Modeling in the iGrafx Platform

Navigate the Enterprise Model

The following sections describe how to navigate a repository enterprise model.

The Repository Tree

Click the Hamburger icon 

in the upper left of the iGrafx Platform and then click Model.

When you display the Model area, the most recently viewed repository object is selected by default. Repository objects with child objects are displayed with an up or down error. Click the arrows to expand or contract the display.

The repository tree contains two types of root folders:

• Enterprise Object folders. These root folders are distinguishable by an icon such as a chess piece icon

  

  for the Strategies folder. These folders contain specialized objects for enterprise modeling.
• Document folders. Displayed below the Enterprise Object Folders with this icon

  

  , these folders contain documents (e.g. iGrafx Client documents, Office documents, etc.), web-authored diagrams, and some types of enterprise objects (e.g. Web Address, Performance Indicator, etc).

Viewing object details

To view repository object details, click the object text label. When selected, the object is highlighted, the tree is expanded or contracted (if the object has children), and the object details are displayed in the right frame.

Clicking near a label (and not on it), only expands or contracts the tree (unless there are no child objects). The object is not selected!

When a tree object is not highlighted, it's details are NOT displayed in the right frame. Instead, the details of the previously selected object remain displayed in the right frame.

Create a repository object

From the repository tree:

1. Click a repository object text label (or folder text label) in the repository tree to highlight the object
2. Click ADD OBJECT at the top of the repository tree
   The ADD command is not displayed when some types of objects are selected. These are object types (e.g. Reports) that can't have child objects.
3. In the Select drop-down, click the object type you wish to create
4. Click CONTINUE
5. Type a Name
6. Set additional options as desired
7. Click FINISH

Rename, Delete, Move, or Copy a repository object

1. Right-click a repository object and choose the desired command from the context menu
2. Complete the dialog and finish the operation (e.g. click CONFIRM SELECTION)

Delete, Move, or Copy Multiple Objects at Once

The Expand Mode interface provides additional methods for manipulating objects including:

• Drag-and-drop to move or copy selected objects
• Move, copy, or delete multiple selected objects

Some operations are not allowed if you don't have the appropriate permissions. For example, in Expand mode, only objects with a Move icon 

 can be moved. In addition, you might be able to select an object to copy it but you might not have permission to delete the object.

To drag-and-drop move or copy one or more objects:

1. Click the Expand button 

   

    above the repository tree
2. Click the check box 

   

   next to one or more object names
3. Drag and drop the Move icon

   

    to change the location of an object 
4. Click the Collapse button 

   

    above the repository tree or click Collapse button 

   

   in the upper right to exit the Expand mode

To Move, Copy or Delete objects with a command button:

1. Click the Expand button 

   

    above the repository tree
2. Click the check box 

   

   next to one or more object names
3. With the check box(s) selected 

   

   , click MOVE, COPY or DELETE in the lower right
4. Choose a destination and click CONFIRM SELECTION or DELETE
5. Click the Collapse button 

   

    above the repository tree or click Collapse button 

   

   in the upper right to exit the Expand mode
   

Rename:

Rename is not available on multiple selected objects.

Deleing, moving, and copying multiple objects at once is also possible from an object's contains section. 

To Move, Copy, or Delete objects from the Contains section:

1. Navigate to the parent of the objects you are managing
2. Expand the Contains section
3. Click the check box next to one or more object names
4. Click MOVE, COPY, or DELETE (located in the bottom right)
5. Choose a destination and click CONFIRM SELECTION or DELETE

Breadcrumbs

The Platform provides breadcrumbs as a navigation aid through the repository tree. You can configure the breadcrumb to display in one of two different formats:

• Show Ancestors: The breadcrumb displays parents of the current object up the complete tree hierarchy
• Show Recent History: The breadcrumb displays a history of the last 5 items visited during the current session

The breadcrumb navigation capability allows you to quickly navigate back and forth between previously-visited items or within the full folder structure hierarchy of any given item. This reduces time spent trying to locate a repository item.

Where appropriate, breadcrumb entries can be drag and dropped to the Relationships page, and the Item Properties page to create relationships

To change the breadcrumb format:

1. Click a repository object text label
2. On the upper, right side of the screen, click the drop-down arrow displayed next to the object name (circled below):
   

   

   
   
   
3. Choose either Show Ancestors or Show Recent History

To turn Breadcrumbs on or off:

1. Click your login name at the upper-right corner of the Platform
2. Choose My Profile
3. In the "Model Area" section, set the Show Breadcrumbs switch

Viewing Diagrams

Two diagram types may be viewed in a repository:

• Client-authored: These are created with iGrafx FlowCharter, iGrafx Process, or iGrafx Process for Six Sigma
• Web-authored: These are created in the Platform with a browser

By default, clicking a diagram name (Client or Web authored) in the repository tree will display the diagram on the right side. If the diagram is not displayed, click the DIAGRAM tab in the right frame.

When viewing diagrams, to display object details, click the Open Object Navigation button (circled below)

Client-authored diagrams are always contained within a .igx repository object representing the document. To view the Client document diagrams:

1. Expand the document object in the repository tree
2. Click one of the child diagrams in the repository tree

Alternatively, after selecting a Client document object, in the right pane, click the DIAGRAMS tab, then click VIEW DIAGRAMS

Overview of Object Details Tabs

Depending on the type of enterprise object selected in the tree view, the resulting enterprise object page will contain a subset of the following tabs. For information on individual enterprise object types, see Enterprise Objects and Folders.

<Object Type> Tab

This is the leftmost tab for all selected enterprise objects. What appears on this tab depends on the object selected.

• For enterprise objects, Web Diagrams and Client Diagrams, it displays editable Summary, Purpose and Instruction details, the Contains table, Risks, and RACI assignments. For diagrams, a link to the diagram is displayed.
• For Folders, it displays the Contains table.

SETTINGS Tab

For Resource, Work Product, and Requirement objects, the SETTINGS tab contains editable settings that affect the function of the specific object selected.

RELATIONSHIPS Tab

For all enterprise objects except Folders, Charts, and Tables, relationships are listed and assigned on this tab.

ASSIGNMENTS Tab

For Resource and External Agent objects, the Assignments tab lists Direct Assignments and Assignments from Roles, which you can filter by RACI Assignment type or Object type.

ITEM PROPERTIES Tab

The ITEM PROPERTIES tab lists Standard Properties for the object as well as any Custom Properties that have been defined for it. For more information, see Using Repository Item Properties

MANAGE CYCLES Tab

For Web Diagrams, Client Documents, and External Files, the Manage Cycles tab provides control of the Review, Approval, and Endorsement cycles of the associated diagram, allowing you to schedule and start cycles and assign Cycle Groups specific to a particular diagram.

HISTORY Tab

The History tab reports the version history over the life of the object.

PERMISSIONS Tab

For all objects in the enterprise model, the PERMISSIONS tab lets you view the various effective and explicit Item Role Assignments that apply to the object. You can also explicitly assign roles to an object from this tab.

Changing Repositories

When viewing the Model area, the last repository that you viewed is displayed. If your iGrafx Platform has multiple repositories and you've been granted access rights to additional repositories then follow these steps to change repositories:

1. Click the "More Vert" icon

   

   next to your name on the upper right corner of the iGrafx Platform display. A dialog displays the current repository (e.g. "Global Corporation" in the below screenshot):
   

   

   
   
   
2. Click the current repository name (e.g. "Global Corporation) and then click an alternative repository name (e.g. "Training Repository" in the below screenshot):