18.3 Notes and Arrows

Models often benefit from the use of longer explanations than are desirable in branch (node) descriptions. Node comments, described in the section Node comments, are useful for the model builder, but not for someone looking at a printout or image of the model.

Using notes and arrows, you can provide the model’s audience with an overview of the whole model, or specific nodes or subtrees.

Creating notes

Any number of notes can be created. Boxes are initially placed independent of any node, but can be bound to particular nodes if desired. Each box can use a different font, but all must use the same outline format (solid/dashed/none).

To draw a note in a tree:

  • Click on Note in the Tree Diagram Editor Palette. The mouse cursor becomes cross hairs.

  • With the mouse, click and drag somewhere in the Tree Diagram Editor. Make the box large enough to hold the text you wish to enter.

  • ...OR...

  • Right-click on the white space around the tree and choose Add > Note.

A yellow rectangular box is created that resembles a "Post-It" note. Within the box is a blinking text insertion caret, indicating that text can be entered in the note by typing. Text entered in the note will automatically wrap to the width of the box. If you enter text that does not fit into the box, the visible text will be truncated with an ellipsis (...) indicating that some text is not visible. Re-size the note to display additional text (see next section).

The font of the active note can be changed. Each note can use a different font, but all text within a single note uses the same font.

To change the font of a note:

  • First deselect the node by clicking elsewhere in the tree.

  • Right-click near the edges of the note box (away from the text), and choose Note Font from the context menu.

  • Select the font options from the font dialog.

To see what the note will look like when printed, deselect it by clicking elsewhere in the tree.

The other options in the right-click context menu can be used to change the note's other visual characteristics, including text, fill, and line color.

To change the note outline:

  • Right-click on the note and choose from the Format > Line Color or Line Type sub-menus.

Changing text in a note

To change the text in a note, you must first activate the text.

  • To activate the text in a note:

  • Select the note box, and then press the F2 key.

  • ... OR ...

  • Click three times on the text in the note. (The first click selects the note shape, the second selects the text box within the note shape, and the third activates the text insertion caret within the text.)

Once the text is activated, you can modify the text by typing or using standard editing commands (BACKSPACE, DELETE, cut/copy/paste, etc.).

Moving, resizing, hiding and deleting notes

In order to move, resize, or delete a note, you must first select it. A note that is activated for text entry, displaying the blinking text caret, is not selected.

To select a note:

  • Click once on the note.

The selected note will display a small square with "handles” at each of its four corners and on each of its sides. These handles are used to resize the note.

To resize a note:

  • Move the mouse over one of the note's handles until the cursor appears as a double-sided resizing arrow.

  • Click on the handle.

  • Click and drag the handle to change the size and proportions of the note.

The corner handles allow you to resize both the height and width of the note, while the side handles only allow you to resize one or the other dimension.

To move a note:

  • Click on the note and drag it to the desired location.

The right-click context menu can be used to cut, copy or delete a note.

To delete a note:

  • Right-click on the note and select Cut or Delete from the context menu.

The context menu's Copy command can be used to copy a note into the clipboard. The main menu's Edit > Paste command can then be used to create a duplicate copy of the original note.

Displaying/Hiding all notes

When notes are placed in a model, it may sometimes be useful to hide all the notes which have been created.

  • Open Tree Preferences > Display > Node Text/Comments.

  • Check the box "Hide all notes" to either hide/unhide all notes.

Binding a note to a node

When a note is placed in a model, it remains fixed in place relative to the top left corner of the tree window, and will not adapt to changes made to the tree. If nodes are added or deleted, for example, an existing note may overlap another object. This problem can be avoided by binding a note to a node.

To bind a note to a node:

  • Click on the note and drag it just above the node to which you want to bind your note.

  • When the red line appears above the node, release the mouse button.

The bound note will be aligned directly above the selected node, and will move with the node as the tree structure changes. The width of the note will be tied to the width of the bound node, and the text will automatically wrap to display all text.

A bound note box can still be cut/deleted via the right-click context menu.

Creating arrows

You can draw arrows in conjunction with annotating a tree. Arrows are generally used to associate an unbound note with one or more nodes.

To draw an arrow from a note to a node:

  • Click on the Arrow in the Modeling Palette.

  • Move the mouse to the note. When over the note, the cursor shape will be an arrow without the "not allowed" character.

  • Click on the note and hold down the mouse button.

  • Drag the mouse to the node.

  • Release the mouse.

When the Arrow option is selected from the Modeling Palette, the mouse pointer will change to the shape of an arrow with a "not allowed" character. When the mouse is over an element in the Tree Diagram Editor that is valid for an arrow connector, the "not allowed" character will disappear.

By default, the arrow will be displayed as a dotted line with no arrow markers at either end. However, the arrow's format can be edited. The figure below shows a note with arrows to three nodes. The format of each arrow is different, and the formatting context menu (via right-click) is shown.

Arrows can be edited in the following ways.

  • Use the formatting context menu to change the line color, width, type and style.

  • Use the formatting context menu to change the arrow types for the source and target end.

  • Use the formatting context menu to delete the arrow.

  • Click on the arrow to create a bend point to break the arrow into separate line segments.

  • Drag a bend point to form a straight line to remove it.