Reordering lifelines and messages in sequence diagrams

In sequence diagrams, you can reorder lifelines or move a message across other messages and interaction fragments on the same lifeline or on another lifeline to reorder the sequence in which the messages occur. After you reorder a message, the message number automatically indicates the updated position on the lifeline.

Before you begin

Restriction:
  • You cannot directly reorder a skewed asynchronous message. For the message renumbering to occur, you must move the other messages around it to change the skewed order.
  • You cannot change the order between a send message and a return message.
You must have a sequence diagram open that contains at least two lifelines with messages.

About this task

To move a message or lifeline:

Procedure

  1. Right-click a message or lifeline; then click Select Message Set/Reorder.
  2. Drag the message or lifeline to move it to the new location. The grid guideline indicates where the message will be located in the diagram.

What to do next

Tip: You can reorder lifelines and messages by holding the Alt key and dragging the element to the new location.
Note: To connect a message to a different lifeline, click a message handle and drag it to another lifeline.

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