An Entity is a title bar over a list of fields, each a name with an optional type. It is the box at the heart of a UML class diagram and an entity-relationship diagram alike, and it lives in the palette's Components category.
Adding one and filling it in
Add an Entity from the Components category. It arrives with two example fields.
Double-click its title to rename it — the title is an ordinary element label.
Right-click the entity and open Tools → Fields to edit the rows: a name, an optional type, a remove button, and Add field.
The type column is optional. Leave it blank for a rough sketch or an attribute list where the type does not matter, and the row simply shows the name.
Modelling with them
- Class diagrams. Put attributes and methods in the same list; a method reads naturally as
render(): voidin the name column. - Data models. One entity per table, one row per column, with the type beside it.
- Relationships are ordinary arrows. Pin one to each entity and it stays attached as you move them; the arrow styles include the hollow triangle and hollow diamond heads UML uses for inheritance and aggregation.
Entities are ordinary elements underneath, so a theme recolours them, the format painter copies their look, and they export with everything else.
Was this article helpful?