Hyperlinking diagrams

This topic explains the types of hyperlinks you can create with Together and why you might want to create them. There are also step-by-step instructions for creating, viewing, removing, and browsing hyperlinks.

You can create hyperlinks from your diagrams to other system artifacts and browse directly to them. You can create hyperlinks from the current diagram as a whole, or from a selected diagram element (or group of elements) to...

• A new diagram (created on the fly)
  

• An existing diagram or diagram element anywhere in the project
  

• A document file on a local or remote storage device
  

• A URL on your company's intranet or on the Internet

You create, view, remove, and browse hyperlinks with the Hyperlink Tab speedmenu.

Add or remove hyperlinks using the speedmenus of the link-type nodes of the Hyperlinks tab

Why use hyperlinking?

• Link things that are generalities or overviews to specifics and details.
  

• Create browse sequences leading through different but related views in a specific order; create hierarchical browse sequences.
  

• Link descendant classes to ancestors; browse hierarchies
  

• Link diagrams or elements to standards or reference documents or generated documentation.
  

• Facilitate collaboration among team members

How to create hyperlinks

This section explains how to create the various kinds of hyperlinks. Hyperlinks exist within the context of projects, so you must first open a project to create or browse them. Hyperlinks are essentially properties which is why they appear in the properties Inspector.

Hyperlinking to a new diagram

You can create a hyperlink from an existing diagram or one of its elements to a new diagram that you create as part of the hyperlinking task. When creating a new diagram this way, the main difference in procedure is launching the New Diagram dialog from the Hyperlink tab instead of the Main menu. Of course, the new diagram is then hyperlinked to your originating element by default.

To create a new hyperlinked diagram:

1. Open an existing diagram from which to create the hyperlink (or create a new diagram).
   

2. Select the element or group of elements to which you want to link the new diagram. If you want to link to the diagram as a whole, click on the diagram background to deselect all elements.
   

3. Choose Properties from the speedmenu and select the Hyperlinks tab in the Inspector.
   

4. Right-click on the Element node to display the speedmenu.
   

5. Choose New Diagram to display the New Diagram dialog.
   

6. Specify the new diagram's type and location as described in Creating Diagrams in Projects and click OK.

The new diagram opens in the Diagram pane and the Hyperlinks tab displays the link to the originating diagram or element.

Hyperlinking to an existing diagram or diagram element

You can create a hyperlink from an existing diagram or one of its elements to any other diagram or diagram element In the project.

To create a hyperlink to an existing diagram or element:

1. Open an existing diagram from which to create the hyperlink (or create a new diagram).
   

2. Select the element or group of elements that you want to link to another diagram or element. If you want to link to the diagram as a whole, click on the diagram background to deselect all elements.
   

3. Choose Properties from the speedmenu and select the Hyperlinks tab in the Inspector.
   

4. Right-click on the node named Element to display the speedmenu.
   

5. If you want to link to a diagram, choose Existing Diagram. If you want to link to a Node in another diagram, choose Existing Element.
   

6. Select the desired diagram or element in the dialog that is now displayed. For element selection, you can expand diagram nodes in the selection dialog's treeview.
   

7. Click OK to close the dialog and create the link.

Hyperlinking to a URL or file

You can create hyperlinks from your UML diagrams to any on-line resource anywhere on the planet. For most users such hyperlinking will probably take the form of documents on a LAN or document server, or URLs on the company intranet . But you can just as easily link to on-line information from the OMG, newsgroups, discussion forums... if it's available on line you can link to it.

To create a hyperlink to a file or URL:

1. Open an existing diagram from which to create the hyperlink (or create a new diagram).
   

2. Select the element or group of elements that you want to link to another diagram or element. If you want to link to the diagram as a whole, click on the diagram background to deselect all elements.
   

3. Choose Properties from the speedmenu and select the Hyperlinks tab in the Inspector.
   

4. Right-click on the node named URL to display the URL dialog.
   

5. If linking to a file, enter the complete path, or browse for it. If linking to a URL, enter the URL.
   

6. Click OK to create the link.

Viewing hyperlinks

All the hyperlinks defined for any diagram or element display in the Hyperlinks tab of the properties Inspector. Select the Hyperlinks tab before checking diagrams for defined hyperlinks.

• To check if anything is hyperlinked to a diagram, click on the diagram background and then view the Hyperlinks tab for defined links.

• Then names of diagram elements that are hyperlinked to something else display in blue type. If you want to know what is hyperlinked to the element, click on the element (node or relationship link) and then view the Hyperlinks tab.

Browsing hyperlinked resources

Once you have found the defined hyperlink(s) for a selected diagram or element, you can use the Hyperlink tab's speedmenus to browse to the linked resource(s).

• Browsing to a linked diagram opens it in the Diagram pane or makes it the current diagram if already open.
  

• Browsing to a linked element causes its parent diagram to open or become current, and the diagram scrolls to the linked element and selects it.
  

• Browsing to a linked file launches the application registered in your system for the file type and loads the file.
  

• Browsing to a linked URL launches the your system's default Web browser and loads the URL.

To browse any hyperlink:

1. Right-click on the desired hyperlink in the Hyperlink tab.
   

2. Choose Open from the speedmenu.

Removing hyperlinks

You can remove hyperlinks as easily as you create them. Removal can be done from either "end" of a diagram or element hyperlink. That is, if you created a hyperlink from the diagram Foo to the diagram Bar, you can remove the hyperlink from either Foo or Bar.

To remove any hyperlink:

1. Open a diagram that displays the link you want to remove.
   

2. On the diagram speedmenu choose Properties.
   

3. Right-click on the link in the Hyperlinks tab.
   

4. Choose Remove from the speedmenu.