A graphical schema is a composition of schema items showing the structure or relationship of objects. You can use it to draw structural charts, business charts, data flow charts, and object interaction charts.
A graphical schema is a rectangular area that contains various schema items, such as decorations, decorative lines, or route points.
5.1. Editing graphical schemas
You can edit a schema in a graphical schema field on a form or in a Graphical Schema document editor.
Documents of this type are stored in files with GRS extension.
5.2. Adding graphical schema items
To add an item, select its type in the graphical schema field command bar (the Insert command) or, on the main menu, click Graphical schema – Insert schema elements, and click an item type. Then specify a rectangular area to insert the item, or the beginning and end points if you are inserting a decorative line.
Each item has a rectangular border with markers (small squares in the corners of the rectangle and in the middle of the sides).
You can specify precise item position and size in the Location category of the property palette.
To move or resize items, use standard Microsoft Windows methods (dragging or moving with the arrow keys).
You can use the property palette to configure an item (to set item behavior, item appearance, and other properties).
5.2.1. Copying graphical schema items
You can copy and paste items from other schemas (including flowcharts) and from other applications.
To copy an item or a group of items, select them, copy them to the clipboard, and then paste them to the current schema. If an item has a unique name, its name is not changed. Otherwise the new item is assigned a new name.
When you copy an item or a group of items using the clipboard, item names are also copied. You can paste the item names to any text.
You can copy an item or a group of items by dragging them while holding down Ctrl.
To copy a part of a graphical schema to a graphical editor object, select the items and use the copy command. To copy the entire graphical schema, do not select any items and use the copy command.
5.3. Using grid
The grid helps to align graphical schema items. It consists of horizontal and vertical lines that can be used to set exact item positions and sizes. You can change grid spacing, turn the "align to grid" feature on and off, and show or hide a grid.
When you create a new schema, the default grid spacing (both vertical and horizontal) is 20 pixels and the grid is displayed in Draw Lines mode.
When you drag items, they are always aligned to the top left corner. If the item size is not a multiple of the grid spacing, the item is not resized.
You can specify grid settings in the Edit category of the graphical schema properties. If the Grid Enabled option is turned on, the grid is displayed as dots marking the intersections (you can use the checkerboard display mode for the dots) or as lines (depending on the Draw Grid Mode option).
If the Grid Enabled option is turned on, all the items are automatically aligned with grid. The item size is determined automatically as a factor of grid spacing.
When you resize items, the border that you move is always aligned with the grid, even if the opposite border is not aligned.
You can set grid spacing – horizontal and vertical size of the grid cells. To do this, in the Grid Horizontal Step or Grid Vertical Step schema property, enter an integer from 1 to 99. The horizontal and vertical grid spacing values may differ.
When selecting grid spacing, consider the following: with small grid spacing, items are harder to align and it takes more steps. However, a large spacing tends to leave large gaps between items, which increases the size of the schema. We recommend setting a grid spacing of 20 (both vertical and horizontal) because it offers a reasonable spacing between items and sufficient sizing precision.
5.4. Managing groups of selected items
You can move and align item groups.
You can select a group of items with a mouse.
The group location and size is displayed in the status bar just as it would be for a single schema item.
You can perform the following actions on a group of items:
- Align items
- Distribute items
- Resize items
You can set uniform property values for all grouped items in the property palette (for example, horizontal and vertical positions, font size, and color for decorations).
NOTE 1. In a group, you can only change the properties that are available for all items. NOTE 2. Group operations are applied to all the selected items except connector lines (since connector lines are rebuilt automatically, you cannot set positions for their segments).
5.4.1. Specifying graphical schema item alignment
To align items, select them and then, on the main menu, click Graphical schema – Alignment, and click any of the alignment options. Alternatively, you can use Size and alignment menu items.
The following menu items are available only when multiple schema items are selected.
| Command |
Description |
| Align left |
Align the left borders of the selected items. The left borders of the selected items are aligned to a single vertical line. |
| Align center |
Align items vertically by the center of the active ("master") item. |
| Align right |
Align the right borders. |
| Align top |
Align the top borders. |
| Align middle |
Align items vertically by the middle of the active ("master") item. |
| Align bottom |
Align the bottom borders. |
5.4.2. Distributing graphical schema items
To distribute graphical schema items evenly, on the main menu, click Graphical schema – Distribute and click any of the alignment options. Alternatively, you can use the commands of the graphical schema field menu.
| Command |
Description |
| Distribute Vertically |
Distribute the selected items between the top and bottom ones evenly. |
| Distribute Horizontally |
Distribute the selected items between the leftmost and rightmost ones evenly. |
These commands are available only when multiple schema items are selected.
When you execute a command, the border items remain in place and all the other items are distributed so that the distance between all the selected items is the same. The items in the middle are distributed without aligning with the grid, even if automatic alignment is turned on.
5.4.3. Specifying graphical schema item size
To set identical sizes for graphical schema items, on the main menu, click Graphical schema – Size, and click any of the size options. The item that serves as a template has white square markers. It is referred to as the master item (the top item in the figure). Other items have black square markers.
Fig. . Specifying item size
To set an item as the master item, click it.
| Command |
Description |
| Same width |
Set identical width for all items in a group. |
| Same height |
Set identical height for all items in a group. |
| Same size |
Set identical size for all items in a group. |
The effect of the Same width command for different master items is illustrated by the figure below (in example 1, the upper item is the master; in example 2, the lower item is the master).
Fig. . The effect of the Same Width command
5.4.4. Specifying graphical schema item order
When items overlap, one item completely or partially covers another item. To specify the order for displaying overlapping items, on the main menu, click Graphical schema – Order, and click any of the Order options.
| Command |
Description |
| Bring forward |
Move the selected item one layer forward. |
| Send backward |
Move the selected item one layer back. |
| Bring to front |
Move the selected item to the front layer. |
| Send to back |
Move the selected item to the back layer. |
You can apply these actions both to a single item and to a group of items.
5.4.5. Scaling graphical schemas
To scale a graphical schema, on the main menu, click Graphical Schema – Scale and select scale. Alternatively, you can scale with the scroll wheel while holding down Ctrl.
5.4.6. Scrolling graphical schemas
For convenient scrolling of a graphical schema, you can hold down the scroll wheel and select the scrolling direction with the mouse pointer. The scrolling speed depends on the distance between the current pointer location and the pointer location at the time when the scroll wheel was pressed (it is marked with a special icon).
5.4.7. Printing graphical schemas
To print or preview a graphical schema, on the main menu, click File – Print or File – Print preview. To specify print settings, on the main menu, click File – Page Setup. The print settings are similar to the standard Microsoft Windows settings.
Scale. Specifies the printing scale mode. The following options are available:
- Auto. Do not scale (this is the default option).
- Page width. If the graphical schema width (the coordinate of the rightmost item) is greater than the page width, scale the graphical schema proportionally (adjust the X and Y coordinates proportionally) so that the schema can fit the page width.
- Single page. If graphical schema height (the coordinate of the lowest item) or width is greater than the page height or width, scale the graphical schema proportionally (adjust the X and Y coordinates proportionally) so that the entire schema can fit a single page.
Page placement. In the Page placement field, specify the margin adjustment options for even and odd pages.
- Do not use. Do not adjust margins.
- Mirror left. For odd pages, do not adjust the margins. For even pages, swap the left and right margins.
- Mirror top. For odd pages, do not adjust the margins. For even pages, swap the top and bottom margins.
- Auto. If the value in the Print on both sides field is No, do not adjust margins. If the value is Rotate left, use the Mirror left option. If the value is Rotate up, use the Mirror top option.
Print on both sides. Specify the options for printing on both sides.
- No. Print on a single side.
- Rotate left. Print on both sides for flipping pages from left to right.
- Rotate up. Print on both sides for flipping pages from bottom to top.
- Use printer settings. Two-sided printing depends on the settings of the current printer.
Black and white. Shows whether the graphical schema is printed and previewed as a black-and-white image.
5.5. Specifying graphical schema properties
5.5.1. Specifying appearance properties
The properties of the Appearance category specify the format of the entire graphical schema.
The Background color property defines the graphical schema background color.
5.5.2. Specifying edit properties
Grid Enabled. Use the grid and align items with the grid.
Grid Horizontal Step. Horizontal grid spacing.
Grid Vertical Step. Vertical grid spacing.
Draw Grid Mode. Grid lines display mode (Draw Lines, Draw Points, Draw Checkerboard, or Do Not Draw Grid).
5.6. Graphical schema items
This section describes all the graphical schema item types in alphabetical order.
You can configure item behavior by entering or selecting values in the property palette. Some item properties are shared by all or most items.
Shared graphical schema item properties.
There are many properties that are shared by all or most item types. Usually these properties have a common purpose and can be edited in a uniform manner. These properties are described later in this document. For information about editing the unique properties of some items, see the sections dedicated to individual item types.
For descriptive convenience, the properties are grouped by category as they are in the property palette.
Some properties that are described later in this document might be unavailable for specific items.
5.6.1. Specifying general properties
Name. An item name. A unique name that can be used to access an item from 1C:Enterprise script.
Description. An item description. A multilanguage string that is displayed within an item or over a decorative line.
5.6.2. Specifying appearance properties
This category includes item appearance properties (text color, tooltip, and more).
Background Color. An item background color. You can choose it from a color palette or from a list of available styles.
Border Color. An item border color.
Text Color. An item text color.
Font. An item text font. You can specify the font type, size, and style, or you can select a font from the list of available ones.
An item (except for decorative lines) can contain a picture (the Picture property). Use the Picture position property to specify the picture position inside an item. Use the Picture Size property to specify the picture size (relative to the item size).
All the items except for decorative lines have the following properties:
- Border. An item border style.
- Transparent. Shows whether an item has transparent background.
5.6.3. Specifying behavior properties
Horizontal position. Horizontal text alignment.
Vertical position. Vertical text alignment.
Tooltip. An item tooltip.
5.6.4. Specifying location properties
This category includes item position properties. All items except for decorative lines have the following properties:
- Left. The position of the left item border.
- Top. The position of the top item border.
- Width. An item width.
- Height. An item height.
5.6.5. Decorative lines
The Decorative line graphical schema item is designed for drawing lines and arrows and for connecting other items. A Decorative line is automatically redrawn when the relative positions of the items it joins change. You cannot change the drawing algorithm, you can only move medial line points. If you move medial segments manually, the application attempts to preserve your changes during the next automatic redrawings of the line.
When drawing a line, an application also attempts to create the shortest path consisting of vertical and horizontal line segments that do not cross other schema items.
Medial segments of decorative lines can be strictly vertical or strictly horizontal. Decorative line bends are rounded, which clarifies line directions at intersection points.
Automatic drawing is used only for the lines that connect two schema items.
When you add a decorative line, the arrow direction is determined by the ratio of the sides of the rectangle that you select when you add a line: if the height is greater than the width, the vertical direction is selected, otherwise the horizontal direction is selected.
Breaking decorative lines into segments is not grid-based.
5.6.5.1. Specifying appearance properties
Line. The type and thickness of the line that is used to draw Decorative Line segments.
Line Color. The color of Decorative Line segments.
Begin Arrow, End Arrow. The arrow style at the beginning and at the end of the line (no arrow, filled arrow, or unfilled arrow).
5.6.5.2. Specifying behavior properties
Text Location. The text position, relative to the line: in the first segment (the text is drawn over the first line segment) or in the middle (in the middle of the sum of all the line segments).
5.6.6. Decoration
The Decoration graphical schema item is designed to display figures with text and/or pictures.
If a decoration has the Transparent property set, the grid and underlying schema items are drawn over the transparent decoration areas.
5.6.6.1. Specifying appearance properties
The Shape property defines a figure type, one of the following:
- None
- Block
- Folder
- File
- Right arrow
- Left arrow
- Up arrow
- Down arrow
- Left-right arrow
- Up-down arrow
- Document
- Vertical brackets
- Horizontal brackets
- Ellipse
Depending on the selected shape, the text and picture area changes. For example, in a decoration with a Right arrow figure, the text-and-picture area is restricted by the rectangular base of the arrow.
5.6.7. Activities
An Activity graphical schema item represents a business process point that generates tasks.
5.6.7.1. Specifying addressing properties
Explanation. A string describing the activity addressing.
Group. If this property is set to True, the tasks for this business process point are issued to all group (department) members. Otherwise, a single task is assigned to the entire group (for example, to Sales department). Only one person can execute this task (the one who first accepts it).
Addressing attributes. The number of these properties is equal to the number of addressing attributes for a task selected in the Task property of the business process. You can use the property palette to select one of the predefined values of the type specified in the addressing attribute of the task (for example, from the Departments or Performers lists).
5.6.8. Splitting points
The Splitting point graphical schema item represents a business process point where the workflow splits into several parallel flows. By default, it is placed on a schema with three outgoing decorative lines.
To add an outgoing line to this item, right-click it and then click Add Outgoing Connector Line. To delete an outgoing line, right-click the line and click Delete. You cannot delete the only remaining outgoing line.
5.6.9. Condition points
The Condition Point graphical schema item is a business process point that has two possible exit points based on a logical condition.
By default, a Condition Point item is inserted into a graphical schema with two outgoing decorative lines (one at the left and one at the right). The right branch is labeled Yes while the left one is labeled No. You can swap the condition branches. To do so, drag a rectangle at the beginning of the Condition Point line to the opposite side of the Condition Point item.
5.6.10. End points
The End Point graphical schema item represents the end point of a business process.
5.6.11. Start points
The Start Point graphical schema item represents the start point of a business process.
5.6.12. Joins
The Join graphical schema item represents a business process point where parallel paths that begin at Splitting points join.
5.6.13. Sub-business process points
The SubBusinessProcess Point graphical schema item represents a business process point where a nested business process starts.
5.6.14. Data processor points
The Data processor Point graphical schema item represents a business process point that is executed automatically.
5.6.15. Switches
The Switch graphical schema item represent a business process point with several outcomes (options) where a single outcome is selected. To add an option, right-click a switch and click Add Transition. To remove an option, right-click it and click Remove Transition. You cannot move options.
A Switch item is inserted into a graphical schema with three options. Each option has an outgoing decorative line. You cannot delete this line, but you can move it to the opposite side of the option area. When you delete an option, its outgoing decorative line is also deleted. When you add a transition, an outgoing decorative line is added to it.
5.6.16. Specifying transition properties
Name. An option name. In 1C:Enterprise script, you can access an option by name from the SwitchProcessing handler.
Description. An option description that is displayed on the schema.
Background Color. An option background color. This color is used to fill the area inside the Switch item that contains an option.