Create and work with graphs
This topic explains how to create and work with graphs—a useful feature for exploring the connections between your project items.
What do you want to do?
- Generate a graph
- Show item colors on a graph
- Change the items displayed on a graph
- Follow associations in your project by graphing sources and nodes
- Convert a graph into a new dynamic model
Generate a graph
You can select a source or node and generate a graph to show how it is connected to other items in your project.
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In List View, click the source or node you want to graph.
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On the Explore tab, in the Visualizations group, click Graph.
The graph is displayed in Detail View.
Show item colors on a graph
If you have assigned colors to sources, nodes or attribute values that are displayed in the graph, you can display the item color indicator on the graph shapes.
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On the View tab, in the Visualization group, click Color Scheme, and then click Item Colors.
NOTE You can also set the application options to display item colors by default when you create a graph—refer to Set application options (Display tab options) for more information.
Change the items displayed on a graph
You can choose to show more or fewer associated items on a graph—for example, if you have graphed a source, you may want to see only the nodes that code the source or only the 'see also' links and memos.
To show more or fewer associated items on a graph:
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On the Graph tab, in the Display group, select or clear the check box for the items you want to show or hide.
Follow associations in your project by graphing sources and nodes
You can select an item in a graph and then generate another graph to see this item's associations—this allows you to follow the associations in your project.
To create a graph of an item displayed on a graph:
- In the graph displayed in Detail View, click the source or node you want to graph.
- On the Explore tab, in the Visualizations group, click Graph.
The graph is displayed in Detail View.
Convert a graph into a new dynamic model
You can create a new dynamic model from the graph displayed in Detail view.
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On the Graph tab, in the Create group, click Create Model from Graph.
The New Model dialog box opens.
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(Optional) Change the Name or add a Description.
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Click OK.
NOTE If you have created your own folders, you can click Select and select an alternate location—refer to Work with folders (Create a new folder) for more information.