Internal Block Diagram Modifications & Settings

In this section, we will explore the various editing options and settings that can be utilized when working with the Internal Block Diagram.

The previous article covers the basics of the constructs of the Internal Block Diagram. Below we will cover each constructs' editing options and the Internal Block Diagram's settings options. 

Block (Asset) Editing Options

Upon selecting a Block construct, users have options on the top toolbar frame to modify it on the canvas. Below we will cover each option.

Bold

 

This option will Bold the name of the Block selected on the canvas.

Italicize

This option will Italicize the name of the Block selected on the canvas.

Change Text Fill Color

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

Change Fill Color

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

Change Stroke/line color

Using the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the Change Line/Stroke Color Option, users can change the color that borders the Block selected on the canvas.

Reset Color back to default

The Reset color back to default option will change the Block text and filling on the canvas back to the default gray and black colors.

Port Editing Options

Upon selecting a Port, the following editing options appear on the top of the toolbar frame. 

We will cover each option below.

Bold

 

This option will Bold the name of the Port selected on the canvas.

Italicize

This option will Italicize the name of the Port selected on the canvas.

Change Text Fill Color

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

Change Stroke/line color

Using the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the Change Stroke/Line Color Option, users can change the color that borders the Port construct of the entity selected on the canvas.

Reset Color back to default

The Reset color back to default option will change the entity selected on the canvas back to the default gray and black text and filling colors.

Port Options Dropdown

Options in the dropdown provide users the ability to hide or show the label for the Port. The Port's direction will be indicated with an arrow. The direction is chosen in this Port Options dropdown. The type provides users the option to show if the port is going in, out or both in and out.

• The in arrow will point towards the Block.
• The out arrow will point away from the block.
• The in and out arrow will point both ways.

Connector Editing Options

Bold

 

This option will Bold the name of the Connector selected on the canvas.

Italicize

This option will Italicize the name of the Connector selected on the canvas.

Change Text Fill Color

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

Change Stroke/line color

Using the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the Change Line/Stroke Color Option, users can change the color of the Connector's line selected on the canvas.

Reset Color back to default

The Reset color back to default option will change the line and text of the Connector selected on the canvas back to the default black color.

Line Options

The Line Options dropdown allows users to change the Connector's line to straight or orthogonal. The label associated with the connector can be hidden (or if hidden, shown). IF the label is dragged away from the Connector construct, the label will have a line that can be straight or curved. After changes are made, the label can be reset. 

Lastly, the Item Flow of the Connector can be indicated in this dropdown. The below goes over the indicators that will appear from the options provided in this section.

Item Flow is indicated with the arrows in the connectors. Directed and Reverse will indicate the flow and point towards the desired Block. Bidriectional will be two triangles facing away from each other. Undirected lines will have no triangles on the connector.

Multiple Assets Selected

Users may select multiple constructs on the canvas by clicking and dragging their cursor outside of the constructs where a box will start to appear allowing them to select as many constructs as they desire. In this case, users have the option to change the appearance of these entities all at once. It's important to note that when selecting multiple entities, only the Blocks will be modified.

The options in this scenario are highlighted below and will be explained in further detail.   

Bold

 

This option will Bold the name of the Blocks selected on the canvas.

Italicize

This option will Italicize the name of the Blocks selected on the canvas.

Change Text Fill Color

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

Change Fill Color

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

Change Stroke/line color

Using the HTML Color Picker that drops down from the Change Line/Stroke Color Option, users can change the color that borders the Blocks selected on the canvas.

Reset Color back to default

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

IBD Settings

The wrench icon located at the top right of the toolbar frame is a fixed dropdown that remains the same regardless of the user's selection on the canvas. Let's explore the various options available in more detail.

Levels

The settings dropdown provides users the option to display up to 10 levels of decomposition. When not in the dropdown, note the blue box next to the wrench icon, indicates how many levels are selected and displayed in the diagram.

Hide/Show Constructs

This section of the Settings Dropdown allows users the ability hide (or show, if hidden) certain constructs (Ports, Constraints, Operations, Values) in the diagram.

Cross-Project Indicators

If using Cross-Project Relationships, users may show or hide indicators on the entities being pulled in from other projects. 

SysML Frame Edits

⚠️The SySML Frame is the green space the model is placed in on the canvas.

The Edit SysML Frame option will bring up the following modal.

Users may select the color of the frame with the  button indicated in green (the green color on the button will change to whatever color a user sets it to). Or bring it back to the defaulted green with the reset option .

The remaining options on the Modal are in relation to the Diagram Header located at the top left of the SysML frame, example below.  

The changes made to the Select SysML Diagram option refer to the text in the first brackets (ex. [Block]) known as the Model Element Type in the picture above. Note, the example above is from an IBD but shows the Block option as displayed in the aforementioned Modal. Therefore it is important to note, users may select a different digram type here, even if you're in a different diagram. The text will change but this option will not change the diagram itself.

The Select Parent option is a dropdown to select a Parent entity for the Model Element Name. This will change the text in between the bracketed texts. In the example above it is the 'FireSAT System' text.

Hide/Show SysML Frame

Users may use this option to hide (or show, if hidden) the SysML Frame as they wish.

Auto Number, Layout and Reset Diagram

Users may Auto Number their diagrams, where a pop up shows up to allow users to use the displayed order to determine the number sequence, provide a Prefix or enumerate the single level, as shown below.

The final options provide users to reset their diagram and layout the diagram if changes were made.

The very last option, 'Help,' will send users directly to the Help Center page for the Block Definition Diagram for convenience.

Frame Fix

When a construct is ouside of the SysML Frame, Innoslate will detect that and bring up a fix for this as indicaited with the orange exclamation point that appears next to the Settings dropdown.

When selected, a modal pops up to provide users the ability to fix or ignore the issue.

 

To continue learning about SysML Diagrams, Click Here.

(Next Article: Package Diagram)