Modifying styles of individual symbols

You can customize the styles of individual symbols. Using the Symbol Style dialog, you can specify style properties for specific symbols, determining their appearance.

Changing the styles for an individual symbol via the Symbol Style dialog overwrites both predefined and custom model-based symbol styles; the modifications persist even after updating active style sheets. To reset, see the Resetting changes made in the Symbol Style dialog procedure.

Opening the Symbol Style dialog

To open the Symbol Style dialog

Do one of the following:

• Right-click the selected element symbol(s). In the shortcut menu, click Symbol Style.

  

  To invoke the Symbol Style dialog for a docked symbol, you must right-click the symbol's header.

• Select the element symbol(s) and press Alt+Enter.

Modifying individual symbol styles

To modify individual symbol styles

1. Select the symbol(s) whose styles you want to modify and open the Symbol Style dialog.
2. Locate the property you want to modify and change its value to the needed one in the Value column.
3. Click Close.

Resetting changes made in the Symbol Style dialog

While changing the styles for an individual symbol via the Symbol Style dialog overwrites both predefined and custom model-based symbol styles, you can easily undo them following the procedure below.

To reset changes made in the Symbol Style dialog

1. Open the Symbol Style dialog.
2. Locate the property you want to reset to the style of the currently activated style sheet. Its check box in the Default column is deselected.
   
3. Select the check box in the Default column for the needed property.
4. Click Close.

The Symbol Style dialog

The table below lists the style properties available for modification and their descriptions. 

• Modifying a symbol style changes its Default value to false.
• You can hide unwanted symbol styles from the Symbol Style dialog for specific element kinds. See the Hiding style attributes from the Symbol Style dialog for specific element kinds procedure on the Creating style sheet components page. 

In the Symbol Style dialog, symbol styles are ordered into the following groups:

• Main: this property group displays symbol styles available to the majority of element kinds.
• Compartment-based properties: the availability of specific symbol style groups depends on the element kind, as each compartment is only available to specific element kinds. Some of the symbol styles available to individual compartment-based symbol style groups may be the same as in the Main group, while others are compartment-specific.
  • Compartment-based style groups can be: Documentation, Objective, Subject, Actors, Stakeholders, Include Use Cases, Parts, Ports, Parameters, Attributes, Ends, Satisfy Requirements, Items, Constraints, Require Constraints, Assume Constraints, Assert Constraints, Actions, Perform Actions, Exhibit States, Frames, Enumerations, and Metadata.

Name	Value options	Description
Main
Line Width	Positive number	Specify the width of the symbol's outline.
Fill Color	Swatches HSV HSL RGB CMYK	Specify the color of the symbol's header. To enable a gradient for this property, enable the Use Gradient Fill view style property.
Use Fill Color	true/false	Specify whether to use a specific color for the symbol's header.
Pen Color	Swatches HSV HSL RGB CMYK	Specify the color of the symbol's outline.
Text Color	Swatches HSV HSL RGB CMYK	Specify the color of the symbol's text.
Font	Multiple font options Multiple style options (italic, bold, etc.) Multiple size options	Specify the font style of the symbol's text.
Wrap	true/false	Specify whether the text should wrap to fit the width of the element symbol.
Compartment Fill Color	Swatches HSV HSL RGB CMYK	Specify the color of the symbol's compartments.
Compartment Text Color	Swatches HSV HSL RGB CMYK	Specify the color for the text in the symbol's compartments.
Show Short Name	true/false	Specify whether the element's declared short name should be displayed on the element symbol.
Show Name	true/false	Specify whether the element's declared name should be displayed on the element symbol.
Show Modifiers	true/false	Specify whether the element's modifiers (e.g., in, ref, abstract, etc.) should be displayed on the element symbol. The property does not control the individual and portion kind (timeslice, snapshot) modifiers.
Show Full Text	true/false	Specify whether element values should be displayed in full or abbreviated. Modifying this property affects the values displayed in both the selected symbol's name and its compartments. Modifying this property does not affect element values displayed in the metadata compartment. Values in this compartment are always displayed in full. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Content Fill Color	Swatches HSV HSL RGB CMYK	Specify the color of the symbol's body. To enable a gradient for this property, enable the Use Gradient Fill view style property. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Text Vertical Position	Top Center Bottom	Specify the element name position for the symbol. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind. The property is only effective for element symbols displayed without their compartments.
Show Specialization	true/false	Specify whether the specialization textual symbols should be displayed in the element name (e.g., the textual symbol :> or the keyword specializes, in the case of subclassification).  The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Show Qualified Name for Specialization	true/false	Specify whether the specialization's full qualified name should be displayed in the element name. Enabling the property also requires the 'Show Specialization' property to be enabled. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Orientation	Horizontal Vertical	Specify the orientation for the symbol. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Path Style	Rectilinear Oblique Bezier	Specify the style of the path. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Show Value	true/false	Specify whether the element's defined value should be displayed. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Show Inherited Sign	true/false	Specify whether the inherited sign should be displayed on the symbol. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Show Payload	true/false	Specify whether the payload name and sign should be displayed on the connector path. The property is available for specific symbols based on the element kind.
Text Horizontal Position	Left Center Right	Specify the text position for the vertical and horizontal separator symbols.
Line Style	Solid Dashed Dotted etc.	Specify the line style for the vertical and horizontal separator symbols.
Is Rounded	true/false	Specify whether the rectangular shape symbol's corners should be rounded.
Compartment-based symbol styles (in compartment-based symbol style groups, e.g., Documentation, Objective, Subject, Actors, etc.)
Show Compartment	true/false	Specify whether the compartment should be displayed or suppressed.
Show Inherited	true/false	Specify whether the inherited elements should be displayed on the symbol.
Show Only Owned	true/false	Specify whether only the owned elements or imported ones, too, should be displayed in the symbol compartment. The property is only available for the package symbol and applies to its Members compartment.