Metagraph Builder

The Metagraph Builder is a web-based module for designing the metagraph model, where concepts, relationships, classifications, attributes, and rules are defined.

This Resource hub article is a stub. If you need further support regarding the subject, contact the inorigo® helpdesk.

Note: This article describes the latest version of Metagraph Builder. New features have been added and some behavior has changed since earlier versions. Where a change might surprise you, it is pointed out in the text.

Overview

Metagraph Builder aims to replace the older Java-based Model Builder.

Metagraph Builder is in continuous development and will get new features over time. The old Model Builder and the new Metagraph Builder will coexist and work together indefinitely. Some features will be exclusive to the respective tool.

Key terms

This article uses the following terms. See the Lexicon for more.

• Definition Node: defines a concept, such as Application or Server. Previously called Association Definition, and some parts of the interface may still use that name.
• Instance Node: a specific occurrence of a Definition Node. Previously called Association, and some parts of the interface may still use that name.
• Entity: any data object in inorigo®, such as a Definition Node, an Instance Node, a resource, or a relation.
• Node: an entity as it is shown in the Library, on the Canvas, or in the Navigator or Project panel.
• Relation and edge: a relation is a typed connection between two entities, such as Classifies / Is a kind of. An edge is the line that draws it on the Canvas.
• Superclass and subclass: the two ends of a classification, sometimes called parent and child. The superclass classifies the subclass, and the subclass is a kind of the superclass.
• Project: your own collection of nodes to work on. See The Project panel.

Metagraph Builder with a project open, and the Library, Canvas, Project, and Details panels showing

The interface

The Metagraph Builder interface consists of a Toolbar at the top and a number of panels below it. This section describes what is common to the whole interface. Each panel is described in The panels.

The Toolbar

The Toolbar, located at the top of the Metagraph Builder, contains common actions (like creating new nodes and saving) and buttons that toggle the different panels on or off. In addition, it shows which project is currently active and provides access to universal inorigo® functions.

The Metagraph Builder Toolbar

From left to right, the Toolbar contains:

1. Project: the number and name of the active project. Click it to switch project, or to create one if you have none.
2. Log, Save, and Undo. Undo takes back the most recent pending action.
3. Library and Project, which show and hide those panels.
4. Definition, which creates a new Definition Node, and New…, which creates a node of any other type.
5. Navigator, Canvas, Attributes, and Details, which show and hide those panels.
6. Three menus that are the same in every inorigo® web module:
   • Launcher: the other inorigo® modules you have access to.
   • Information: GraphQL, Web Services, Report an issue, Documentation, and About.
   • Account: your user preferences, Sign out, and the data context you are working in.

On a narrow screen, the panel buttons move into a … menu.

The Account menu gives access to your user preferences and shows the data context you are working in

Panels

The panels can be toggled on or off from the Toolbar based on your work mode and preferences. Panels can be closed with the [x] button in their respective header, and resized by dragging their borders.

Open in new tab

The panels can be opened in a new browser window by pressing the "open icon" in their respective header. Metagraph Builder windows opened from each other share their selection and active project, so a selection you make in one window is reflected in the others.

Selections

Selections in Metagraph Builder are synced across the panels. If you select one or more nodes in the Library, on the Canvas, or in the Navigator or Project panel, the same nodes are selected in all of them. The Details and Attributes panels show the selected entities, and the Transaction History tab in the Log follows the selection too.

• Select several: CTRL+Click (⌘+Click) to add or remove an entity from the selection. In the lists, Shift+Click selects a range.
• Clear the selection: click an empty part of the Canvas.

The selection is synced between the panels. With several Definition Nodes selected, the Details panel shows them side by side.

Context menus

Right-clicking (CTRL+Click) an entity opens a contextual menu with several actions. Some actions are available only from the context menu.

Where you right-click	What the menu offers
A node in the Library, on the Canvas, or in the Navigator or Project panel (or the … button in Details)	Clone, Copy ID, Add to / Remove from canvas, Add to / Remove from project group (when a project is active), Edit or Show, Create Instance (not for abstract Definition Nodes), Delete
An edge on the Canvas	Copy ID, Edit, Disconnect
An empty part of the Canvas	Clear all nodes from canvas, Add canvas nodes to project group, Remove canvas nodes from project group
An attribute in the Attributes panel	Copy ID for attribute, Inheritance..., Delete

When several entities are selected and you right-click one of them, the menu acts on all of them and shows how many are affected. Press Escape or click elsewhere to close a menu.

See Creating an instance, Cloning a node, Deleting a node, and Adding nodes to a project for more about these actions.

The context menu of a Definition Node in the Library

Hotkeys

Use ⌘ on a Mac and CTRL on other systems. The tooltip of each Toolbar button shows its hotkey.

Hotkey	Description
CTRL + B / ⌘ B	Show or hide the Library panel
CTRL + I / ⌘ I	Show or hide the Canvas panel
CTRL + P / ⌘ P	Show or hide the Project panel
CTRL + D / ⌘ D	Show or hide the Details panel
CTRL + L / ⌘ L	Show or hide the Log panel
CTRL + S / ⌘ S	Save

The Navigator and Attributes panels, Undo, Definition, and New… have no hotkey.

The tooltip of a Toolbar button shows its hotkey

In the Library, Navigator, and Project lists

Hotkey	Description
↑ ↓	Move between rows
← →	Collapse or expand a row
Enter	Select the row
Shift + ↑ ↓	Extend the selection
CTRL + A / ⌘ A	Select all

On the Canvas

Click a node first so that the Canvas has focus.

Hotkey	Description
Arrow keys	Move the selection to the nearest node in that direction
Space	Show or hide the nodes below the selected node
Backspace or Delete	Remove the selected nodes from the Canvas (they are not deleted)
CTRL + A / ⌘ A	Select all nodes
CTRL + scroll	Zoom
CTRL + Shift + click on a relation	Disconnect the relation

Working with Metagraph Builder

Saving your work

When you work in Metagraph Builder, actions like creating a new node or editing an entity's details are only performed locally in your browser. Nothing is saved to the database until you explicitly choose to save.

Every change is kept as a pending action in your browser, so your unsaved work survives a page reload. Other Metagraph Builder tabs working in the same data context see the same pending actions.

• As soon as there are pending actions, a counter appears on the Log icon in the Toolbar. A red badge on the icon tells you that some of the changes have issues that must be resolved before you can save.
• The Save button is disabled while there is nothing to save.
• Nodes that you have created or changed are shown with their name in italic and an asterisk [*]. Nodes that you have deleted are shown struck through.

A new, unsaved Definition Node is shown in italic with an asterisk, and the Log icon shows the number of pending actions

Changed: Earlier versions showed the counter on both the Save and Log icons. The counter is now shown on the Log icon only.

What happens when you save

1. Metagraph Builder first checks the pending actions. If something is wrong, for example if a mandatory value is missing, the Log panel opens and lists the issues, and nothing is saved.
2. Otherwise, the Save Changes dialog asks you for a comment describing your changes. You can tick Don't show this again to skip the dialog. An administrator can make a comment of at least ten characters mandatory, and then the dialog is always shown.
3. If the server responds with warnings, the Save Warning(s) dialog lets you choose to Save anyway or cancel.

The Save Changes dialog

The Save Warning(s) dialog lets you save anyway or cancel

To review or discard your pending actions before saving, see The Log panel.

Creating a new node

From the Toolbar

There are two ways to create a new node from the Toolbar.

• Press the Definition icon [+] to create a new Definition Node.
• Press the New… icon to open a menu with all other types you can create, and select one from the list.

A node created from the Toolbar (or with Create Instance in the context menu) is named New node. It is placed on the Canvas and selected, and the Details panel opens so that you can edit its details, such as its name.

The New… menu lists all types you can create

From the Canvas

Hover over a node on the Canvas, and then over one of the handles around it. The menu that opens lets you create a new node that is related to the node you are hovering. The arrow handles let you create nodes through other relations (dependent on your environment). You can, for instance, create a new node that is implemented as an attribute of the selected node, or create a technical documentation resource. See Node actions for details.

A node created from the Canvas is selected, but the Details panel does not open automatically.

Creating a new node from the handle below a node on the Canvas

New nodes are not saved until you save. See Saving your work.

Changed: New nodes are no longer added to the active project automatically. They are placed on the Canvas instead. See Adding nodes to a project.

Creating an instance

Instance Nodes of your own Definition Nodes are created from the Definition Node's context menu:

1. Right-click the Definition Node in the Library, on the Canvas, or in the Navigator or Project panel, or press … in its Details panel.
2. Select Create Instance.
3. The new Instance Node is named New node, placed on the Canvas, selected, and opened in the Details panel. Give it a name and fill in its values there. Which field holds the name depends on the Definition Node's attributes, so it is not always called Name.

New… in the Toolbar lists only the built-in types, not your own Definition Nodes. To create an instance of one of your Definition Nodes, use Create Instance.

Create Instance is disabled for an abstract Definition Node, for an entity you have deleted, and for an entity you are not allowed to read. Like every change, the new Instance Node is pending until you save.

A new Instance Node created with Create Instance, shown on the Canvas and in the Details panel

Cloning a node

Right-click an entity and select Clone to create a copy of it. The copy is selected, so the Details panel shows it, and it is listed first in the Library together with the other unsaved entities. It is not placed on the Canvas.

The copy gets:

• Every value of the original. Its name starts with Clone of.
• For an Instance Node: the same Definition Node.
• For a Definition Node: the same superclasses, the same nodes it implements, and a copy of each attribute the original defines itself, with the same settings. Inherited attributes come from the superclasses as usual.

The copy does not get the original's subclasses, implementers, Instance Nodes, other relations, or icon.

Clone acts on the entity you right-clicked, even when several are selected. It is disabled for an entity you have deleted or are not allowed to read, and it is not offered for relations.

A cloned Definition Node, selected and shown in the Details panel

Creating a relation between two nodes

Hover over a node on the Canvas, then drag one of its handles onto another node. While you drag, every node you can drop on is outlined with a dashed line, and a line follows the mouse pointer.

Handle	When dropped on another node, it…
The + above the node	makes the other node the superclass: the dragged node is a kind of the other node
The + below the node	makes the other node a subclass: the dragged node classifies the other node
The ◇→ on the right	creates a new attribute on the dragged node that refers to the other node
The ←◇ on the left	creates a new attribute on the other node that refers to the dragged node

A classification can only connect two nodes of the same type, and cannot make a node its own ancestor.

To create a relation of any other type, such as Consist of, or a relation to an entity that is not on the Canvas, use the Relations tab in the Details panel.

While you drag, the nodes you can drop on are outlined with a dashed line

After the drop, the new relation is shown on the Canvas and listed as a pending action in the Log

Disconnecting a node

To disconnect a node, i.e., remove the relation, you can:

• Right-click the edge that you want to remove and select Disconnect from the context menu, then confirm.
• Hold CTRL + Shift and click the relation, then confirm.
• Select one of the nodes, open the Relations tab in the Details panel, locate the relation, and press the trash can icon. Note that this removes the relation straight away, without asking for confirmation.

Disconnecting a relation from the context menu

Deleting a node

Removing a node from the Canvas, with Backspace, Delete, or its ⊖ icon, does not delete it. To delete it from the model:

1. Right-click it and select Delete. With several nodes selected, right-click one of them: the menu item reads Delete selected (n) entities.
2. The Delete dialog lists what will be deleted: the node, and the relations that go with it. Anything that prevents the deletion is listed above that, each with a pen icon that opens the entity.
3. Press Delete. The node is shown struck through, and the deletion is pending until you save.

Relations that only connect the node to others, such as its classification relation to its superclass, are deleted together with it. The Delete button in the dialog is disabled, and the dialog explains why, when the node:

• still has Instance Nodes;
• is the superclass of another Definition Node, or is implemented by another node;
• is referred to by something else, for example by an attribute that refers to it;
• is one you are not allowed to delete. In that case, Delete in the context menu is disabled too.

Delete or move those first. To see all of a node's relations, including those to entities that are not on the Canvas, check the Relations tab before you delete.

A deletion consists of several pending actions, one for each entity it removes. Undo takes back one action at a time, and the Actions tab in the Log shows them all.

The Delete dialog lists what will be deleted

A deletion that is blocked: the Definition Node still has an Instance Node, so it cannot be deleted

After Delete, the node is struck through and the deletion is pending in the Log

Adding nodes to a project

A node is only in a project when you put it there. A node you create is not added to the active project.

1. Make the project active: select it in the Toolbar or in the Project panel, or create one with + in the Project panel.
2. Right-click the node in the Library, on the Canvas, or in the Navigator, and select Add to project group. To add several nodes, select them first and right-click one of them: the menu item shows how many of them are not in the project yet.
3. The node is listed in the Project panel. Like any other change, it is pending until you save.

To add everything on the Canvas at once, right-click an empty part of the Canvas and select Add canvas nodes to project group.

The project menu items are not offered when no project is active. For a node that is already in the project, the context menu offers Remove from project group instead. You can also remove nodes with the × on a row in the Project panel, or with Remove canvas nodes from project group in the menu of an empty part of the Canvas. Removing a node from a project does not delete it.

The ⊕ and ⊖ icons next to rows, and double-clicking a row, put nodes on the Canvas and take them off it. They do not change the project.

Changed: In earlier versions, the "plus" ⊕ and "minus" ⊖ icons and double-clicking a row added or removed nodes from the project. They now add or remove nodes from the Canvas. Projects are also no longer saved automatically – project changes are saved together with your other changes when you press Save.

Adding a node to the active project from the context menu

The nodes in the project are listed in the Project panel

The panels

The Library panel

The Library panel (CTRL+B) is where you will find all data entities of the model. It shows one data type at a time – by default, Definition Nodes. Use the type selector at the top to change to another data type. Primitive types are not offered. Note that the current version of Metagraph Builder does not support legacy data types like Generic Unit and Generic Type.

The types in the type selector are grouped. An item with an arrow opens a submenu when you hover over it – for example, Definition Node is found under Generic Model.

The menu is configured on each inorigo® instance, so the menu you see may look different from the screenshot below.

Configuring the type menu: The menu is built from the class Evolver Classes and its Consist of relations:

• Each class that Evolver Classes consists of is an item in the menu.
• An item whose class consists of other classes opens them as a submenu.
• An item whose class consists of no other classes selects that type.

To change the menu, change those Consist of relations.

The type selector with the Generic Model submenu open. The menu on your instance may look different.

Working with the Library

The Library shows entities alphabetically in an expandable tree list. Entities you have created but not yet saved are listed first. By pressing the arrow next to an entity, you can expand it to see whichever of these apply to it: its Definitions, Values, Attributes, Constraints, Instances, one group per relation type, Refers To, and Referred By. Empty groups are not shown.

Every row expands the same way, so the tree is recursive – there's not necessarily a definitive end to a tree, as it might loop depending on the structure.

To put a node on the Canvas, double-click its row or press its "plus" ⊕ icon.

An expanded Definition Node in the Library

Filtering the Library

• Search: Type in the Search field to filter the list as you type. Typing the ID of an entity finds that entity.
• Create filter: Press the filter button next to the type selector to open the Filter dialog, where you can build a query and preview its result. While a filter is active, the button is highlighted, a summary of the filter is shown, and Clear filter removes it.

Searching the Library

The Filter dialog lets you build a query and preview the result

The Canvas

The Canvas (CTRL+I) visualizes selected portions of the model as a metagraph diagram of nodes and edges. It draws the nodes you have put on it, and the relations between them.

The Canvas shows a metagraph diagram of nodes and edges from a selected portion of the metagraph model

Working with the Canvas

• Pan: drag the Canvas background, or scroll with the mouse wheel or trackpad.
• Zoom: CTRL + scroll, pinch on a trackpad, or use the − and + buttons at the top right. Click the percentage between them to reset the zoom to 100%.
• Center: Scroll to selection, at the top left, brings the selected nodes to the middle of the view.
• Layout: nodes are placed automatically, with superclasses above their subclasses, and move into place when something changes. Nodes without a classification are placed in a column at the side. As of the current version, there's no manual layout.

Changed: Scrolling with the mouse wheel or trackpad now pans the Canvas. To zoom, hold CTRL while you scroll, or pinch on a trackpad.

Adding nodes to the Canvas

Double-click a row, or press its "plus" ⊕ icon, in the Library or the Project panel. You can also select Add to canvas from the context menu, or show related nodes from a node's handle menus (see Showing and hiding related nodes).

Note that nodes added to the Canvas are not automatically added to the active project. To add a node to the project, right-click it and select Add to project group.

Removing nodes from the Canvas

None of these delete anything from the model:

• Select the nodes and press Backspace or Delete on your keyboard.
• Press the ⊖ icon at the top right of a node, which appears when you hover over it.
• Right-click and select Remove from Canvas from the context menu.
• Right-click an empty part of the Canvas and select Clear all nodes from canvas.

Node actions

Entities on the Canvas are shown as nodes. Hovering over a node reveals its handles: a + above and below, a ◇ arrow to the left and right, and a ⊖ at the top right. Instance Nodes only have the left and right handles.

Hover over or click a handle to open its menu:

• Create new creates a new node together with the relation to it:

  • Above: a new superclass (Is a kind of) or a new node that this node implements (Implements).
  • Below: a new subclass (Classifies) or a new implementer (Implemented By).
  • Left: a new node through one of the relations that point at this node, such as Is a part of or Included in.
  • Right: a new node through one of the relations from this node, such as Consist of or Contains, or a new attribute that refers to another Definition Node (Attribute (instance of) or Attribute (subclass of)). From the same menu, you can create new documentation for the node, such as Technical documentation or User documentation.

  The relation types offered on the left and right depend on your environment.

• Visible lists the related nodes, with a checkbox to show or hide each one on the Canvas.

Instead of clicking a handle, you can drag it onto another node to create a relation between the two.

Markers on a node's edges tell you that it has related nodes, even if they are not on the Canvas: a filled circle at the top for a superclass, a filled circle at the bottom for subclasses, a white circle for implementation, and a diamond on the right for attribute references.

Hovering over a node reveals its handles

Above	Below	Left	Right

The menus of a node's four handles. Each lists what you can create, and the related nodes you can show or hide.

Changed: The ⊖ icon on a node now removes it from the Canvas, not from the project. There is no longer a ⊕ icon on the node.

Showing and hiding related nodes

You can explore the connections from a node through the node action menus.

To add a related node to the Canvas, check it in the Visible section of the menu. To hide it, uncheck it again. You can also right-click the node and select Remove from Canvas.

Edges

Edges show how the nodes are connected. The relations of the selected node are drawn with dashed lines, making it easier to follow them on the Canvas.

Color	Relation	Can be selected
Black	Classification (Classifies / Is a Kind of)	Yes
Green	Implementation (Implements / Implemented By)	Yes
Purple	Every other relation, such as Consist of / Is a part of, or Contains / Included in	Yes
Grey	Between an Instance Node and its Definition Node, and attribute references	No

A selected classification or implementation turns blue and thicker. A selected purple relation only becomes thicker.

Selecting relations

Black, green, and purple edges can be selected by clicking them. The mouse cursor changes into a pointer cursor when hovering over a selectable edge.

When a relation is selected, the Details panel shows the relation itself: its source, connection type, and target. To remove a relation, see Disconnecting a node.

A selected relation shown in the Details panel

The Navigator panel

The Navigator panel is a structured tree component that lets you view and explore the nodes that are on the Canvas. It works similarly to the Navigator in the old Model Builder. The tree expands the same way as the Library's. Pressing the "minus" ⊖ icon removes a node from the Canvas. The Navigator has no hotkey.

The Navigator panel complements the Canvas, letting you see the nodes and explore the model in different ways. Note that the tree is recursive, so there's not necessarily a definitive end to a list, as it might loop indefinitely depending on the structure.

Changed: In earlier versions, the Navigator showed the nodes in the active project. It now shows the nodes on the Canvas.

The Navigator panel lets you navigate the nodes on the Canvas in a tree list.

The Project panel

The Project panel (CTRL+P) holds your projects. A project is your own collection of nodes – a subset of the model that you are working with. A project is built on a project group, which can be shared: several users can have the same project group as one of their projects.

• Projects are numbered, starting with 0. The active project's number and name are always visible in the Toolbar.
• To switch between projects, press their number in the panel, use the dropdown in the panel, or click the project in the Toolbar.
• Press + to create a new project. Give it a title in the New project group dialog.
• Press Browse project groups to open Manage Projects, where you can add existing project groups as your projects, or remove them.
• Changes to a project are pending actions, just like any other change, and are saved when you press Save.

Creating a new project

In Manage Projects, you can add existing project groups as your projects

The project menu

The … menu in the Project panel offers:

• Rename this project group… – the new name applies to everyone who has the project group.
• Duplicate – copies the project group and switches to the copy.
• Delete – deletes the project group for everyone who has it. The nodes in it are not deleted.
• Leave Project – removes the project from your projects only.
• Add all nodes to canvas… – puts the project's nodes on the Canvas. You can choose to replace what is on the Canvas or add to it.

The project menu

Adding and removing nodes

See Adding nodes to a project.

Showing the project on the Canvas

Switching project does not change what is on the Canvas. To show the project's nodes on the Canvas, select Add all nodes to canvas… from the project menu, and choose Replace to show only the project's nodes.

The project's nodes on the Canvas after Add all nodes to canvas… and Replace

The Details panel

The Details panel (CTRL+D) is a contextual panel – that is, it always reflects the details of the currently selected entity. It lets you edit the details, such as the name and icon of the entity, as well as other attribute values.

When selecting multiple entities, the panel shows the details of all of them side by side, each with its own tabs.

The Details panel has the tabs General, Attributes, Constraints, Tree, Relations, and History. The … at the top right opens the entity's context menu. A badge tells you when you may only read the entity, or when you are not allowed to read it at all.

The Details panel shows the details of the currently selected entity

The General tab

The General tab holds the entity's values. For a Definition Node, these are:

• Name and Name (Plural)
• Abstract
• Description
• Instance Presentation
• Icon

Attributes that are disabled are not shown here.

Abstract

When this checkbox is selected, you will not be able to create Instance Nodes from the Definition Node. Create Instance in the context menu is then disabled.

Instance Presentation

This is where you define how the Instance Nodes of the Definition Node will be displayed everywhere in inorigo®. By default, Instance Nodes without a presentation expression are shown with their inorigo® ID. It is common to use the Name attribute as presentation, but with expressions, you can string together a presentation from multiple attributes and add custom values to the presentation.

You can open up the Expression Editor by pressing Open editor. Learn more about expressions.

{Name} presents the Instance Node with the value of the Name attribute

{First Name} + " " + {Surname} would combine the attribute First Name and Surname into a Presentation String. The (" ") adds a blank space between the two attribute values.

{Project Name} + " " + $MONTHNAME()+ " " + $YEAR() would combine the attribute Project Name with the Date and Month of its creation. E.G. "Project Omega May 2025".

Editing the Instance Presentation in the Expression Editor

Icon

Allows you to set an explicit icon for the entity. Icons are inherited, just as any attribute, through classification. By pressing the down arrow [⌄] you can browse all available image resources.

To upload a new image resource, press the ⊕ icon. A dialog will open where you can upload a new image resource.

To edit an existing icon, first select the icon from the list and press the pen icon.

You can also set the icons for the Definition Node's Instance Nodes, subclasses, and implementers. To do so, click the Icon heading to expand the Icon section.

Invert on Dark: Image resources in the Invert on Dark resource category are inverted in dark mode, so that a black icon appears white on a dark panel. The category is set on the image resource itself, not in the Icon field.

The expanded Icon section lets you set the icons for Instance Nodes, subclasses, and implementers

Icon best practices

In most lists inorigo® displays a 16x16 px icon, so keep in mind that images with many details and colors will not look great when scaled down.

It is recommended that:

• The icon is designed with smaller sizes in mind.
• The icon is monochrome/black. This ensures legibility on different backgrounds.
• The icon is in .svg format as vectors can scale without quality loss.

The Attributes tab

The Attributes tab shows the same attribute table as the Attributes panel. See The Attributes panel.

The Constraints tab

The Constraints tab lets you define unique keys on a Definition Node: which attributes, alone or together, must have unique values.

• Press Add to create a constraint, and choose its attributes in the Attributes column.
• Crosswise Unique requires exactly two attributes.
• Enforce makes the constraint block a save when it is violated. Otherwise, it gives a warning.
• Constraints inherited from a superclass are shown, but cannot be changed here.
• Only attributes with multiplicity 1 can be chosen. If an attribute's multiplicity is changed after it was added to a constraint, a red warning triangle marks the constraint's Attributes cell, and the Log lists the Definition Node as an issue that blocks saving. To resolve it, remove the attribute from the constraint or set its multiplicity back to 1.

Only Definition Nodes have constraints, and they require inorigo® 22.6.2 or later on the server.

The Constraints tab in the Details panel

The Tree tab

The Tree tab displays a tree structure based on the selected entity. It expands the same way as the Library, and can be helpful when you want to quickly navigate through or explore the structure around a single entity.

Changed: Earlier versions had a separate Tree panel. The tree is now a tab in the Details panel.

The Tree tab in the Details panel

The Relations tab

The Relations tab lists every relation type that can apply to the selected entity, in alphabetical order. Each type is named in both directions, such as Classifies / Is a kind of, and is followed by how many relations of that type the entity has. Types that the entity has no relations of are listed too, so that you can create the first one.

It is the one place that shows all of an entity's relations, including those to entities that are not on the Canvas. Check it before deleting a node: each relation listed here is either deleted together with the node, or prevents the deletion.

The Relations tab lists the relation types of the selected entity

Click a relation type to open it:

• Create new relation: choose the other entity. The relation is created at once, in the direction the type is named from this entity, and is pending until you save.
• One row per relation, with:
  • a number that sets the order the relations are listed in;
  • the related entity, which shows a preview when you hover over it;
  • Inspect (the magnifier icon), which opens the related entity read-only;
  • Remove relation (the trash can icon), which removes the relation straight away, without asking for confirmation. Both entities are kept.

When you are only allowed to read the entity, only the relation types it has relations of are listed, and you cannot create or remove relations.

An opened relation type, with the option to create a new relation and one row per existing relation

The History tab

The History tab lists the entity's unsaved changes and its saved transactions, newest first, together with their comments.

The History tab shows unsaved changes and saved transactions for the selected entity

The Attributes panel

The Attributes panel is a contextual panel – that is, it always displays the attributes of the selected entity. The same table is also available in the Attributes tab of the Details panel.
When selecting multiple entities, the panel shows a table for each selected entity, in the order they were selected.

The Attributes panel shows the attributes of the currently selected entity

Adding attributes

You can add attributes by pressing the + Add button at the end of the list. By default, the attribute type is set to String. Give the new attribute a name.

Attribute type

An attribute may, for example, be a simple string or integer (primitives), but may also point to other entities.

Note: You can change the Attribute Type until the attribute has been saved. After that, it cannot be changed.

Attribute columns

Press the […] icon at the top right of the table to choose which columns are visible.

• Shown by default: Name, Type, Owner, automation, Multiplicity, Instance of, Is a kind of, and Valueset.
• Also available: Key, Disabled, Read Only, Remark, Sequence, Tooltip, Plural Name, Instance Presentation, and Singular Name.

Choosing which columns to show in the Attributes panel

Multiplicity

Multiplicity refers to how many values an attribute can or must hold. It is written as a number or a range, for example:

Example	Description
1	Exactly one value (mandatory single value)
0..1	Zero or exactly one value (optional). This is the default.
0..	Zero or more values
1..	One or more values
2..4	Between two and four values

Any multiplicity other than 1 or 0..1 is marked with a warning sign, as more than one value should be avoided where possible.

Automation

Press Add automation on an attribute to set how it gets its value – once or continuously – from an expression, a fixed value, a method, or a serial number.

Setting up automation for an attribute

Attribute inheritance

The attributes of a Definition Node are automatically inherited by its subclasses through the classification structure (Is a Kind of / Classifies relation).

Inherited attributes are displayed in italic in the list, until you give the attribute a value of its own, which then overrides the inherited one.

Inherited attributes may have a different name than the attribute from which they were inherited. You can rename the attribute by clicking its name.

You can right-click an attribute and select Inheritance… to open a dialog where you can trace the attribute's values along the classification chain. The dialog also lets you edit and override an attribute.

Inherited attributes are shown in italic

From the Inheritance dialog, you can trace how an attribute has been inherited through the classification structure

You can disable an inherited attribute. To do so, first enable the Disabled column from the […] menu and check the option.

Valueset

A valueset is a fixed list of values from which the user can choose when an Instance Node is created (one or many values, depending on the multiplicity of the attribute). From the Valueset column, you can select any pre-existing valueset from the dropdown.

To create a new valueset, press the ⊕ icon in the valueset cell. In the dialog, you can name the new valueset, select the type, and add values.

The valueset dialog can be opened from the Valueset column

Attribute order

The Attributes panel lists attributes according to their sequence. This order is also reflected in how the attributes are displayed throughout inorigo®. To change the sequence of the attributes, first add the Sequence column from the […] menu if it is not visible. Lower sequence numbers have precedence over higher numbers.

The Log panel

The Log panel (CTRL+L) has two tabs: Pending and Transaction History.

Pending

The Pending tab shows everything that has not yet been saved:

• Summary: how many actions are pending and, if some of them have problems, a list of the issues you need to resolve before you can save. For example, deleting an entity that other entities depend on, or that has Instance Nodes or relations, is reported here and blocks the save.
• Comment, Discard changes (after a confirmation), and Save.
• Unsaved: one row per changed entity, showing whether it was created, updated, or deleted. Press the pen icon to open the entity, for example to address an issue.
• Actions: all pending actions, chronologically in a timeline.

The Pending tab in the Log panel

In the Actions timeline, the colors can help you quickly identify what type of action will be committed on save:

• A blue circle behind the icon indicates that a node was created.
• A yellow circle behind the icon indicates that a value was edited.
• A red circle behind the icon indicates that a node was deleted.

You can undo the most recent action by pressing the ↩︎ icon next to it, or by pressing Undo in the Toolbar.

The log timeline colors show what type of action will be committed on save

Transaction History

The Transaction History tab shows what has already been saved. You can filter it by date, data type, user, and comment, and view it by date or by entity.

The Transaction History tab lists saved transactions

How Metagraph Builder will differ from its predecessor

Metagraph Builder has inherited many great features from Model Builder, primarily those focusing on modeling. It features a canvas to visualize the inorigo® model, and improves understanding and interaction. The web technology makes it more accessible, compatible, quicker, and adds support for more types of devices. Some Model Builder features however, will move to other places in the inorigo® platform, where they fit better.

Features that will not be inherited from its predecessor

We want Metagraph Builder to excel in Modeling and focus on just that. Therefore, the following features within the Model Builder will not be found in Metagraph Builder.

• Methods
• Context handling
• System settings
• Chat support
• User permissions (will be handled by Right Manager instead)
• No file handling (will be handled by File Manager instead)

Metagraph Builder does have user preferences, including locale and language, in the Account menu of the Toolbar. It also shows the data context you are working in.

Features that have not yet been implemented

Some features have yet to be implemented in the Metagraph Builder but are candidates for a later release:

• connect panel
• input matrix
• Bookmarks (will be integrated in project later on)
• Handling of type Process Domain types
• Full language support (has partial today)
• RelationSpecifiers are not fully supported

Constraints and dependency warnings have been implemented since this list was first published. See The Constraints tab and The Log panel.

Roadmap

The priority is to make it intuitive to model and understand the model using an interactive metagraph diagram.

Some upcoming features

• Panel realignment

• Improved Canvas - manual layout for nodes

• Simplify model in the model diagram

• Easier ways to connect nodes ontology or taxonomy-wise

  …And many more

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