How to use CIMap editor
The description of CIMap itself is hereB
Screenshot

Description of each panes
[Tab]
One tab is for one project(file). Each project has the default of fore color/back color/font etc. If you check "Using as system default", the default of the current project is saved as system default.
[Component Tree]
The hierarchy of components is displayed on this pain. One treenode (component) has one diagram, a diagram of selected component is displayed on [Graphics Editor]. In general, you should create a base element which indicates the boundary of the component on each diagram.
- The root node is called as "System Contexth. In general, you should create one component which indicates a whole of system as a base element.
- In this editor program, component (entity) on this tree is independent from component (element) on [Graphics Editor]. It's for flexibility. But, they should be the same from CIMap point of view. So, you should synchronize them manually.
[Graphics Editor]
You can edit by the following ways. (Most of actions is to use a context menu by clicking right mouse button.) The edge point of elements are align to 10 point grid.
- New/Delete/Cut/Copy/Paste elements
- Rectangle elements like Component/User/ExternalSystem/Note etc. are called "BOX type". Line elements like Interaction/Link etc.are called "LINE type"
- "LINE type" elements generally has "From" and "To" elements on each edge. If it has no element, it has a warning indicator.
- Change shape(size)/Move element
- Dragging the handle of a single selected element changes its shapeBStarting a drag in the element moves them.
- Changing any "BOX type" elements makes moving its peripheral interactions automatically
- Move orderiBring to front/Send to backj
- Move a single selected element to front or back. But, "Note" is the first, next is "LINE type" , next is "BOX type" except "Note".
- Select connected elements
- Select the element , connected interactions to it, and connected elements through them. You can copy&paste when you break a component down.
Dragging a empty point cause to scroll a page. To select by a rectangle area, you can drag with [Shift] key. Or you can click with [Shift] key for multiple selection.
CIMap has four basic elements "Component", "User", "ExternalSystem" and "Interaction". But this editor has the following elements in additional.
notes: "LINE type" elements cannot connect to "BaseComponent", "Note", "Image" element.
- BaseComponent
- Used to indicate the boundary of component.
- Note
- Used to write a note.
- Image
- Image itself is stored as "Image Entity". You can use a bitmap image by assigning an image entity.
- Diamond
- For any diagrams except CIMap. (flowchart etc.)
- Triangle
- For any diagrams except CIMap. (class diagram etc.)
- Link
- Prepared as a line without an arrow head. This element has not fill color.
- DirectLine - Arrow/Link
- BezieLine - Arrow/Link
- If you select this element, you should imagine a standard poly-line element. Near by the edge is desirable. (^^;)
[Property]
[Propety] pane is devided to two panes. Left side is for single element, right side is for multiple elements.
[Property] pane (for single element)
Two text box, the left one is a displayed text on [Graphics Editor], the right one is a description saved as a part of its properties.
You can assign "Entity" to each "Element" manually.
On several diagrams, you may use elements which indicate the same one . Using "Entity", you can identify them as the same one.
"Component" on [Component Tree] is an "Entity", and "Component" on [Graphics Editor] is an "Element". (It is same about User/ExternalSystem/Interaction.)
By assigning "Entity" to "Element" manually, you can connect them.
If you check "Indicate elements entity not assigned" on "View" menu, they are displayed using warning color.
[Property] pane (for multiple elements)
- Element Type
- You can change element type in range of "BOX type" or "LINE type". Changing might cause missing connection to entity.
- Change line type
- Change to Solid/ Dash / Bold.
- Multiple mark
- Drawing element by piled up. (only "BOX type") This indicates multiple instance.
- Duplicate mark
- In case of interactions are crossing and complex, you can draw the duplicate element at the other place on same diagram. Duplicate mark(a triangle at right-up side of element) indicates it. (only "BOX type")
- Set direction (only "Triangle" element)
- Set colors/font
- For each element, you can set Line color(L), Fill color(F), Fill transparency(X), Font type/color(T).
- If you set default of project, use Default (D).
- Adjust size
- Adjust to max/min of width/height of selected elements. (only "BOX type")
- Adjust position
- Adjust position to align left/right/center, up/bottom/center, fixed interval(horizontal/vertical). (only "BOX type")
Other dialogs
[Assign/Edit Entity]

Other functions
[Generate Entity List]
[Print]
Other use case
This editor is for drawing CIMap, but you can use for the other way.
Deployment diagram of Node etc.
As an introduction of "System design using CIMap", you can use for drawing a physical deployment diagram.
Discussion
You can create an "Image" element from an existing document, and discuss while drawing elements on it. In this case, you can set a lower value to initial transparency on "Setting".