Text objects are applicable to an EER diagram only. They can be used for documentation purposes, for example, to explain a grouping of schema objects. They are also useful for creating titles for an EER diagram should you decide to export a diagram as a PDF or PNG file.
Text objects can be added to an EER Diagram using the
Text Object tool on the vertical toolbar. To do
this make sure that the EER Diagram tab is
selected, and right-click the text object icon on the vertical
toolbar. The text object icon is the rectangular icon found below
the label icon.
Clicking the mouse on this icon changes the mouse pointer to a text object pointer. You can also change the mouse pointer to a text object pointer by pressing the N key.
Choosing the Text Object tool changes the
contents of the toolbar that appears immediately below the menu
bar. When the Text Object pointer is active,
this toolbar contains a drop down color chart. Use this list box
to select the color accent for the new text object. The color of
your text object can easily be changed later using the
Properties palette.
Create a text object by clicking anywhere on the EER Diagram
canvas. This creates a new text object with the default name
text1. To revert to the default mouse pointer,
click the arrow icon at the top of the vertical toolbar.
Right-clicking a text object opens a pop-up menu. These menu options are identical to the options for other objects. However, since a text object is not a database object, there is no confirmation dialog box when you delete a text object.
You can invoke the text object editor by double-clicking a text object on the EER Diagram canvas. Doing this opens the editor docked at the bottom of the application. Double-clicking the text object table undocks the editor. Double-click the title bar to redock it. Any number of text objects may be open at the same time. Each additional text objects appears as a tab at the top of the text editor.
Using the editor you can change the name of a text object or its contents.
When you select a text object on the EER Diagram canvas, its
properties are displayed in the Properties
palette. Most of the properties accessible from the
Properties palette apply to the appearance of
a view on the EER Diagram canvas.
For a list of the properties accessible through the
Properties palette see
Section 16.6.5.11, “The Properties Palette”.
There is no property in the Properties
palette for changing the font used by a text object. To change
the font used by a text object choose the
Appearance tab of the Workbench Preferences
dialog. For more information, see
Section 16.4.4.7, “The Appearance Tab”.