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Manipulating SymbolsLocate this document in the navigation structure

You can select symbols in a PowerDesigner diagram using standard gestures. You can edit properties of the selected symbol's object or it's sub-objects, and resize the symbol by clicking and dragging on its handles.

Click on a symbol with the default Pointer tool to select it. To select:
  • Additional symbols, press and hold Shift while clicking them.
  • All symbols in an area, click and hold while dragging the pointer over the area.
  • All symbols connected to a symbol, click the symbol and then select Start of the navigation path Edit Next navigation step Select Connected Symbols End of the navigation path
  • All symbols in the diagram, press Ctrl+A, click the Grabber tool, or select Start of the navigation path Edit Next navigation step Select All End of the navigation path

In the following example, the Customer table is selected, and can be moved by dragging or resized by dragging on one of its handles:
Symbol - Selected

Note To resize all the symbols in a diagram at once, click the Grabber tool and then drag one of the handles.

When a symbol is selected, clicking on one of its object properties lets you edit its value. Now, the table name is selected for editing:
Symbol - Edit Property

When an object property is selected for editing, you can navigate through its editable properties and on into its sub-object properties by pressing the Tab or Shift+Tab keys.

Note You can control the object and sub-object properties that appear on a symbol using display preferences (Start of the navigation path Tools Next navigation step Display Preferences End of the navigation path).

When a symbol is selected, clicking on one of its sub-objects selects that sub-object. Now, the Customer activity column sub-object is selected:
Symbol - SubObject Selected

You can navigate up and down in the list of sub-objects by pressing the Up Arrow or Down Arrow keys. When a sub-object is selected, clicking on one of its properties lets you edit its value. Now the Customer activity column name is selected for editing:
Symbol - Edit SubProperty

To create a new sub-object at the end of the list, press Ctrl+N. To insert a new sub-object above the selected sub-object, press Ctrl+I. To delete the selected sub-object, press Del. Right-clicking a sub-object opens a contextual menu offering useful commands.

When a sub-object property is selected for editing, you can navigate right and left along the line of its editable properties by pressing the Tab or Shift+Tab keys.

Note The following kinds of properties are not editable via object symbols:
  • Boolean properties, such as the Abstract property on OOM class symbols.
  • Custom indicators, such as those used to identify keys and indexes on PDM table symbols.
  • Certain calculated properties, such as Domain or Datatype on PDM table symbols.