Re: How many use the diagram tree?

[<ashalper cox net>]

> From: Lars Clausen <lrclause@cs.uiuc.edu>
> Date: 2003/08/11 Mon AM 11:35:33 EDT
> 
> On 10 Aug 2003, James K. Lowden wrote:
> > <rant> One thing I've never understood is Visio's facination with
> > handles.  Why?  Any 14-year-old knows a line consists of an infinite set
> > of points.  What's the purpose of picking out some few as more
> > significant than the rest?  Why isn't every point on the line a handle?
> > Draw a line, drag it to another line.  Of course they connect.  What in
> > world else would anyone want?  But, no, isn't it much more fun, more like
> > a video game, to play "Hit the Handle" and see it go from red to green or
> > whatever?  Why do real work when you could be improving your eye-hand
> > coördination?  </rant>
> 
> Nice rant:)  I've toyed with the nothing of altering the handle system to
> at least allow a 'drop line into object' style.  It would indeed be nice if
> you could attach anywhere.  The only reason I see for the handles is to
> have a way to attach 'prettily', i.e. exactly in the middle or exactly at
> the corner.  What's ERwin do there?

It's not possible to detach the relationship lines from their entity boxes once the relationship is created.  Relationships are created by depressing the appropriate tool, then clicking on the parent entity, then the child entity in sequence.  Once the relationship line is created, drag is allowed anywhere on the line (there are no handles on the line), but the line always remains attached to its respective entity(s) until it's deleted, or the parent/child entity is deleted.

I find it alternately useful/annoying depending on what I'm trying to do.

Andy