Permit nodes to be locked in place so that Layout tools cannot move them

Question

I would like this for 2 reasons. 1) I'd like to be able to put an unconnected node on the chart in a specific place, and 2) sometimes the Layout tools rearrange nodes and move an important node to a subordinate position.

Answer 1

Use "Layout" -> "Selection (Partial)" if you need "locked" nodes. See the yEd Manual for additional information.

It is not possible to lock nodes in a generic way for all layout algorithms. At least not in a (non-trivial) way that produces results with acceptable quality.

Comments

I've followed the Selection (partial) method, and indeed was able to generate an independent layout for my selection. The bad news is, no matter what were the settings (particularily "close to initial position / close to neighbors"), it placed the newly organized nodes on top of some existing ones. As they were selected, I attempted to move to the previous (desired) position, but the polylines of the newly organized nodes stretched and deformed completely, to the point of rendering the "selection partial" algorithm useless.
Alternatives at this point:
* Use selection partial, move the organized piece and do the edges manually again
* Follow copying / organizing / pasting directions given here: http://yed.yworks.com/support/qa/840/different-selections-differently-hierarchically-organically
I'd appreciate some help on how to "focefully" require the algorithm to place the organized nodes in some specific position. Alternatively, "selection partial" should keep edges selected ALONG nodes, so the whole pack can be placed in any desired position.

Thanks for a wonderful software!