View source for Arrow bends, curves, and styles

New to [[Whats new in Analytica 6.0|Analytica 6.0]]

You can modify Influence Arrows to have multiple line segments or curves -- very handy when you want to avoid arrows crossing other arrows or nodes. You can also set an arrow's  thickness, linestyle, colors, and more.

== Bends and Curves ==

Here's how to add segments or spline curves to an influence arrow in Edit mode:
* Click a straight arrow to select it. It will show a square and round handles in the middle of the arrow.
* To bend the arrow into two straight line segments, drag the square handle.
* To add a curve to the arrow, drag the round handle.

To modify a segmented or curved arrow, click the arrow to select it and then:
* To move the waypoints (the dark circles or squares), just drag them.
* To add another lines or curve, drag a new midpoint (open circle or square). 
* You can also move the start point or end point of an arrow where it meets a node border. Simply drag the point along the border.

== Arrow menu ==

Use the arrow menu to further modify the arrow styles.
* Click an arrow to select it. 
* Shift-click on additional arrow(s) if you want to select several.
* Right-click a selected arrow to show the arrow context menu:

<center>[[image:Arrow menu.png|500px]]</center>
* Then select:
** '''Curved''' to toggle between curved and straight segments.
** '''Remove way point''' to remove a segment.
** '''Remove all way points''' to restore a simple straight arrow.
** '''Dash style''' and then select solid, dashes, dots, dash-dot, or Dash-dot-dot.
** '''Double line''' to show the arrow as two lines.
** '''Thickness''' and then select a number to make the arrow thicker or thinner.
** '''Show color palette''' to show the [[Color palette]]. Click a color from the palette to color the selected arrow(s).
<!-- * Change either end cap (no anchor, an arrow, square, diamond or circle).-->

=== Show or hide arrows ===

You can use the [[Diagram Style dialog]] for each Diagram (Module) to control whether to show arrows to and from indexes and functions (off by default) or modules (on by default). You can use the [[Node Style dialog]] for one or more selected nodes to control whether to show arrows from all its inputs or to all its outputs.  You can use the Arrow menu above to show or hide individual arrows:

To hide an arrow, 
* Click the arrow to select it
* Right-click to show the Arrow menu. 
* Select '''Hide arrow'''

To show a hidden arrow, 
* You'll need to click around where you think it might be until you manage to select it.
* Right click to show the Arrow menu
* Select '''Show arrow''' to show the hidden arrow

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* Analytica's default rules for when to show arrows typically depicts a dependency only once in a given diagram. For example, if you have alias nodes in the same diagram as the original variables, a redundant arrow does not appear between the aliases. It also hides arrows involving Index and Function objects when the Diagram Style preferences have arrows between functions and indexes turned off. You can now show an individual arrow that would not normally be shown as a result of these rules by drawing the arrow between the two objects (e.g., between the 2 alias nodes).
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== Examples==
<center>[[image:System dynamics diagram with curved arrows.png|600px]]
A System Dynamics diagram with curved arrows. The nodes have their Borders hidden.</center>

== See also ==
* [[Draw arrows]]
* [[Draw arrows between modules]]