Editor basics

Every model editor in DomoModeler is built the same way, so what you learn in one applies to the rest. Document editors (ADR, Glossary, Architecture Document) share the same header but replace the canvas with a document.

The model header

Running across the top of every editor:

• The domo logo, which takes you back to the dashboard.
• A colored save dot: green when everything is saved, amber while a save is in flight, red if a save failed. Hover it for the exact status.
• The model name. Click it (or the pencil) to rename, if you are an owner, an admin, or the model's creator.
• A View only pill when you cannot edit. See Sharing and access.
• The Available offline toggle for this model.
• The collaboration indicator, showing who else is in the model right now.
• Your avatar, which opens the user menu (Profile, Settings, Docs, Sign out).

The toolbar

The toolbar floats over the canvas. Its left half holds the element buttons for that model type. Each button is colored the way its element is drawn on the canvas, and its tooltip names the element and its keyboard shortcut. Buttons marked with a caret open a small dropdown of related elements.

The right half is the same everywhere:

Export downloads the model. It is a paid-plan capability, and it also requires edit access to the model, so it is disabled (with an explanatory tooltip) when either is missing.

Some editors add extra buttons to the right of that group, such as a link to a related model or a sync review. Those are described on each model type's page.

Adding elements

There are two ways to add an element:

• Click a toolbar button. The element appears on the canvas just below the toolbar.
• Press its shortcut key. The element appears at the mouse pointer, which is usually faster once you know the letters. See Keyboard shortcuts.

Shortcut keys only fire when you are not typing: any text field or rich-text area swallows them first, so pressing e while writing a description types an e rather than dropping a Domain Event on the canvas.

Naming, moving, and connecting

• Rename: double-click an element and type. Press Enter to accept, Escape to cancel.
• Move: drag it. Drag onto a container (a subdomain, a module, an aggregate) to put it inside.
• Select: click, Shift-drag a box around several, or Ctrl + A for all.
• Connect: drag from the handle on one element's edge to another element. What the connection means depends on the model type; on a Context Map it is a relationship you then classify.
• Delete: select and press Delete or Backspace.

Element properties

Select an element and press Enter, or use its context menu, to open its properties. Most model types share one properties dialog with:

• Name: the same text shown on the element.
• Purpose: a sentence or two of plain prose describing the purpose of this element.
• Definition: a more detailed description of what the element does and how.
• Specifications: a richer markdown text for source code fragments, rules, examples, acceptance criteria, and other details that do not belong on the face of a sticky note.

Context Map, C4, and Hexagonal elements have their own dialog boxes suited to what those elements are.

Tidying up

With several elements selected:

Right-click

Right-clicking the canvas or an element opens a context menu with the actions that apply where you clicked: add an element at that spot, open properties, duplicate, delete, and model-specific extras. Right-drag pans the canvas; the mouse wheel zooms.