Entity Purpose and General Notes
Ownership diagrams support two kinds of notes that stay attached to an entity:
| Note type | What it contains | Where to edit the text |
|---|---|---|
| Entity purpose note | The entity's Purpose field | Select the entity and edit Purpose in the inspector, or edit it on the entity detail page |
| Entity general note | Diagram-specific explanatory text | Edit the note directly on the diagram |
Both types move with their entity. You can also move an expanded note independently, change its appearance, or collapse it to a small note icon on the entity.
These entity notes are different from free-form diagram annotations. Entity notes remain anchored to a particular entity, while annotation text, shapes, and lines stay at fixed positions on the canvas. See Diagram Annotations for the free-form tools.
Showing or Hiding Entity Notes
- Open the ownership diagram.
- Select Settings.
- Open the Display tab.
- Find the Notes section.
- Turn either setting on or off:
- Entity purpose notes shows each entity's Purpose as a note next to the entity.
- Entity general notes shows diagram-specific notes attached to entities.
Purpose notes are hidden by default. General notes are shown by default.
Turning a setting off only hides that type of note. It does not clear an entity's Purpose, delete general notes, or discard their saved position, style, or expanded/collapsed state. Turn the setting on again to restore them.
Entity Purpose Notes
A purpose note displays the entity's existing Purpose field. This makes important information about why an entity exists visible on the ownership diagram without creating a second copy of that data.
To add or change a purpose:
- Select the entity on the diagram.
- Edit Purpose in the entity inspector.
- Make sure Entity purpose notes is turned on under Settings > Display > Notes.
You can also edit Purpose from the entity detail page. The diagram note updates from the same entity field.
Purpose text is not edited directly inside the note. A purpose note also cannot be deleted independently: clear the entity's Purpose if the information is no longer applicable, or hide all purpose notes using the display setting.
When first shown, a purpose note appears at the bottom-right of its entity with a slight overlap. Its starting position is calculated from the entity's current size.
Entity General Notes
General notes are useful for comments that apply to one diagram but should not become part of the entity's definitive data.
To add a general note:
- Right-click the entity.
- Select Add note.
- Enter the note text.
- Click outside the note when finished.
Adding a note automatically turns on Entity general notes if they are currently hidden.
To edit an existing expanded general note, double-click its text. To remove it, right-click the note and select Delete annotation.
When created, a general note appears at the top-left of its entity, diagonally opposite the default purpose-note position.
Moving and Resetting Notes
- Drag an expanded note to position it independently around its entity.
- Dragging the entity also moves all notes anchored to it.
- To return an expanded note to its standard position, right-click it and select Reset position.
The note's offset from the centre of the entity is saved automatically. Purpose notes reset to the bottom-right; general notes reset to the top-left. Both positions use the entity's current dimensions.
Collapsing and Expanding Notes
Collapse a note when you want to show that information is available without displaying all of its text.
To collapse an expanded note:
- Right-click the note.
- Select Collapse note.
The note becomes a small square icon on the entity. The icon uses the note's background colour and is fully opaque, making different note types easier to distinguish. If an entity has several collapsed notes, their icons are arranged together.
To restore the full note:
- Right-click the note icon.
- Select Expand note.
Notes are expanded by default. Each note's expanded or collapsed state is saved, so it remains the same when you reopen the diagram.
Styling Notes
Right-click an expanded purpose or general note to change:
- Font Color.
- Font Size.
- Alignment.
- Background colour.
- Background Opacity, from None through to Solid.
The Medium note font size is 1.25 times the diagram's primary entity font size. The other note sizes scale down or up from that reference size.
Style changes are saved automatically for that note. A collapsed icon keeps the selected background colour but is displayed at full opacity.
Exporting Notes
Visible expanded notes and collapsed note icons form part of the diagram and appear in its visual exports. A note type that is hidden under Settings > Display > Notes does not appear in the export.
What Is Saved
StructureGram automatically saves:
- General-note text.
- Each note's position relative to its entity.
- Font, alignment, background colour, and background opacity.
- Whether each note is expanded or collapsed.
- Whether purpose notes and general notes are shown or hidden on the diagram.
Changing a purpose changes the entity's Purpose field. General-note content remains diagram-specific and does not change the underlying entity record.
Troubleshooting
A purpose note is missing
Check that the entity has text in its Purpose field and that Entity purpose notes is turned on under Settings > Display > Notes.
A general note disappeared
Turn on Entity general notes under Settings > Display > Notes. Hiding notes does not delete them.
I cannot edit purpose text inside the note
Purpose notes are a display of the entity's definitive Purpose field. Select the entity and edit Purpose in the inspector, or update it on the entity detail page.
I can only see a small square icon
The note is collapsed. Right-click the icon and select Expand note.