5.5 Using Configuration Presets

The Network view includes several global layout configurations, called presets. Define configuration presets at the following levels:

Global: A configuration available to all users.
User: A configuration defined by a user and available only to that user.
Element: A configuration setting saved and applied only to the current element in view.

To define configuration presets, review the following sections:

5.5.1 Updating the Configuration for the Current Element

It is possible to customize and save diagram settings for individual elements. This saved configuration is called an element preset.

A customized element preset takes precedence over global and user presets when displaying the element’s diagram. If no element preset exists, user presets take priority over global presets.

Modifying Configuration Settings

To modify configuration settings for the currently selected element:

Do one of the following to open the Edit Element Layout Properties dialog box:
- In the sidebar, click Edit Element Layout Properties.
- In the Control Panel, click the Edit element layout link.
In the sidebar, select a layout type:
- Tree
- Circular
- Orthogonal
- Hierarchical
- Organic
The Style and other settings in the dialog box vary depending on the selected layout type.

If necessary, update these settings. For more information to select the appropriate link, see Using Layout Rendering Features.

Saving the Layout

There are two ways to save the displayed view for the current element. Save the layout for the element only or save it for the class to which the element belongs. Saving a class layout automatically applies the saved layout to all elements in that class. If the Save Element Layout option is used, that layout displays when the Network view is open for the element. In other words, the saved element layout takes priority over the class layout.

To save the layout for the current element only, right-click the Network view background, then select Save Element Layout.

This saved layout is displayed when the Network view is open for the element.
To save the layout for the class to which the element belongs, right-click the Network view background, then select Save Element Class Layout.

This saved layout is displayed for any element in the class, unless a different layout was saved using the Save Element Layout option.

5.5.2 Working with Global and User Presets

To change the default global and user presets, use the Control Panel in the upper left corner of the of the view or use the sidebar icons.

Figure 5-1 Control Panel

Figure 5-2 Sidebar Controls

The following sections describe how to change both global and user presets as well as other settings:

Applying a Global or User Preset

The first step is selecting an existing global or user preset to see what it looks like when applied to an element.

To apply a global or user preset, do one of the following:

In the sidebar, click Layout Preset, then select a preset from the drop-down list.

HINT:The Layout Preset icon changes based on the current layout type selected.
In the Control Panel, click the current Layout selection, then select a preset from the drop-down list.

The diagram updates using the selected preset. The next step is modifying the global or user preset.

Modifying the Settings for a Preset

Do one of the following to open the Manage Layout Presets dialog box:
- In the sidebar, click Layout Preset, then select Manage Presets from the drop-down list.
- In the Control Panel, click the current Layout selection, then select Manage Presets from the drop-down list.
Click the Layout Presets drop-down, then select the preset to modify.

The settings update in the dialog box.
Edit the settings in the dialog box.

The settings vary by layout style (Tree, Circular, and so on).

For more information, see Using Layout Rendering Features.
To save the edited preset, do one of the following:
- To apply the settings and keep the dialog box open, click Apply.
- To save the settings and close the dialog box, click OK.

Editing the Preset Name, Display Type or Global/User Setting

In the Manage Layout Presets dialog box, click Edit Preset to open its dialog box.
Specify the name for the preset in the Layout Name field.
Click the Display Type drop-down list, then select the layout type.

For more information, see Using Layout Rendering Features for details on the different types.
To select a preset type, do one of the following:
- Select the Global Preset Layout radio button to make this layout available to all users.
- Select the User Preset Layout radio button to make this layout available in the user’s library of presets.

5.5.3 Creating and Deleting Presets

In some situations, creating a preset is preferable to modifying an existing preset. Review the following sections to create or delete a preset:

Creating a Preset

Do one of the following to open the Manage Layout Presets dialog box:
- In the sidebar, click Layout Preset, then select Manage Presets from the drop-down list.
- In the Control Panel, click the current Layout selection, then select Manage Presets from the drop-down list.
In the Manage Layout Presets dialog box, click New Preset to open the Create Preset dialog box.
Specify the name for the new preset in the Layout Name field.
Click the Display Type drop-down list, then select the layout type.
To select a preset type, do one of the following:
- Select the Global Preset Layout radio button to make this layout available to all users.
- Select the User Preset Layout radio button to make this layout available in the user’s library of presets.
Click OK.

The new preset displays as the current preset in the Manage Layout Presets dialog box.
In the Manage Layout Presets dialog box, select the layout style (Tree, Circular, and so on).

The settings on the right side of the dialog box update.

For more information, see Using Layout Rendering Features.
Edit the settings in the dialog box, which vary by layout style.

For more information, see Using Layout Rendering Features.

Deleting a Preset

Do one of the following to open the Manage Layout Presets dialog box:
- In the sidebar, click Layout Preset, then select Manage Presets from the drop-down list.
- In the Control Panel, click the current Layout selection, then select Manage Presets from the drop-down list.
In the Manage Layout Presets dialog box, click the Layout Presets drop-down list, then select the preset.

The settings update in the dialog box.
Click Delete to open a confirmation dialog box.

5.5.4 Using Layout Rendering Features

The Network view can render a hierarchy using the following layout styles:

Table 5-3 Relationship Browser Layout Rendering Options

Layout Style		Renders…
Tree		A tree-like structure with variations. Select from tree layout styles including: Directional, Balloon, Horizontal-Vertical, and Compact. For more information, see Tree Layout.
Circular		An interconnected ring or star topology. Layout emphasizes group structures within a network. It creates node partitions by analyzing the connectivity structure of the network, and arranging the partitions as separate circles. The circles are arranged in a radial tree layout. Select from circular layout styles including: BBC Compact, BBC Isolated, and Single Cycle. For more information, see Circular Layout.
Orthogonal		Members of a group share a common rectangular area. This produces compact drawings that are easy to read with no overlaps, few crossings, and few bends. Select from orthogonal layout styles including: Normal, Normal + Trees, Node Boxes, Uniform Node Sizes, and Mixed. For more information, see Orthogonal Layout.
Hierarchical		A visualization of hierarchical or pseudo-hierarchical scenarios. Portrays the precedence relation of directed graphs and highlights the main direction or flow within a directed graph. Automatically detects and resolves cyclic dependencies of nodes are. Places nodes in hierarchically arranged layers. Additionally, orders nodes within each layer to produce a minimal number of line (or edge) crossings. For more information, see Hierarchical Layout.
Organic		A clear representation of complex diagrams similar to ER diagrams or UML diagrams. Resulting layouts often expose the inherent symmetric and clustered structure of a graph, a well balanced distribution of nodes and few edge crossings. This is well suited for the visualization of highly connected backbone regions with attached peripheral ring or star structures. These structurally different regions of a network are easily identified in a diagram produced by this layout type. For more information, see Organic Layout.

These styles are listed in the sidebar of the Manage Layout Presets dialog box.

To manage layout styles, review the following sections:

Understanding the Different Layout Styles

Review the following sections for an understanding of the different layout styles:

Tree Layout

Table 5-4 lists the Tree layout styles. The resulting layout can differ from the examples shown because of the different structure elements, relationships, and layout options.

Table 5-4 Tree Layout Styles

Style	Description	Sample Rendering
Balloon	Generates subtrees in a radial shape around the parent node. Ideally suited for networks with a large number of nodes (such as 10,000 nodes).
Compact	Generates compact orthogonal tree drawings. Consider specifying a preferred aspect ratio (relation of width to height), which is useful when the layout needs to fit perfectly in the space available.
Directional	Generates tree drawings with a root node. Nodes are arranged either from top to bottom, left to right, or bottom to top. Mainly used for directed trees that have a unique root element. Route edge connectors as either straight lines or multisegmented lines.
Horizontal/ Vertical	Generates subtrees with horizontal or vertical layout.

Circular Layout

Table 5-5 lists the Circular layout styles. The resulting layout can differ from the examples shown because of the different structure elements, relationships, and layout options.

Table 5-5 Circular Layout Styles

Style	Description	Sample Rendering
BCC Compact	Each partition represents a bi‑connected component (BCC) of the graph. A bi‑connected component consists of nodes that are reachable by two edge-disjointed paths. Nodes that belong to more than one bi‑connected component are assigned exclusively to one partition.
BCC Isolated	Node partitions are formed the same way as for the BCC Compact style, except that all nodes belonging to more than one bi‑connected component are assigned an isolated partition.
Single Cycle	Arranges notes in a single circle.

Orthogonal Layout

The Orthogonal layout provides the style options as shown in Table 5-6. The resulting layout can differ from the examples shown because of the different structure elements, relationships, and layout options.

Table 5-6 Orthogonal Layout Styles

Style	Description	Sample Rendering
Normal	This layout does not change the node sizes. The drawing contains very few bends.
Normal + Tree	Same as Normal, except it processes larger subtrees using a specialized tree layout algorithm, which is better suited for tree-like structures than the original orthogonal layout style.
Uniform Node Sizes	Changes all node sizes to equal sizes before the processing the drawing.
Node Boxes	Resizes nodes according to the number and position of their neighbors to reduce the overall number of bends.
Mixed	Similar to Node Boxes, except it resizes all nodes to an equal size by introducing additional bends and routing the last line segment of these edges nonorthogonally to their adjacent nodes.

Hierarchical Layout

The Hierarchical layout provides the style options shown in Table 5-7 for rendering the diagram. The resulting layout can differ from the examples shown because of the different structure elements, relationships, and layout options.

Table 5-7 Hierarchical Layout Flows

Layout Flow	Could render similar to …
Bottom to Top, Top to Bottom
Right to Left, Left to Right

Layout Flow

Could render similar to …

Bottom to Top,

Top to Bottom

Right to Left,

Left to Right

Organic Layout

The Organic layout renders the layout based mainly on structures and relationships. Figure 5-3 is an example of a Network view rendered using the Organic layout type:

Figure 5-3 Organic Layout

Using a Different Layout Style

Do one of the following to open the Edit Element Layout Properties dialog box:
- In the sidebar, click Edit Element Layout Properties.
- In the Control Panel, click the Edit element layout link.
In the Edit Element Layout Properties dialog box, select a layout type in the sidebar (Tree, Circular, Orthogonal, and so on).
If necessary, modify the settings for the selected layout on the right side of the dialog box.

These settings vary by layout type.

For information on selecting the appropriate link, see Using Layout Rendering Features.
Click OK.

The diagram updates to use the selected layout style.

Saving the Current Layout as an Element Preset

Layout style changes display for the current session only. Save them explicitly for future use.

To save the current layout as an element preset:

To save the current view as an element preset for future use, right-click the layout background, then select Save Element Layout.
To select and display the saved element preset, do one of the following:
- In the sidebar, click Layout Preset, then select Current Element from the drop-down list.
- In the Control Panel, click the current Layout selection, then select Current Element from the drop-down list.
The diagram updates using the element preset.