Containers

A container is a shape in your LanFlow diagram that shows a group of objects, a subset, or some other collection or separation.

There are three ways to add a container to a LanFlow diagram. The first and easiest way is to choose a style from the current LanFlow diagram template. If the template has a Containers category in the Figure drop-down menu in the style bar, simply select it and place it on your LanFlow diagram as you would any other figure shape.

If the template you are using does not include predefined container styles, the next easiest method is to invoke the Insert Symbol feature to insert a predefined container symbol from the Figure Symbol Gallery.

To insert a container from the Figure Symbol Gallery

1. Without objects selected, right click on your LanFlow diagram and select Insert Symbol. Or choose the Insert Symbol feature from the Figures menu. The Figure Symbol Gallery dialog box appears.
2. Select the Containers category. The large window displays the pre-defined container shapes. Notice that containers are indicated by brackets surrounding their names.
3. In the large window, select a container shape and click OK.
4. Size and position the new container in your diagram.
5. Optionally, right click on the new container and toggle Active Container to activate the container so that objects within the container are kept together with the container (see below).

If you require a container of a shape that is not included in the template or the gallery, you can create one of your own based on any existing figure symbol.

To create your own container from any figure symbol

1. Create any shape in one of the usual ways such as by using the Insert Symbol feature from the Figures menu.
2. Enlarge the shape and move it to the back of the LanFlow diagram.

This method has some drawbacks. Most notably, the software will still treat the inside of the container as part of a figure making it a nuisance to select and connect objects within the container. To complete the construction of a container from any shape, adjust the figure properties as follows:

1. Remove the fill color by selecting the shape and choosing the “x” from the fill color drop menu. A figure with no fill color is treated as transparent. For example, you will be able to select and manipulate objects that are “beneath” the container. A figure that does not have a fill color can only be selected by clicking on its border or lassoing the whole object.
2. Hide the text areas of the container object. Do this by clicking the “Hidden” box in the Text tab of the Figure Properties dialog box - repeat for each text area if there is more than one in the figure. Hiding the text areas is an important step because text areas are selectable even when there is no fill. The result is that non-hidden text areas prevent you from selecting objects beneath the container (even if the text is blank).
3. Choose stylistic attributes. For example, you will often want a dashed or dotted container. Do this from the General tab of the Figure Properties dialog box.
4. Adjust behaviors for greater convenience. Do this from the Behaviors tab in the Figure Properties dialog box. We suggest the following settings:
   (a) Horizontal expansion = Expand to right
   (b) Vertical expansion = Expand down
   (c) Center stationary when resizing = unchecked
   (d) Center snaps to grid = unchecked
   (e) (optional) Active container - keep contained objects together = checked

Active Containers - Keeping Objects Together

The last behavior suggested above is recommended when using containers in their prescribed manner. The “Active Container“ behavior adds great power and simplicity to containers elevating them beyond drawing objects.

Containers with this property automatically keep any objects that are positioned within their bounds together for simple operations. If you move the container, all objects inside move along. If you copy it, the objects inside appear in the copy as well. If you delete it, the objects are removed. You can move individual objects into and out of the container simply by dragging them, but drag the container and them stay together.

Note, if the container is filled, only objects on top of the container are kept together. If it has no fill, all objects above or below are kept together.

It might seem that this behavior resembles a group (see Groups chapter). For simple operations like moving, copying, deleting, and so on, it is much like a group. However, it is more limited than a group and therefore more convenient for this purpose. For example, unlike a group, you never have to use the Group or Ungroup commands to change the contents, plus you always have full access to the included objects without having to ungroup first. Unlike a group, resizing a container expands it bounds rather than scaling it.