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Cheat sheet

One of UMLBoard's goals is to have a lightweight and easy-to-use interface. However, there are still some shortcuts and features to memorize. The following list contains some of the most common functions, so you don't have to keep all of them in mind.

Wheelmenu

  • Switch Commands: Shift + Hovering
    While hovering the mosue over a menu item with two subitems, pressing Shift lets you switch between the available subitems.
  • Move Menu: Click and Drag
    Left click-and-hold on the wheel-menu and drag it with the mouse to move it to a new position.

Groups

  • Creating Groups 1: Drag + Ctrl/Cmd
    Press Ctrl/Cmd while dragging a selection rectangle to draw a group. Release the mosue to create the group.
  • Creating Groups 2: Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + G
    Use this shortcut to directly switch to group-creation mode. In that way, you don't have to keep the Ctrl/Cmd key pressed while dragging the rectangle.
  • Move Group Name: Drag + Shift
    Press Shift while dragging a group's name to move the name independently of the group.

Relations

  • Move Relations: Drag / Arrow Keys
    Click and drag a relation to move it up/down or right/left (depending on its orientation). This works for all relations as long as they are orthogonally attached to their elements (either on two horizontal docking points or two vertical ones). You can also use the arrow keys to move the relation.
  • Move Relation Name: Drag + Shift
    Press Shift while dragging a relation's name to move the name independently of the relation.
  • Switching between overlapping relations: Cmd/Ctrl + Left/Right
    Hover the mouse over overlapping relations and press Cmd/Ctrl and Left or Right to navigate through all relations under your mouse position. Click to select the relevant relation.

Docking Points

  • Automatic Docking Points: Drag and Drop Line onto Element
    When dropping a connection line inside an element, the line connection will automatically choose the best suited docking point when its source or target element are moved around.
  • Fixed Docking Point: Drag and Drop Line onto Docking Point
    Dropping a line directly on one of the four docking points of an element will lock the connection to this point. Even when you move the elements around, the line will keep its docking position.
  • Move Docking Point: Shift + Drag
    To specifiy the exact position where a line should connect to an element, press Shift while dragging the line onto the element's border. The new position will be indicated by a small dot. Release the mouse to create the connection.

Anchor Points

  • Create Anchor Points: Ctrl/Cmd + Click
    Press Ctrl/Cmd and click anywhere on a connection to create an anchor point.
  • Delete Anchor Points: Click + Del
    Click on an anchor point to select it and press Del to remove it.
  • Move Anchor Points: Click + Drag
    Select the anchor point by clicking on it and drag it to the desired position.

Notes

  • Editing a Note: Select and Enter
    Click on a note to select it and press Enter to start editing.
  • Add linebreaks when editing a note: Shift + Enter while editing
    When inside the edit field of a note, press Shift + Enter to add a linebreak. Press Enter to complete your editing.

Members

  • Move Members between Classes: Click + Drag
    Select one or more members (properties, methods or freetext) in a class and drag them onto another class. The members will be moved to the target class. Drag and drop the members within the same class to rearrange their order.

  • Copy Members between Classes: Ctrl/Cmd + Drag
    Press Ctrl/Cmd while dragging a member from one class to another to create a copy of this member in the target class.

Other Shortcuts

  • Create a class: Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + C
  • Create a note: Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + N

The following shortcuts all work when either a class is selected or any member inside a class:

  • Create a property: Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + P
  • Create a method: Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + M
  • Create a freeformtext: Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + F

Last update: December 20, 2023