Whiteboard Relation Tool

Guide

Relation Tool simplifies the creation, modification and deletion of relations between entities. It works for all kinds of relations, including many-to-one, many-to-many, and even self-relations. In a nutshell, you have a new way to work with relations visually 🥹.

Using the Relation Tool

To use the Relation tool, follow these steps:

Ensure that the Show relations is turned ON. This mode enables the visibility of the Relation tool.
Locate the Relation tool icon in the toolbar

Click on the Relation tool icon or use the shortcut key R to activate the Relation tool.

Use the Relation tool to create relations between entities by clicking and dragging from one entity to another.
Alternatively, hold down the Shift key while creating a line from one entity to another to create a relation

Note that if you attempt to create a relation between entities that have no existing relations, a visual indicator will notify you that the relation will not be created.

Styling and Settings

The Relation tool has predefined styling rules for relations that can't changed.

Color:
- For 1-* relations, the color of the parent entity is used
Line:
- Relations are represented by dashed lines to distinguish them from usual connectors.
Arrow. The number of arrows depends on the relation type:
- For 1-1 relations, no arrows are displayed.
- For 1-* relations, one arrow is displayed.
- For *-* relations, two arrows are displayed on both ends.

Deleting Relations

To delete a relation, follow these steps:

Select the relation arrow between entities.
Press the "Delete" key or use the Unlink action to delete the selected relation (You can also delete a relation by dropping it onto an empty space)
Deleting a relation removes the corresponding relation from the database.

Converting Connectors to Relations

You can convert connectors to relations by following these steps:

Select multiple connectors that you want to convert to relations.
Click … and select Convert to Relations.
The selected connectors will be converted to relations, maintaining their assigned properties.