Dragging and dropping elements or element symbols enables an efficient modeling practice. Using the Drag and Drop handler functionality allows you to easily perform feature typing, subsetting, element creation, and other modeling commands. 

Using the Drag and Drop handler

To use the Drag and Drop handler

  1. Do one of the following:
    1. Select the element(s) in the Containment tree.
    2. In a view, select an element symbol and in its smart manipulator, click and hold the Drag and Drop handler .

      Dragging and dropping the symbol itself instead of the Drag and Drop handler changes the element's ownership. To take advantage of the functionalities provided by the Drag and Drop handler, make sure to drag the handler, not the symbol.

  2. Drag and drop the element/symbol on:

    1. The target element symbol in a view.

    2. The appropriate field in the Specification panel.

      • You can only drag an element symbol onto another element symbol in a view or the appropriate field in the Specification panel, never onto an element in the Containment tree. The latter modifies the element's ownership.
      • You can also drag an element symbol from one view and drop it onto an element symbol on another open view. Drag the symbol while holding down the Drag and Drop handler over the target view tab to display the open view.
      • For a list of all fields that can be specified via drag and drop in the Specification panel, see the Specification panel page.
  3. The Drag and Drop selection menu appears. Click the appropriate command in the menu.

Drag and Drop handler commands

Once you drag and drop an element/symbol onto another symbol, the drag and drop selection menu appears. It displays multiple commands whose availability depends on the source (the dragged element/symbol) and target (the symbol on which the dragged source is dropped). See the table below for available commands based on source and target element symbols. 

Command nameSourceTarget

Set Type

If an element already has a set type, performing the Set Type command again replaces the set type.
To set an additional type, hold the CTRL key while executing the command. 

Any definition elementAny usage element
Set PayloadAny definition elementFlow Connection
Set Performed ActionActionPerform Action
Set Use Case IncludedUse CaseInclude Use Case
Create Perform ActionAction, Action defPart, Action, State, Part def, Action def, State def
Create Exhibit StateState, State defPart, State, Action, Part def, State def, Action def
Create Include Use CaseUse Case, Use Case defPart, Use Case, Part def, Use Case def
Create Objective /
Create Require Constraint of Objective		Constraint, Constraint defCase, Case def
Create ActorPart, Part defCase, Requirement, Case def, Requirement def
Create StakeholderPart, Part defRequirement, Requirement def
Create Frame ConcernConcern, Concern defRequirement, Requirement def
Create Require ConstraintConstraint, Constraint defRequirement, Requirement def
Create Assume ConstraintConstraint, Constraint defRequirement, Requirement def
Create Assert ConstraintConstraint, Constraint defRequirement, Requirement def
Create Satisfy RequirementRequirement, Requirement defPart
Create SubjectAny usage element,
Any definition element		Case, Requirement, Case def, Requirement def
Apply MetadataMetadata defAny element
Create UsageAny definition elementAny element
Create Subsetting UsageAny usage elementAny element
Set Referenced FeatureConstraintAssume, Require, Assert constraint
ConcernFrame concern
RequirementSatisfy requirement
Set Subsetted FeatureAny usage elementAny usage element
Set Redefined FeatureAny usage elementAny usage element
Set ValueAny featureAny feature
Set SuperclassifierAny definition elementAny definition element
Create SymbolAny elementAny element