Quick Diagram, Improved Roadmaps and Import/Export User Profile - Software Ideas Modeler 14.60

Software Ideas Modeler, a powerful diagramming and modeling tool, has released version 14.60, introducing several significant enhancements and new features. This update aims to streamline the user experience and expand the tool's capabilities for creating detailed and complex diagrams. Below are some of the key highlights of this release.

Quick Diagram - Simplified Sketching

One of the standout features in version 14.60 is the introduction of the Quick Diagram. This new diagram type is designed for rapid sketching, offering two main element types: boxes and connectors. Users can quickly create simple diagrams and then refine them using the context bar to change connector start and end caps or convert elements to other types, such as classes. Additionally, users can utilize shapes from the Drawing group in the toolbox or drag and drop various shapes from the Graphics sidebar to modify a box's appearance. Quick diagrams can be easily accessed from the start page, Insert ribbon tab, and the standard diagram menu and dialog.

Quick Diagram

Improved Roadmaps - Enhanced Customization

Roadmaps in Software Ideas Modeler 14.60 now support up to three timelines, allowing users to display quarters, months, and weeks simultaneously. Each timeline can be customized with a specific format using a variety of format tags, such as {mmmm} for the full month name or {yyyy} for the year with four digits. New milestone shapes, including Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Top Stripe, and Bottom Stripe, offer more visual options for tracking progress. When milestones extend beyond the roadmap range, they are marked with a triangle arrow for clear visibility.

You can use the following formatting tags:

{mmmm} - Full month name
{mmm} - Abbreviated month name
{mm} - Month with leading zero
{m} - Month without leading zero
{yyyy} - Year with four digits
{yy} - Year, last two digits
{q} - quarter
{w} - week number
{ds} - short date
{dl} - long date
{dddd} - Full weekday name
{ddd} - Abbreviated weekday name
{dd} - Day of the month with leading zero
{d} - Day of the month without leading zero

Improved Roadmaps

Convert Element - Enhanced Usability

The Convert Element dialog has been improved by grouping diagram types and adding a search function, making it easier for users to find and convert elements within their diagrams.

Convert Element - Improved Dialog

Export and Import User Profiles and Settings

Users can now export and import their profiles and settings, providing a seamless transition between different environments or sharing configurations with team members. This functionality is accessible via the dropdown menu in the Options dialog under the "More" button.

Improved Support for Non-Latin Alphabets

Version 14.60 enhances the formatted text editor's support for non-Latin alphabets using the Input Method Editor (IME). This improvement ensures that users who input text in languages using non-Latin scripts can do so with greater ease and accuracy.

Release Notes

Here is a comprehensive list of the new features, improvements, and fixes in Software Ideas Modeler 14.60:

New Features and Improvements

Added a new Quick Diagram
Improved Convert Element dialog by grouping diagram types and adding a search function
Added new shapes to the Drawing group: Cylinder and Paper
Added new context bar buttons for the Universal Connector for changing start and end caps
Export and import for settings and user profiles
Added a Format property to the Roadmap element for specifying a custom format for a period
Added secondary and tertiary timeline units to the Roadmap element, allowing other timelines to be specified in the header
Added a Milestone type property to the Properties dialog
Added new Milestone types: Left Arrow, Right Arrow, Top Stripe, Bottom Stripe
Displaying a triangle symbol for Roadmap Milestone that extend beyond the roadmap range
Optimized rendering of large roadmaps
Allowed resizing the selected element with grips even when a chosen tool
Hiding unnecessary context bar buttons for UML Fragment
Added missing element icons
The border width of the freehand stroke preview matched to the actual size
Automatically switching to the Stroke Style tab when choosing the Freehand Stroke tool
Improved hit areas for Strokes
Adjusted highlighting stroke styles for higher transparency
Enabled stroke width adjustments via the Properties dialog or sidebar
Added support for non-Latin alphabets using IME to the formatted text editor
Formatting actions in the Format ribbon tab can also be applied to the entire selected Formatted Text elements (Drawing group element)

Fixed Bugs

Fixed IDEF1X relationship multiplicity after duplication
Fixed operand references in UML Fragment after deleting or undoing fragment operands
Fixed setting the Y-coordinate using the Properties sidebar
Fixed showing and hiding of certain context menus
Fixed inserting elements with a single click into a container [RQ#2742]
Fixed inserting shapes into a container
Fixed refreshing of element layout when changing the Margin style property
Fixed the position of a new partition added to a roadmap using the context bar
Fixed application crash when opening the Navigate submenu in the context menu for ERD Entity Attribute with an undefined type
Fixed vertical alignment of text in the Formatted Text element for higher DPIs