Creating annotations

You can create annotations through a diagram or from the browser.

Procedure

  1. Click the appropriate icon in the Diagram Tools for the type of annotation you want to create.
  2. Single-click or click-and-drag in the diagram to place the annotation at the intended location.
  3. Type the note text or expression.
  4. Press Ctrl+Enter to terminate editing.

Results

The same annotation can apply to more than one model element and multiple annotations can apply to the same model element. You can use "ownership" instead of an anchor. For example, if a requirement is owned by a class, it is a requirement of the class.

The new annotation is displayed in the diagram, and in the browser if it is a modeled annotation. Documentation notes and text are graphical annotations and exist only in the diagram; all the other IBM® Rational® Rhapsody® annotations are modeled annotations, and are part of the model itself. Because modeled annotations are part of the model, they can be viewed in the browser. In addition, you can move modeled annotations to new owners using the browser, and can drag-and-drop them from the browser into diagrams. Modeled annotations are displayed under separate categories in the browser by type.

Browser showing modeled annotations in separate categories by type

Adding annotations in the browser

About this task

Alternatively, you can create modeled annotations in the browser.

Procedure

  1. Right-click the element that needs the annotation.
  2. Select Add New > Annotations > Constraint, Comment, or Controlled File. The new annotation is added under the selected element.

Results

An annotation created using the browser does not anchor the annotation to the specified model element. However, you can organize annotations so that anchoring is implied.
  • To view the features for an anchored element, select the element in the list, and then click the Invoke Feature Dialog button Invoke Feature Dialog button.
  • To anchor additional elements to this annotation, click the Select button Select button or the <Select> line in the list to select the elements from the hierarchical display.
Select Model Element window

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