Working with model diagrams : Moving elements
Moving model diagram elements around
You will inevitably want to change the layout of the elements in your model diagram. For the elements you have placed on the diagram yourself, such as compartments and variables, you will find that at some stage you need to move them around, to make the diagram neater, easier to understand, etc. For some elements, such as the route taken by arrows and the placement of labels, you will want to arrange them to suit yourself: perhaps an influence arrow goes behind a compartment, or two labels run together.
The basic steps are:
- Select the
pointer tool if not already selected. - Move the mouse to the element you wish to move.
- Click to select the element.
- Drag the element to the new position.
For node-type elements, the effect is pretty obvious. But note that:
- All arrows are sticky, so that moving any node-type element causes all the arrows associated with it to move around, according to the built-in arrow pathway algorithm.
- Nodes cannot be moved into space occupied by other nodes. However, if you keep on dragging past an obstruction, then the element you are moving will leap into position as soon as there is sufficient free space.
Special considerations apply to the following elements:
Working with model diagrams : Moving labels
Moving labels
You can move a label for a model element independently of moving the element itself. (I.e. if you move the element, the label keeps the same relative position; but if you move the label, then only the label moves - the element doesn't.)
There is no constraint on where you move the label to, so it is possible for the label to be visually far removed from the element that it is labelling. You can also move the label to be inside the element: e.g. a compartment label inside the compartment, or a submodel label inside the submodel rather than (by default) just outside it. Clicking on either the label or the element will highlight both, which is useful if you reach a situation where it is not obvious which label goes with which element.
To move a label relative to its element, the element itself must not be selected. If the element is selected, then dragging the mouse across the label will select the text of the label, allowing you to edit the label. To move the label instead, click in a blank area of the diagram or choose "Unselect all" from the context menu to ensure that nothing is selected, and then drag the label to its new position.
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Working with model diagrams : Moving flow or squirt valve symbols
Moving flow or squirt valve symbols
If a flow or squirt arrow has a "kink",you can adjust the position where this is drawn by clicking on the middle section, well away from the bowtie symbol, and dragging it along the length of the rest of the flow. In other cases, you cannot change the actual path taken by a flow arrow. However, you can always change the position of the valve (bowtie or target) symbol on the arrow, by dragging it along the arrow in the desired direction. You can also move the cloud associated with flows or squirts, generating a corresponding re-alignment of the route.
If you draw two flows between the same two compartments in the same direction, then the second one may partially overlap the first, including the valve symbol. You can move one or both valve symbols or kinks to enable each to be handled separately.
If you draw two flows between the same two compartments in opposite directions, then the flows may partially overlap, but the valve symbols will not, so that you do not have to move them for each one to be visible.
In: Contents >> Working with model diagrams >> Moving model diagram elements
Working with model diagrams : Moving influence arrows
Moving influence arrows
With influence arrows, you can change the route taken by the arrow. Simply drag any part of the arrow, and the whole arrow will be redrawn along a new curve.
Where an influence arrow is broken into several segments, as it traverses submodel boundaries, each segment is treated independently. Thus, dragging one segment only affects that segment. Dragging a node at the start or end of the influence arrow likewise only affects the first or last segment.
You can move the dot where the influence arrow crosses a submodel boundary. This changes only the two segments that enter or leave the dot. Click on the dot or on the arrow head connected to it, and drag around the boundary. It can be quite hard to select the dot/arrowhead for moving rather than the link shaft on either side.
In: Contents >> Working with model diagrams >> Moving model diagram elements
Working with model diagrams : Moving role arrows
Moving role arrows
Role arrows can be moved in the same way as influence arrows, by dragging any part of them. Note that as for influences, the endpoints of a role arrow cannot be moved as such; the effect of dragging them is the same as that of dragging any other part of the arrow.
When a relation arrow crosses several submodel boundaries then, as with influence arrows, the effect of such changes are local to a given segment of the relation arrow. You can drag the blobs that are drawn where they cross intermediate submodel boundaries, and this will affect the routes of the sections either side of that boundary.
Two role arrows that connect the same pair of submodels cannot be positioned directly on top of one another.
In: Contents >> Working with model diagrams >> Moving model diagram elements
Working with model diagrams : Moving and re-sizing submodels
Moving and re-sizing submodels
The following rules govern the behaviour of the 
move tool, when applied to submodels.
- dragging in any blank area of a submodel moves the whole submodel and all its contents, if the submodel is selected;
- dragging the submodel boundary resizes the submodel by moving the boundary that is dragged; and
- dragging a corner of the submodel resizes the submodel in both the horizontal and vertical directions.
If a submodel is not selected (i.e. the boundary is not drawn blue) then dragging in a blank area within the submodel draws a rectangular marquee for selecting elements within the submodel. Only if the submodel is selected, is it possible to move it by dragging.
When moving or re-sizing a submodel, there must be sufficient area of blank canvas (with no obstructing elements) available.
Note that it is not possible to move an element across a submodel boundary, or vice versa. This is because such a move would change the actual semantics (mathematical properties) of the model, which "move" operations generally do not. It is necessary instead to cut the element (or group of elements) from one side of the boundary, and paste them in the other. This will cause any links between the element(s) and other parts of the model diagram to be broken, and they must be added again individually.
If a lot of elements are to be moved in or out of a submodel, it may be easier to delete the submodel boundary and redraw it around a different group of components. Any special properties of the submodel, e.g., dimensions, will have to be set again when it is re-created.
In: Contents >> Working with model diagrams >> Moving model diagram elements
Working with model diagrams : Moving groups of elements
Moving groups of elements
To move a group of elements while keeping them in the same places relative to each other, select the whole group as described in Selecting model diagram elements, then click on any selected element, or inside any selected submodel, and drag. It must be a fully selected element (not a highlit link connecting a non-selected element) and only components inside the same submodel as the dragged component will be moved.
Movement will stop if any component in the group being moved collides with another component. In very complex models, moving large groups of components may cause Simile's graphics to respond slowly as it redraws highlit links and checks for collisions. If this becomes a problem, use the preferences dialogue to choose "Quick drag" as described in Preferences: Edit. This turns off collision detection and link updating during a drag, allowing the graphics to run at full speed. In this mode, link re-routing and collision detection are done only when the group is dropped at the end of the drag. If the move results in elements overlapping, or ending up in a different submodel from where they started, the selection will return to where it was at the start of the drag.