Reference Manual

In the manual, the reference information on ConceptDraw is grouped in the following chapters:

Manipulating Files and Windows
Internet Integration
Main Settings
Creating Objects
Manipulating Objects
Using Handles to Change the Appearance of Objects
Working with Text
Document
Optimizing the Environment
Libraries
Using the Object Parameter Table
Working with Other OLE-Compatible Applications

Manipulating Files and Windows

In ConceptDraw you can create, open, modify, save and print charts, diagrams, plans and various other documents.
ConceptDraw works with its own file types: document, template, library, workspace. Besides that, the powerful Import/Export functionality lets you work with data in files created in other applications and save your documents in different formats. The HTML export allows you to prepare your drawings for the Internet quickly and easily.

In this section, you can find information on the following issues:

Opening and Closing Files
Manipulating the Windows
Creating New ConceptDraw Files
Saving ConceptDraw Files
Importing Files
Exporting Files

Opening and Closing Files

You can open the following ConceptDraw files:

Documents (.cdd),
Template files (.cdt),
Library files (.cdl),
Workspace files (.cdw).

You can also open files of other formats: the content of such files will be imported into a new ConceptDraw document (e.g. inserted as picture) - see "Importing Files" for more detail.

Opening Files of All Types
Opening and Closing Documents
Opening and Closing Libraries
Using a Workspace to Open Documents and Libraries

Opening files of All Types

To open a file, call the Open dialog in one of the following ways:

a) select the Open command from the File menu,
b) click the Open button   on the toolbar,
c) use the keyboard:

Ctrl + O

Cmd + O

In the Open dialog:

1. Specify the desired file format and navigate disks and folders to find the needed file.
2. On finding the file you need, select it. To select several files, hold down the Ctrl key (in Windows) or the Cmd key (in Mac OS).
3. Click the Open button.

To quit the dialog at any moment, click Cancel.

Opening and Closing Documents

To open an existing ConceptDraw Document:

1. Call the Open dialog (File / Open).
2. By default, the Open dialog displays all ConceptDraw files. To find the needed document faster, you can select ConceptDraw Documents in the Files of type box - then only the documents will be shown.
3. Navigate disks and folders to find the needed document.
4. On finding the document you need, select it. To select several files, hold down the Ctrl key (in Windows) or the Cmd key (in Mac OS).
5. Click the Open button.

Note:  You can use the Recent Files List in the File menu (File / Open Recent in Mac OS) to quickly access the latest documents opened or saved before.

To close the active document, you can apply the Close command from the File menu.
To quickly close all the windows with documents, select Close All from the Window menu.

Opening and Closing Libraries

In ConceptDraw, the library files are opened in a special Library window (usually found to the left of the document window).

To open an existing ConceptDraw Library file:

- Choice 1:

1. Call the Open dialog (File / Open).
2. By default, the Open dialog displays all ConceptDraw files. To find the needed library faster, you can select ConceptDraw Library Files in the Files of type box - then only the libraries will be shown.
3. Navigate disks and folders to find the needed library file.
4. On finding the file you need, select it. To select several files, hold down the Ctrl key (in Windows) or the Cmd key (in Mac OS).
5. Click the Open button.

- Choice 2:

1. Click the Open Library button on the toolbar or choose Open from the Library menu.
   The Open dialog will come up and show the Libraries folder (or one of its subfolders).
2. Navigate the folders to find the needed library file.
3. Click to select the needed library. To open several libraries at once, select them holding down Ctrl (in Windows) or Cmd (in Mac OS).
4. Click Open, and all the chosen libraries will appear in the separate Library window.

Ctrl + Shift + O

Cmd + Shift + O

To close the active library, you can apply the Close command from the Library menu.
To quickly close all the open libraries, select Close All from the Library menu.

For more detail on manipulating libraries, see the "Using Libraries" section.

Using a Workspace to Open Documents and Libraries

In a Workspace file, the application stores a list of documents and libraries which should be opened, and information about their on-screen arrangement. By opening a workspace file you reproduce the needed state of the application. This lets you customize your working environment only once and use it repeatedly.

To open a ConceptDraw Workspace file:

1. Call the Open dialog (File / Open).
2. By default, the Open dialog displays all ConceptDraw files. To find the needed workspace file faster, you can select ConceptDraw Workspace Files in the Files of type box - then only the workspace files will be shown.
3. Navigate disks and folders to find the needed workspace file.
4. On finding the file you need, select it.
5. Click the Open button.

All the documents and libraries listed in the workspace file will be opened and arranged accordingly.

For more information, see the "Workspace Files" section.

Note:  ConceptDraw lets you create new workspace files to optimize the environment and facilitate your work: see "Saving a Workspace".

Manipulating the Windows

ConceptDraw opens each document in a separate window (see "Opening and Closing Files").
It is also possible to open several windows for working with the same document (e.g. if you need to see several pages simultaneously, or view the pages at different zoom levels).
To open a new window for the active document, select the New Window command from the Window menu.

To close the active window, you can
a) click the respective button on the window headline,
b) use the keyboard:

Ctrl + F4

Cmd + W

Note 1.  To quickly close all the windows together, select the Close All command from the Window menu.
Note 2.  The Close command of the File menu can be used to close the active window together with all the other windows in which the same document is displayed.

To switch between the open windows, you can use the Window menu. It holds the list of open windows and the documents displayed in them. The tick marks the active window. To switch to another window, just select it in the list.
If the number of open windows is more than 9, and the needed window is not displayed in the Window menu list, click on "More Windows". The Select Window dialog will appear. It holds the complete list of all open windows (the active one is shown selected). You can select the needed window in the list and click OK to make it active.

ConceptDraw lets you switch between all the open windows quickly, activating them one after another.
  To activate the next window (in cycle according to the list), you can use the following keys:

or apply the Next command from the window's menu (see the icon to the left of the File menu).

Note: You can also use the Window menu commands to arrange the open windows automatically:
Cascade - for arranging the windows so that they overlap partly, and each widow can be activated easily;
Tile Vertically and Tile Horizontally - for arranging the windows vertically or horizontally as non-overlapping tiles.

  In Mac system each window has a number (e.g. if you open 5 windows, they will get numbers from 1 to 5). You can activate the window by pressing its number key together with the Cmd key.

Creating New ConceptDraw Files

Creating a New Document
Creating a New Document from a Template
Using the Start Dialog to Create/Open Documents
Creating a New Library

Creating a New Document

To create a new ConceptDraw Document, you can use one of the following alternatives:

a) choose New / Document from the File menu,
b) click the New button  on the toolbar,
c) or use the keyboard:

Ctrl + N

Cmd + N

A new document page will appear in a separate window.

Note:  Each new document is based on the Blank Drawing.cdt template file (stored in the Libraries folder). You can set another template to be used by default for creating every new document - see the "Templates" section.

Creating a New Document from a Template

You can create a new document repeating an existing template.
A template includes a document with all its settings (scale, grid, measurement system, etc.) and a list of libraries needed for working with the document. When you create a new document from a template, the software creates a copy of the template document and opens all the libraries listed in the template file. You work with the copy, while the original document remains intact.
Using templates helps you focus on the work itself instead of setting up the document page and opening all the required libraries each time.

Templates are especially helpful when several documents must have common basic elements (company Logo, standard header, etc.).

To create a new document from a Template:

1. Choose New / Browse Templates from the File menu,
   or just get the standard Open dialog and set the the Files of Type box to the format ConceptDraw Template Files (.cdt).
2. In the dialog, navigate disks and folders to find the desired template.
3. Select the needed ConceptDraw Template file.
4. Click Open.

Ctrl + Alt + N

Cmd + Opt + N

For more information on using templates, see the "Templates" section.

Note:  ConceptDraw lets you create new templates to facilitate your work: see "Saving a Document as Template".

Using the Start Dialog to Create/Open Documents

The Start Dialog appears each time you launch the program. It offers the choice for you to

- create a new blank document (the Blank Document option),
- create a new document basing on a template (the Templates option),
- or open an existing document (the Open File option).

You can select one by clicking on it with the mouse.

If you prefer ConceptDraw to start without displaying this screen, you can disable the dialog. Just check "Don't show this screen again" at the bottom of the dialog.
Later, the Start Dialog can be reactivated in the Preferences dialog (Edit / Preferences), Default tab.

Creating a New Library

A Library is a set of ConceptDraw objects put together. The icons or names of these objects are displayed in a special Library window - from this window you can insert objects   into a document or copy them to another library.

To create a new Library file:

1. Select the New Library command from the File menu. An empty library box will appear in the library window.
2. Now you can add objects into the new library box: paste them from documents or from other libraries.
3. To save the new library, use the Library / Save menu.

Ctrl + Shift + N

Cmd + Shift + N

See the "Editing and Creating Libraries" section for more information.

Saving ConceptDraw Files

ConceptDraw lets you save documents

- in their native format (CDD),
- save a document as template (CDT) for future use,
- or save the entire workspace (CDW) to reproduce the current state of the application (all open documents and libraries and their arrangement).

And besides, the Save As dialog lets you select any other supported format, and your document will be exported to it - see "Exporting Files" for more detail.

Saving Documents
Saving a Document as Template
Saving a Workspace

Saving Documents

The documents created in ConceptDraw are saved in their native format (.cdd).
You can also save a document as template (.cdt) for future use.
If you need to save your document in another format, see the section for "Exporting Files".

To save the active document,
select Save from the File menu, or just click the Save button  on the toolbar.

Ctrl + S

Cmd + S

If you are saving the document for the first time, the Save As dialog opens to let you specify the filename and location.
If you have already saved the document before, the modified document will be saved under the previous filename.

You can choose to save the modified version of the document under a new filename:
apply the Save As command from the File menu and then specify the new file name and location.
Then the active document will be given the new filename and stored in the location you specified.

Ctrl + Shift + S

Cmd + Shift + S

You can also create a copy of the active document:
use the Save Copy As command  from the File menu and then specify the filename and location for the copy.
Creating a copy lets you save the current state, and then continue working with the initial document (not with the new one).

Saving a Document as Template

You can choose to save the active document as a ConceptDraw Template file (.cdt)
if you need to create similar documents on its basis:

1. Click Save As Template in the File menu. The Save As dialog opens.
2. In the dialog, use the upper box to navigate to the desired folder.
3. Type the template filename in the corresponding field.
4. Click Save.

The document with all its settings and the list of all opened libraries is now saved in the template file.
See the "Templates" section for more information.

Saving a Workspace

ConceptDraw lets you optimize your working environment by saving the entire workspace if you often need to work with the same set of documents and libraries.
A workspace file stores information about the sizes and arrangement of all windows open in the application, and the list of open documents and libraries.

To save the current state of the application in a workspace file, use the Save Workspace command from the File menu. The Save As dialog comes up. Specify the filename and location for the new workspace, and click Save.

All information about the currently opened documents and libraries and their look and on-screen arrangement will be saved in the workspace file.

Ctrl + Alt + S

Cmd + Opt + S

Importing Files

ConceptDraw lets you effectively use objects created in other applications.
You can import files of the following formats:

Note:  Converting between the ConceptDraw and MS Visio formats
is available through the free Online Conversion Service at
www.conceptdraw.com/visio/

ConceptDraw Professional adds support for several more formats:

You can use two ways for importing files:

a) Select the corresponding option in the File / Import menu.

b) Use the standard File / Open dialog and select the needed file format in the Files of type box in this dialog.

Importing Pictures from Graphic Files
Importing Text Data (PRO)
PowerPoint Import (PRO)

Importing Pictures from Graphic Files

You can import pictures from graphic files of various formats (see above) and use them in your ConceptDraw documents. This helps you customize your documents and make them vivid and appealing.

To import graphics from a file:

1. In the File menu, select Import / Graphic File.
   The Open dialog with Image Preview will come up.
2. Select the drive (volume) and navigate to the desired folder.
3. By default, the Open dialog displays files of all supported formats.
   If there are too many files in the folder, you can specify the file format in the Files of type box - just select it in the list. Then the dialog will show the files of the given format only.
4. Select the needed image file.
5. Click the Open button.

Note:  You can see the contents of the file in the Preview box of the Open File dialog.

A new document will be created in ConceptDraw. The picture from the imported file will be inserted as a separate Picture object in the centre of the the active window of this document.
You can modify this object using the operations available in ConceptDraw: resizing, rotating, flipping, formatting the line and shadow, etc. See the "Pictures" section for more detail.

Note:  You can select several graphic files to import. In the Open dialog, just hold down Ctrl (in Windows) or Cmd (in Mac OS) when you select the files. In this case, each of the images will be imported into a separate new ConceptDraw document.

Importing Text Data (PRO)

The Professional version of ConceptDraw offers you such important functionality as visualizing text data.
It can read the data from a plain text file and generate a diagram automatically from its textual description.

The description of a scheme should be formed in a specific way. The following two formats for text data are supported:

Flow format - for generating drawings according to the exact locations of objects and the connections between them (e.g. schemes of the FlowChart type);

Outline format - for automatic generating tree-like diagrams according to the hierarchy of the items (this format is convenient when you describe the content of a certain task in text form, and then use the software to visualize it automatically into a complete layout).

For importing text data to generate a diagram, use the Import / Text Data menu.

For more detailed information, please see "Working with Text Data".

PowerPoint Import (PRO)

The Professional version of ConceptDraw lets you import data from PowerPoint files.
ConceptDraw Professional supports working with the files created in Microsoft PowerPoint v.97 (Windows) and v.98 (Macintosh).

To import a PowerPoint document to ConceptDraw:

1. In the File menu, select Import / PowerPoint.
   The Open dialog will appear.
2. Navigate disks and folders to find the needed file.
3. Select the needed PowerPoint file.
4. Click Open.

The objects from a PowerPoint document will be converted into ConceptDraw objects. You can modify them object using the operations available in ConceptDraw: resizing, rotating, flipping, formatting the line and shadow, etc.

Exporting Files

ConceptDraw lets you save your document in the following formats:

Note:  Converting between the ConceptDraw and MS Visio formats
is available through the free Online Conversion Service at
www.conceptdraw.com/visio/

ConceptDraw Professional adds support for exporting to several more formats:

You can use two ways for exporting files:

a) Select the corresponding option in the File / Export menu.

b) Use the standard File / Save As dialog and select the needed file format in the Save as type box in this dialog.

Export to Graphic Files
Export to Text Data (PRO)
HTML Export
PowerPoint Export (PRO)

Export to Graphic Files

You can save any ConceptDraw objects or whole drawings in different graphic formats (see above). This lets you illustrate your text documents with clear and professionally-looking charts and schemes, and use ConceptDraw graphics in other applications.

To export the active document to one of the supported graphic formats:
(Note!  If you need to export only the particular objects from the page, select them before exporting.)

1. In the File menu, select Export / Graphic File.
   The Save As dialog will appear.
2. Select the drive (volume) and the folder in which you want to store the file.
3. In the Save as type box, choose the file format you need.
4. Specify the filename for the new graphic file.
5. Click Save.
6. The Picture Properties dialog will come up.
   In this dialog, specify the options for the exported image.
7. Click OK.

Note:  You can also use the File / Save As menu to export files.

The Picture Properties dialog lets you set the following options for the exported image:

In the Image Size section, you can choose one of the two options: Original Size or Fit to Size.
- Original Size:
If the Use Zoom option is checked, the objects in the export file will be of the same size they appear onscreen (at the current zoom level).
If Use Zoom is off, the objects will be exported at their original size, regardless of the current zoom level.
- Fit to Size:
This option lets you can assign custom dimensions for the picture - specify the width and height in pixels.

The Format section is only accessible when exporting to BMP. Here you can adjust color depth for the image.

When exporting to JPEG, you can specify image Quality. By using the slide bar, you can set the quality within the range of 1% to 100%. Note that better quality increases the file size. So the default value is 75%.

In the Objects section, you specify which  objects will form the image in the graphic file:
- Selected - only the selected objects from the active page.
- All on page - all the objects which are on the page and outside it. The image size will be large enough to fit for all objects.
- Whole page - to export the entire page with all the objects which are within the page.

Click OK to start the conversion.
After exporting, the image can be modified with the operations available in the applications handling the graphic files of this type.

Exporting to EPS Format

You can export multi-paged ConceptDraw documents to the Encapsulated PostScript format which supports multiple pages.

When you export a file to the EPS format, the EPS Properties dialog comes up to let you customize the export parameters. You can specify which pages of the document should be exported, and set the image options.

In the Objects section, you specify which objects should be taken for the EPS file:
- Selected - only the selected objects from the active page.
- All - all the objects which are on the document pages and outside them.
- Whole page - to export the entire pages with all the objects lying within the pages.

In the Page Size section, you can choose one of the two options: Original Size or Fit to Size.
- Original Size:
If the Use Zoom option is checked, the pages will be exported as they appear onscreen (at the current zoom level).
If Use Zoom is off, the pages will be exported at their actual size, regardless of the current zoom level.
- Fit to Size:
This option lets you can assign custom dimensions for the pages in the export file - specify the width and height in pixels.

The Page(s) to export section lets you specify which pages of the active document should be exported to EPS. Just select the needed pages in the list: to select several pages, hold down Ctrl (in Windows) or Cmd (in Mac OS). By default, all the pages are exported.

Export to Text Data

The Professional version of ConceptDraw lets you store your documents in plain text files.

ConceptDraw Professional supports converting a drawing into text data of the following two formats:

Flow format - for representing and automatic generating drawings according to the exact locations of objects and the connections between them (e.g. schemes of the FlowChart type);

Outline format - for  representing and automatic generating tree-like diagrams according to the hierarchy of the items (this format is convenient when you describe the content of a certain task in text form, and then use the software to visualize it automatically into a complete layout).

For saving a document in the form of text data, use the Export / Text Data menu.

For more detailed information, please see "Working with Text Data".

HTML Export

ConceptDraw is integrated to work with the Internet. You can export your drawings to HTML to place them on the Web easily.

To save a document in the HTML format, use the Export / HTML menu.
In ConceptDraw, the HTML export is highly customizable - see "Exporting a Document to HTML" for more information.

PowerPoint Export (PRO)

The Professional version of ConceptDraw supports PowerPoint Export.
This lets you integrate your schemes, diagrams and other drawings into PowerPoint presentations.

ConceptDraw Professional supports working with the files created in Microsoft PowerPoint v.97 (Windows) and v.98 (Macintosh).

To export the active document to PowerPoint:

1. In the File menu, select Export / PowerPoint.
   The Save As dialog will appear.
2. Select the drive (volume) and the folder in which you want to store the file.
3. Specify the filename.
4. Click Save.

Then you can open the document in PowerPoint and assign animation to the objects.

See related topics:

Exporting a Document to HTML
Working with Text Data (PRO)

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