yEd Q&A - Recent questions and answers

Is there a "group" function that isn't visual, and locks objects together?

Wed, 16 May 2012 21:28:55 +0000

Is there a way to "Group" objects like in Visio such that:

a) the group is transparent visually (as soon as the group is created, not after having to go and adjust lots of properties on a group)

b) it is not possible to select one item from the group afterwards individually, i.e. the object act as a single overall object

Yed Error when opening a document

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:57:23 +0000

I am getting an error when opening an external file. The FAQ says to fix it by hand. Is there a way to tell the line number of the file that yED thinks there is a problem? excel can open the file. Thank you.

Answered: Add transparency property to nodes

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:43:35 +0000

Never mind, I just found the alpha controller under the "more" menu...

Selection box inside a node

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:46:24 +0000

I find it quite annoying that it seems not to be possible to draw a selection box around nodes that lie within another node (visually speaking). As I see it, a selection box always has to begin on an empty canvas... Hope my point is clear.

Default printout frame

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:42:47 +0000

Hi,

I am facing the problem that - by default - yEd produces a thin light gray frame around the graph itself. How can that frame be disabled?

Edit: SOLVED, I accidently misinterpreted yEd's markings for the page's margins in the print preview as a framing that would actually be printed - which it is not.

Lars

Answered: edit in more than one properties window, with a different lay-out

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:28:34 +0000

It is possible to edit text and description for several nodes at once. Simply select all the nodes you want to edit and then open the properties dialog (or use the properties grid in yEd's lower right corner).

As to your second request, well, that is already on our todo list. Unfortunately, it is rather low priority at the moment. Of course, enough votes for your request might change that. ;-)

Answered: Any way to import from TouchDraw (iPad app)?

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:19:13 +0000

yEd can display SVG nodes but not import SVG diagrams in the sense that the diagram can be modified afterwards.

Similiar, yEd can display Visio nodes.

To create SVG or Visio nodes, first create a user defined palette section. Then open the new section's context menu and choose "Import Symbols". Finally, used the templates created in this way to create new nodes in yEd.

Answered: properties mapper seems not to work in "view group content"

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:54:57 +0000

You are right, the properties mapper does not work when viewing group contents. I will add this problem to our issue tracking system. Thank you very much for letting us know.

Answered: Container - DoubleClick - Open new file ?

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:49:40 +0000

No, but you can specify a path to another GraphML file in the container node's URL property (see the property grid after selecting the node). After selecting a node with such an URL, pressing F8 will open the referenced GraphML.

Answered: When I try to print to 1 page it reduces the size or only prints part of the flowchart

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:40:44 +0000

Works as expected for me.

This is most likely a printer/printer driver issue. However, if you want us to investigate this problem, please provide (much) more information:

Tell us which version of yEd you are using.
Tell us the Java version you run yEd on (see "Help -> About").
Tell us your operating system.
Upload the GraphML of the diagram you want to print (use the link option from the tool bar above to do so).
Tell us your yEd "Printing Options".
Print your diagram to a file. View the result in a appropriate viewer application. Upload a screenshot of the result. Alternative upoad a scan of the print result.

Answered: Drop-shadows can leave line artifacts when exported

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:30:07 +0000

Unfortunately, yEd's PDF export cannot handle gradients. That is a known short-coming. The really bad news is that FreeHEP VectorGraphics (the library used for PDF creation in yEd) is no longer maintained by its creators. In other words, the situation will not improve any time soon.

SVG, on the other hand, looks nice to me in Firefox. Maybe this is a problem with LyX?

Answered: Is there any way to disable the 9-key key bindings?

Sun, 13 May 2012 08:44:47 +0000

Currently, there is no support to disable these key bindings, I'm afraid. Instead of using the symbols on the number keys, you can use the ones on the normal keyboard.

Answered: Can't open a file in 3.9.2 which I just installed on my Mac OSX, also won't open with 3.9.2 on my PC with Windows 7.

Sun, 13 May 2012 08:41:05 +0000

It seems that the file is broken.

If you want to, you can upload it here (use the Add/Edit Link feature of the editor for this) and we can have a look at it. You can also have a look at yourself in any text editor.

Answered: How to create a double line of a node, e.g. end state of automaton?

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:54:59 +0000

There are several ways to create a double-line bordered node in yEd:

Use one of the double-line bordered templates from the BPMN palette. (As of yEd 3.9.1, there is a double-lined rectangle with rounded corners and a double-lined circle.)
Create a new user-defined palette and import a custom image or vector graphic.
Create two nodes of the same kind. Make one slightly larger than the other. Move the smaller node above the larger node, open its context menu, and choose "Convert to Label".

Answered: Why are BPMN flows not "bridged" when they cross each other?

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:11:26 +0000

Bridges for BPMN edges are on our Todo list. And although we are currently imrpoving BPMN support (see the BPMN related improvements in yEd 3.9.1 and yEd 3.9.2), we do not yet know when that feature will be available.

Answered: Can I show only current node's edges ?

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:59:29 +0000

Unfortunately, yEd does not provide any filtering support.

However, it is possible to remove all edges that are not connected to selected nodes. To do so use "Tools -> Select Elements", choose "Select Inverse" and "Clear Selection First" on tab "General", make sure the "Use These Criteria" is only selected for edges and choose "Selected Nodes" as edge selection criterion. Then remove the newly selected edges.

Answered: Is it possible to launch the web version of yEd from a desktop shortcut? If so, how?

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:39:29 +0000

That should be possible.

Just right-click the "Launch" button on the yEd home page and save the yed.jnlp file to some directory of your choice. When you double-click the file, yEd should start.

Could we have the function of upgrade by Data import ?

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:51:04 +0000

We need some time to add new Data changes (upgrades/or Data Adds)

Icon of the "select language" function

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:17:12 +0000

Just curious: Why did you choose the flag of Burundi as icon for that function? :)

Answered: is it necessary to install GraphMLViewer in order to open graphs with "HTML Flash Viewer format" in a browser?

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:24:07 +0000

No, it is not. When exporting to "HTML Flash Viewer" all files that are necessary to with the exported graph are created in the destination directory.

Answered: how do I increase the amount of memory available to yEd in linux?

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:14:33 +0000

Open the yEd shell script in a text editor. Go to the second to last line and find "-Xmx512m". Change 512 to a higher value.

Answered: Cannot open properly my Graphml in Yed 3.9

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:00:38 +0000

Sorry to reply only now, I missed the fact that you edited your initial post.

Anyways, the reason for your problem is the fact that your GraphML is invalid: all edges have the same id. To fix the problem, ensure that edge ids are unique. The easiest way to do so would be to open the file in an old version of yEd (e.g 3.1) and simply save the file using a different file name. Alternatively, you could open the file in a text editor or XML editor and change the ids by hand.

Answered: How can I get my imported data to show mutual edges when necessary?

Wed, 09 May 2012 12:07:14 +0000

The format in which your graph is represented in the Excel file is called 'adjacency list' in graph theory, and, currently, it is not supported by yEd. For yEd, the data must be either in adjacency matrix or edge list representation. In general, edge list is preferable since it is more space efficient, flexible and it allows importing additional data values for the connections.

In an edge list, each row corresponds to exactly one connection and contains at least two cells with the ID of the source and target node, respectively. Beyond that, your spreadsheet may contain an arbitrary number of additional columns with data like label text, line color, etc.

Please have a look at the manual page on Excel import for more details, and the related posts in this forum with at least one vote:

Answered: Imported XLS - Properties Mapper - Fit to node - Doesn't work

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:33:24 +0000

Properties Mapper's "Fit Node to Label" originally only worked for "Internal" label placement. As of yEd 3.9.2, this "Fit Node to Label" also works with "SmartFree" and "Free" label placements.

Answered: Swimlane node column header height does not grow with font size

Wed, 09 May 2012 09:04:39 +0000

No, there is no such setting.

However, as of yEd 3.9.2 you can change the height manually. To do so, select a column and adjust its "Header Height" property in the properties grid that is usually located in the lower right corner. To adjust all heights at once, select one column, then type CTRL+A to select all columns, and proceed as above.

Shouldn't the iteration setting be the same in both open and closed state of the process?

Tue, 08 May 2012 13:48:40 +0000

The iteration state for a process can be different depending on its state (open or closed). Shouldn't that be changed consistently regardless of the state of the process?

How to create a org chart using xls file

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:41:05 +0000

Dear yEd experts

I have network marketin business. I want to create a organisational chart using data from xls file.

I tried many times to import the xls file using open. I am not able to understand how to select the data so that it automatically creates a org chart.

I have to 2 columns in excel file

Name And their sponsor

For Eg

Robert

Peter Robert

John Peter

top of the chart is Robert then Peter and then John and so on/.

I am getting so confused between nodes and edges and how to use this fantastic tool to create org chart showing the entire.

I will really appreciate if someone can guide me to import it correctly by using the correct options while importing xls file.

Regards

Jay

Answered: what is the layout name in the launcher

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:18:49 +0000

That is organic edge routing ("Layout -> Edge Routing -> Organic") applied to an essentially star-shaped graph. Try "Layout -> Organic" (or "Layout -> Tree, Balloon" if your graph is a tree) first, if you need to place nodes as well.

error in importing GEDCOM file

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:55:43 +0000

i tried to import a GEDCOM file generated by GenoPro, but i get this error:

java.io.IOException

at B.A.A.B.Q.Ă(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.B.Q.ā(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.J.A.ā(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.J.D.ă(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.J.D.Ă(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.A.C.ā(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.A.O.ā(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.P.A$A.drop(Unknown Source)

at y.I.l$J.drop(Unknown Source)

at java.awt.dnd.DropTarget.drop(DropTarget.java:434)

at sun.awt.dnd.SunDropTargetContextPeer.processDropMessage(SunDropTargetContextPeer.java:519)

at sun.awt.dnd.SunDropTargetContextPeer$EventDispatcher.dispatchDropEvent(SunDropTargetContextPeer.java:832)

at sun.awt.dnd.SunDropTargetContextPeer$EventDispatcher.dispatchEvent(SunDropTargetContextPeer.java:756)

at sun.awt.dnd.SunDropTargetEvent.dispatch(SunDropTargetEvent.java:30)

at java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Component.java:4594)

at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:2141)

at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:4565)

at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.retargetMouseEvent(Container.java:4619)

at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.processDropTargetEvent(Container.java:4354)

at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.dispatchEvent(Container.java:4205)

at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:2127)

at java.awt.Window.dispatchEventImpl(Window.java:2482)

at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:4565)

at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(EventQueue.java:684)

at java.awt.EventQueue.access$000(EventQueue.java:85)

at java.awt.EventQueue$1.run(EventQueue.java:643)

at java.awt.EventQueue$1.run(EventQueue.java:641)

at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)

at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:87)

at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:98)

at java.awt.EventQueue$2.run(EventQueue.java:657)

at java.awt.EventQueue$2.run(EventQueue.java:655)

at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)

at java.security.AccessControlContext$1.doIntersectionPrivilege(AccessControlContext.java:87)

at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(EventQueue.java:654)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(EventDispatchThread.java:296)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(EventDispatchThread.java:211)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(EventDispatchThread.java:201)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:196)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(EventDispatchThread.java:188)

at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:122)

Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException

at D.B.A.A.C.ā(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.B.G.X$1.ā(Unknown Source)

at D.B.A.A.D$B.ā(Unknown Source)

at D.B.A.A.D.ā(Unknown Source)

at D.B.A.A.B.ā(Unknown Source)

at y.H.I.ā(Unknown Source)

at y.B.A.M.ď(Unknown Source)

at B.A.A.B.G.H.ď(Unknown Source)

at y.B.J.Č(Unknown Source)

at y.B.J.ā(Unknown Source)

at y.B.J.ă(Unknown Source)

... 44 more

but i can import the file in yEd 3.7.0.2 but it dosn't support unicode

Answered: YED will not install from windows executable

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:24:06 +0000

Ok downloaded it again with IE. Checked the length:

36,7 MB (38.578.970 bytes)

This is not ok I think, so I downloaded it with Firefox from the site, this is what I got:

36,7 MB (38.578.185 bytes)

So something is not quite working here. Other downloads are doing well.

So Next I did it with Chrome:

36,7 MB (38.578.283 bytes) as a result.

I don't get this.....

Answered: XSLT custom attribute

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:06:04 +0000

Sorry, without more information, it's impossible to tell what's going wrong. Also, this question seems to be more related to XML/XSLT in general than to yEd, therefore I propose to post in a forum specific to this topics, too, and include a minimal example of the original file, the desired GraphML and your current XSLT.

Answered: Installation without admin rights

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:53:57 +0000

As pointed out below by sschweizer, the yEd setup program can be used without admin rights since version 3.9.

Of course, the user must have write permission for the target folder of the installation, for example, it's typically not possible to install yEd in 'C:\Programs' without these rights.

Answered: installing on ubuntu 11.10 - bundled jvm issue

Sun, 06 May 2012 20:52:16 +0000

See http://yed.yworks.com/support/qa/18

Answered: How do I save as pdf

Fri, 04 May 2012 19:04:34 +0000

You have to use the export function. When the flowchart is complete, choose File and then Export. Then you can choose what type of file to export as.

Can we force yEd to stop the processing?

Fri, 04 May 2012 15:29:05 +0000

When the calculation/processing takes too long, can we stop it?

Answered: Automatic text wrapping for Edge labels

Fri, 04 May 2012 12:43:48 +0000

How would you determine *when* to wrap the entered text?

Answered: Is there a way to filter graph elements based on time(stamps)?

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:49:24 +0000

Although yEd has no feature that does exactly that, it is possible to use custom properties and the properties mapper to get close to the desired result.

Step 1 would be to create properties for both nodes and edges that store some kind of version information. E.g. an Integer property where 1 means January, 2 means February, and so on. Custom properties are created using "Edit" -> "Manage Custom Properties".

Step 2 would be to create node and edge property mappings that use those version properties to highlight new nodes and edges e.g. by coloring all old edges gray and new edges blue. If the version properties are indeed of type Integer, range mappings make it possible to create rules like "version 1 to 3 to gray" and "version 4 to blue". Property mappings are created and applied using "Edit" -> "Property Mapper".

This approach can be tested with this sample graph that has a Revision property for nodes and edges and these property mapper settings to color old nodes and edges. To test the property mapper settings, please replace the propertiesmapper.xml file in your yEd profile directory with the attached one. (Backing up the existing propertiesmapper.xml first is a good idea to be able to restore existing mappings later on.)

Answered: Layout on starting yEd

Thu, 03 May 2012 08:36:59 +0000

No, it is not possible to configure yEd in such a way that it automatically calculates a layout for its loaded graph.

Don't bother creating a feature request for this one. We do not allow yEd to be used in automated processes (see yEd Software License Agreement, 1. License Conditions) and will not implement any features that would make this possible.

Answered: Tabulation of predecessor of each nodes

Thu, 03 May 2012 04:06:21 +0000

PROBLEM SOLVED PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!

I intended to use Yed to draw activity network diagram to be fed into a project management software. So I needed to represent the network diagram in table form.

SOLUTION

I done it by saving it in TGF files. Open it in notepad and voila! Problem solved! This is a great tool. Much compliments to the developent team!

Custom Export format

Wed, 02 May 2012 19:36:48 +0000

I've been looking for a tool like this for some time. The feature I'm looking for is a custom output format where I can design the class names, output directories, and property/method syntax for a specific language in order to create the classes in the language I work in. Being able to use this tool for the code generation would greatly assist me in outputting the large amounts of classes and tests I need to write as the application develops.

Answered: Edge point to middle of another edge?

Tue, 01 May 2012 20:08:27 +0000

In yEd, every line has to have a start node and an end node. Nevertheless, you can create edges which seem to end at another edge with invisible nodes. This workaround is discussed in the following question: http://yed.yworks.com/support/qa/29/

Answered: How do I import Visio (vsx) files?

Tue, 01 May 2012 20:03:12 +0000

Please see this related question: http://yed.yworks.com/support/qa/79/.

Basically, importing Visio stencils works with the 'Import Symbols' command of the palette instead of the regular 'Open' command.

Answered: Exported html flash to expand/collapse groups

Tue, 01 May 2012 19:56:10 +0000

It's not possible to open or close groups in any of the export formats. These create only a static views of the graph, similar to an image.

Answered: Which options can be set in an excel sheet?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:58:32 +0000

I got the most things fixed. I used this table and routed the datas.

	Edge List	Node List
Source	Target	Nodename	Label	Width	Height	Background Color	Font Color
Goal		Goal	Goal: There where we want to go.	300	125	#ff9900	#000000
Activity A	Goal	Activity A	Do this and that.	300	125	#99cc00	#000000

There is only the problem that the root node is not displayed correct.

Answered: No resize of a lane when node is moved just to (or across) its border

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:11:48 +0000

The fact that you can move nodes over lane boundaries is actually the intended behavior.

Automatic-layout with different results on the same starting position

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:39:45 +0000

Hello!

I have a BPMN with three subprocesses which are functional completely equal. Only the data sources used are different (named).

When I use the automatic layout for BPMN in the modus "Complete Layout"/"Left to Right" the two of the three subprocesses are modeled the same and the other subprocess look very different then the others.

By the way: If I use the modus "Use drawing as scetch"/"Left to Right" all subprocesses look pretty the same.

Why uses the layout engine different models to draw the subprocesses?

In the attached ZIP you can find two GRAPHML files: "automatic_layout_problem_01.graphml" shows the starting position and "automatic_layout_problem_02.graphml" shows the result after automatic layout in "Complete Layout"/"Left to Right" mode.

http://yed.yworks.com/support/qa/?qa=blob&qa_blobid=17349974190368466163

Thanks for help!

Rene

Answered: Export to Windows Metafile Format (WMF)

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:24:22 +0000

yEd supports export to EMF, which is the 32bit successor of the 16bit WMF.

Answered: Need to be added bpmn elements into yEd Graphics Editor

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:14:47 +0000

All sub-process types defined in BPMN 2.0 are supported in yEd:

(Corresponding GraphML) For call activities and events you simply need to choose the appropriate line type.

Although there is no dedicated choreography template, choreography nodes can be easily faked (e.g. by using a group or sub-process with multiple labels):

(Corresponding GraphML)

Answered: How do I create a graph in Landscape layout

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:38:07 +0000

The PDF export dialog has an option to change the page orientation, it's on the tab called 'PDF'.

Answered: Custom Properties - Edge List Excel import data

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:58:41 +0000

The creation of the travel Durations example is described in the yEd manual page about the tool Properties Mapper. Please have a look at it and let me know, if you have still questions afterwards.