Configuring General Options

The General tab is always available in the properties panel no matter what is selected. Here you can change the name of the selected object and add an optional description. The name displayed in the Name text box is the same name as the shape's label as displayed on the canvas.

For example, if you select a user task shape, its label is "User Task" and that name is reflected in the Name text box.

If you don't rename the selected shape, every shape of that type will have the same name. For example, if your process has 20 user tasks, you will have 20 shapes each named "User Task".

Change an Object Name

As you type in the text box, the label on the selected object changes simultaneously.

Note: Alternatively, you can double-click the label on the selected object to change it's name. The name does not simultaneously update to the Name text box in the properties panel as you type in the label. The name does not update in the properties panel until you click the object or press ENTER.

The Description text box is blank by default. No description displays unless you enter one for the selected object. Descriptions are not required, but you may want to enter one to describe the function of the selected object, or the configuration changes you have made.

Note: If you select an object that does not require configuration, only the General tab displays in the properties panel.

In addition to the Name and Description text boxes, when an boundary event is selected the Type drop-down list and the Interrupting check box are displayed on the General tab. The Type drop-down list lets you change the boundary event type (for example, escalation boundary event, message boundary event, error boundary event, and so on). Click the Interrupting check box to change a boundary event from non-interrupting to interrupting.

Note: The Type drop-down list is not implemented for signals. It is implemented for escalation.