, Environment, External System, Facility, Infrastructure, Materiale, Organization, Package, Personnel, Segment, Service, Subsystem, and/or System.

    In the diagram, this construct is represented as a rounded block containing the number and name of the ‘Asset.’

                                                                            asset_construct_1
  • Conduit

    This construct is used to capture the relationships between the physical components of a system.

    In the system model, a Conduit entity is generated to represent a ‘Conduit’ construct with a connects to relationship to each of the entities which represent the two connected constructs. Innoslate’s default database schema includes labels to specify the type of this Conduit entity as a(n) Aggregation, Association, Cable, Composition, Downlink, Interface, Network, Pipe, Roadway, Uplink, and/or Wireless.

    In the diagram, this construct is represented as a solid line connecting two ‘Asset’ constructs and a line label containing the name of the ‘Conduit.’

                                conduit_construct

Adding an Asset

An ‘Asset’ construct can be added to an Asset Diagram via drag-and-drop.

  1. Within an Asset Diagram, click the ‘Asset’ icon in the ‘New’ tab of the left sidebar and continue to hold down the left mouse button.

    add_asset_step1

  2. Drag the ‘Asset’ icon over to the adjacent diagram canvas.

    add_asset_step2

3. Release the left mouse button while over the diagram canvas to drop the new ‘Asset’ and add it to the diagram.

add_asset_step3

Notice the ‘Asset’ stays selected once it has been dropped. Since it is selected, the toolbar changes to include buttons for functions that can be used on the construct. The left sidebar also changes to include additional ‘Metadata,’ ‘Attributes’ and ‘Relationships’ tabs for modification.

The default Innoslate Schema does not have attributes for Assets as this can depend on the project and its purpose. To modify the attributes, users will need to go to the Schema Editor and add attributes.

4. Once added to the diagram, enter a meaningful ‘Name’ for your new ‘Asset’ via the ‘Attributes’ tab of the left sidebar (focused automatically for convenience).

add_asset_step4

5. Click the ‘Save’ button located on the toolbar to persist your changes to your project’s database.

add_asset_step5

* Note: The above process describes using the ‘New’ tab of the left sidebar, which automatically generates a new entity to represent each new diagram construct. If you would like to reuse existing entities from your database to represent a new construct, use the ‘Existing’ tab instead.

Modifying an Asset

When an Asset is selected, the top toolbar options provide options as shown and explained below.

modify options asset

modify options asset-open

The Open dropdown will open up the Asset into other views. For more clarification on the Open dropdown please see here

modify options asset-boldmodify options asset-italicize

 

This button will 'Bold' the name for the Asset in the construct on the canvas.

This button will 'Italicize' the name for the Asset construct on the canvas.  

modify options asset-change text color

 

 

Using the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the 'Change Text Fill Color Option', users can change the text color of the Asset's name in the construct on the canvas by selecting the color associated close to the desired color and selecting from the color canvas in the dropdown or simply inputting in the fields the proper codes and numbers.

modify options asset-change fill color

To change the color of the construct of the Asset construct on the Canvas, the 'Change Fill Color' option can be used with the HTML Color Picker dropdown, by selecting the color associated close to the desired color and selecting fromt he color canvas in the dropdown or simply inputting in the fields the proper codes and numbers.

modify options asset-reset color

The 'Reset color back to default' option will reset the construct fill and text color back to gray and black. 

modify options asset-mark externalThe 'Mark External' option allows users to exclude an Asset from the diagram's root entity's decomposition. It adds an 'External' label and changes the Asset's color to a darker gray to distinguish it (as shown below). The Mark External button then also changes to 'Mark Internal.' If users want to include the Asset back into the decomposition and remove the label, they can use the 'Mark Internal' button. This feature is particularly useful when including an Asset in a diagram that does not need to be part of the hierarchy.

modify options asset-mark internal

 

Adding a Conduit

‘Conduit’ construct can be added to an ‘Asset Diagram‘ via drag-and-drop. The example used on this page connects two ‘Asset’ constructs with a ‘Conduit’ construct.

  1. Within an Asset Diagram, select the ‘Asset’ you would like connected to another ‘Asset.’

    add_conduit_step1

  2. Click one of the green circles on the selected ‘Asset’ and continue to hold down the left mouse button.

    add_conduit_step2

  3. Drag the green circle over to another ‘Asset’ of your choice.

    add_conduit_step3

  4. When the other ‘Asset’ box highlights green, release the left mouse button to drop the new ‘Conduit’ and add it to the diagram.

    add_conduit_step4

     

    Notice the ‘Conduit’ stays selected once it has been dropped. Since it is selected, the toolbar changes to include buttons for functions that can be used on the construct. The left sidebar also changes to include additional ‘Metadata,’ ‘Attributes’ and ‘Relationships’ tabs.

  5. Once added to the diagram, enter a meaningful ‘Name’ for your new ‘Conduit’ via the ‘Attributes’ tab of the left sidebar (focused automatically for convenience).

    add_conduit_step5

  6. Click the ‘Save’ button located on the toolbar to persist your changes to your project’s database.

    add_conduit_step6

Note that users also may drag the name of the of Conduit on the canvas, by selecting the name and dragging it. Upon doing so, a line will appear to indicate the Conduit label's name, as indicated in the blue circle below.

conduit label line

Modifying a Conduit

modify options conduit

When the conduit is selected, users will notice the top toolbar provides options to modify its appearance. Below we will go over each option.

modify options conduit- openThe Open dropdown will open up the conduit into other views. For more clarification on the Open dropdown please see here

modify options conduit- bold

This button will 'Bold' the label for the Conduit on the canvas.

modify options conduit- italicize

This button will 'Italicize' the label for the Conduit on the canvas.  

modify options conduit- change text colorUsing the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the 'Change Text Fill Color Option', users can change the text color of the label to the conduit the canvas by selecting the color associated close to the desired color and selecting from the color canvas in the dropdown or simply inputting in the fields the proper codes and numbers.

modify options conduit- change line color

To change the color of the Conduit on the Canvas, the 'Change Stroke/line color option' can be used with the HTML Color Picker dropdown, by selecting the color associated close to the desired color and selecting fromt he color canvas in the dropdown or simply inputting in the fields the proper codes and numbers.

modify options conduit- reset color

The 'Reset color back to default' option will bring the color of the Conduit's line and text colors back to black.

modify options conduit- line options

The line construct on the canvas for the Conduit can be changed with the options under the 'Line Options' dropdown. Users may change the line to be Straight, Orthogonal, a Lightning Bolt, Binary or Dashed. This dropdown also provides features to Hide or Show the conduit's label, or change the conduit's line to the label be straight or curved. The Reset Label option will reset the conduit back to straight and make the label of the conduit appear on the line of the construct. The Item Flow options will add arrows to the line for users that need to show flow. The flow options are Undirected, Directed, Reverse or Bidirectional.

Removing a Construct

A construct can be easily removed from an ‘Asset Diagram.’

  1. Within an ‘Asset Diagram,’ select the construct you wish to remove. This will make the toolbar appear with red Remove buttons as show below.

    remove_asset_step1
  2. Click the ‘Remove’ button to remove the construct from the diagram (as the default action).

    remove_asset_step2

     

    remove dropdown line act diag canvas

  3. The ‘Remove’ button also includes a drop-down menu where you can select ‘Delete from Database’ or the default option of ‘Remove from Diagram.’ 

     

Adding Pictures to the Asset Diagram

pictures asset diagram

The Asset Diagram in Innoslate stands out for its unique feature that allows users to attach pictures to Asset constructs, displaying them directly on the diagram canvas. Users also have the option to add background pictures to enhance their Asset Diagrams. This section will delve into these features.

Adding a Picture to an Asset Construct

upload pic to asset 1

To add a picture to an Asset, this will be done on the left sidebar under the Metadata Tab. There is an upload icon right under the Asset indicator in this tab for users to upload their picture. Upon clicking on the Upload image button, the PC's File System will pop up to find the picture file to upload. 

upload pic to asset 2

When the picture is uploaded, it will reflect in the box and appear in the Diagram.

upload pic to asset 3

The above four options underneath the picture will appear as shown above. The options from left to right are to Upload a new picutre, Download the picture, View the picture in full size and to Delete it.

Add a Background Image to an Asset Diagram

background image 1 Within the Asset Diagram toolbar at the bottom, you will find a 'Change Background' button. This feature allows you to upload a picture as the background for your diagram. Simply click on the button to access your PC's File System and select the desired image to set as the background.

Upon adding the picture, note the 'X' button appear next to the 'Change Background' button so that users may remove it.

background image 2

⚠️File sizes can be no larger than 100MB on Innoslate Cloud. This size can be configured for Innoslate Enterprise instances.

⚠️File types can be any image files. Note, GIFs will not animate on the canvas, but will animate when expanding the full size of the picture and on the Metadata Tab.

Multiple Assets Selected on Canvas

multiple selected 1

Users may drag their cursor outside of the constructs and a box will appear to select as many multiple entites the user desires. Many features on the top toolbar will appear upon doing so for the user to utilize. Let's go over each option as highlighted below.

multiple selected modify options

multiple selected modify-bold Users may Bold all the names of the multiple entities selected on the canvas.

multiple selected modify-italicize

Users may Italicize all the names of the multiple entities selected on the canvas.

multiple selected modify-change text color

Using the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the Text Fill Color Option, users can change the text color of the multiple entities selected on the canvas by selecting the color associated close to the desired color simply inputting in the fields the proper codes and numbers.

 

multiple selected modify-change fill color

Using the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the Text Fill Color Option, users can change the color of the constructs of the multiple entities selected on the canvas.

multiple selected modify-change line colorUsing the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the Change Stroke/Line Color Option, users can change the color that borders the constructs of the multiple entities selected on the canvas.

reset color mult ent act diag

The Reset color back to default option will change the multiple entities selected on the canvas back to the default gray and black colors.

align vertically mult ent select act diag canvas

This selection will align the constructs vertically for the multiple entities selected on the canvas.

align horiz mult ent select act diag canvas

This selection will align the constructs horizontally for the multiple entities selected on the canvas.

Clone Shape

clone shape asset diagram

The Clone Shape option is to bring size uniformity to the diagram's constructs. When this option is selected, the green highlighed entity will be what the other constructs clone to so they are all the same size.

Asset Diagram Settings

asset diagram settings

asset diagram settings 2

The Settings dropdown is the Wrench Icon on the top right of the toolbar frame. The below options are shown for this dropdown for the Asset Diagram.

Users may generate a Systems Requirements Document (SRD) right from their Asset Diagram.

Users may also hide/show External Assets and/or Cross-Project Indicators.asset diagram settings 3

asset diagram settings 4Users may Auto Number their constructs, add a prefix and/or auto number on a single level. The below window will appear for users to choose from those options.

asset diagram settings auto number

The final options provide users to reset their diagram, layout the diagram and go directly to the Help Center page on the Asset Diagram for convenience.

asset diagram settings 5

Hide Sidebar on the Left of the Toolbar Frame

hide sidebar

Can't find the left sidebar or need to hide it for presentation purposes? Be sure to note the Hide Sidebar option on the left of the Toolbar Frame. 

Tutorial Video

 

To continue learning about LML Diagrams, Click Here.

(Next Article: Spider Diagram)