Change BPMN Element Appearance

Ribbon

Design > Element > Properties > Properties Dialog

Context Menu

Right-click on element | Properties

Keyboard Shortcuts

Alt+Enter

Other

Double-click on a BPMN element

1

The system opens the element 'Properties' dialog at the 'General' tab and displays the child tab 'BPMN1.1'. The 'BPMN1.1' tab lists the BPMN specific Tagged Values for the stereotype.

Where the element is a BPMN subtype, the 'Type' field shows the parent type. Click on the drop-down arrow to show the subtypes and, if necessary, select a different subtype. The list updates to show the Tagged Values for the new subtype.

2

For each 'appearance' Tagged Value, the default value is shown (where relevant). If you want to add or change values, click on the 'Value' field and either:

• Type in the appropriate value (for a <memo> type, click on the button and type the text in the 'Tagged Value Note' dialog)
• Click on the button and locate the defining object, or
• Click on the drop-down arrow and select the appropriate value

Suggested values are described in the Values for Tags table.

activityType

Set to:

• Task for no decoration
• Sub-Process to display the plus-in-box decoration on the bottom edge of the shape

adHoc

Set to true to display the tilde decoration on the bottom edge of the shape, indicating that this is an ad-hoc Activity.

isACallActivity

Set to true to show the boundary of the Activity element as a thick line, indicating that this is a Call Activity.

isATransaction

Set to true to give the Activity element a double-lined border, indicating that this is a Transaction.

isForCompensation

Set to true to display the rewind icon on the bottom edge of the shape, indicating that this is a Compensation Activity.

isSequential

Set to true to display three horizontal bars on the bottom edge of the shape.

The loopCharacteristics tag must first be set to MultiInstance.

loopCharacteristics

Set to:

• Standard to display three vertical bars at the bottom edge  of the shape
• MultiInstance to display a loop icon at the bottom edge of the shape

taskType

When set to different value, the associated decoration is displayed at the top-left corner of the shape.

triggeredByEvent

Set to true to show the boundary of the Activity element as a dotted line.

choreographyType

Set to:

• Task for no decoration
• Sub-Process to display the plus-in-box decoration on the bottom edge of the shape.

isACallChoreography

Set to true show the boundary of the Choreography element as a thick line.

loopType

Set to:

• Standard to display three vertical bars at the bottom edge of the shape
• MultiInstance to display a loop icon at the bottom edge of the shape

Each element has its own MultiInstance setting.

isACallConversation

Set to true to show the boundary of the Conversation element as a thick line.

isComposite

Set to true to display a plus-in-box decoration on the bottom edge of the shape, indicating that the Conversation is a composite element.

dataInOut

Set to:

• Input to add a light-colored arrow at the top-left corner of the Data Object, indicating that it represents a Data Input element
• Output to add a dark-colored arrow at the top-left corner of the Data Object, indicating that it represents a Data Output element

isCollection

Set to true to add three vertical lines at the bottom edge of the shape, indicating that the object is a collection.

cancelActivity

For Intermediate Event only.

Set to false to show the Intermediate Event border as a dashed line.

catchOrThrow

For Intermediate Event only.

Set to:

• Catch or
• Throw
  

eventDefinition

Use to change the decoration of a Start Event, Intermediate Event or End Event.

isInterrupting

For Start Event only.

Set to false to show the border of the Start Event as a dashed line, indicating that the Start Event is not an interrupting event.

eventGatewayType

Use to define two types of Event-based Gateway:

• Exclusive and
• Parallel

gatewayType

Set to:

• Exclusive to render the Gateway as a diamond shape without any marker in the middle; if you also set the markerVisible tag to True, the Gateway is rendered as a diamond shape with an X inside
• Complex to render the Gateway as a diamond shape with an asterisk (*) inside
• Inclusive to render the Gateway as a diamond shape with a circle (o) inside
• Parallel to render the Gateway as a diamond shape with a plus (+) inside
• Event to define the Gateway as Event-based

instantiate

Use only to define the Exclusive and Parallel Event-based Gateway.

IsInitiate

Set to true to make the envelope color gray, indicating that this is an initiating Message.

messageVisible

Set to:

• Unspecified to make the Message Flow connector without decoration
• Initiating to add a white envelope to the Message Flow connector
• Non-Initiating to add a gray envelope to the Message Flow connector

blackBoxPool

Set to true to render the Pool element as a rectangle, which is used in a Main Pool diagram.

conditionType

Set to:

• Expression to show an unfilled diamond marker at the  source end of the connector
• Default to show a slash marker at the source end of the connector

1

Both referenced and referring elements must already exist in the model and at least the referring element must exist in a diagram.

2

Display the Tagged Values window (Ctrl+Shift+6).

3

Drag the referenced element from the Project Browser onto the referring element in a diagram. A short menu displays, the options on which depend on the combination of referring and referenced element types.

4

Select the appropriate option to set, overwrite or append the referenced element name to the Tagged Value in the referring element (if the referring element's multiplicity is greater than 1, it can reference more than one element). The referenced element is NOT overlaid on the referring element in the diagram.

5

Expand the section of the Tagged Values window listing Tagged Values for the generic element type and note the referenced element name(s) in the appropriate 'Value' field.