Charts are created by taking independent components and linking them together in a logical order (or hierarchy). There are five ways to link components together:
- Drag and drop one box directly on top of another.
- Use a Dynamic Connector to link two elements together.
- Paste a previously cut or copied component on a highlighted element.
- In the BoxItemmenu, click on the Supervisor field and choose from the list.
- In the DataOutlineView, click on the name of a component and drop it over the name of another component in the table.
Components: Dragging and Dropping
Most commonly you will use this method to connect boxes in the OrgChart.
- Select an on-screen box component by clicking on it.
- With the original box component still highlighted, go to Chart Design palette >Components.
- Leftmouseclick on a new component.
- Still holding down the Left mouse button, drag the new component over the (still highlighted) on– screen component you wish to connect to.
- Small icon boxes will appear indicating when the new component is in the correct position to link either to the left, center or right of the original on– screen component (see below).
When the icon indicates the direction you wish to place the new component, release the left mousebutton and drop it on the (still highlighted) on screen component. Notice that the new component appears to “jumpoff” the original element and that the two are now connected.
Components: Dynamic Connector
A dynamic connector is unique because it does not show up in the database. It is graphical only. Use the dynamic connector when you want to show a person who reports to more than one supervisor.
- Make certain two (unconnected) components are on the chart.
- Go to Chart Design palette in the Components area and drag a Dynamic Connectoronto the chart (between the two components).
- Place the mouse cursor over one of the Dynamic Connector’s end nodes. The cursor will turn into a pointing finger.
- Hold down the Left mouse buttonand drag the Dynamic Connector’s end node to a node on one of the components (a red square will appear to signify that the connector can successfully link to the node; see below):
Repeat steps 3 – 4 and attach the free end of the Dynamic Connector to a node on the second component.The two components are now linked.
Components: Connecting Through Cut, Copy, and Paste
Components can be connected by cutting, copying and pasting. To do this:
- Make certain two (unconnected) components are on the chart.
- Cut or copy a component to the Windows Clipboard(we will call this component #1).
- Highlight the second component (we will call this component #2).
- With component #2 still highlighted, paste component #1 from the clipboard.
- When component #1 appears, it will be connected to component #2.
Components: Connecting Through Box Item Menu
- Make certain two (unconnected) components are on the chart.
- Click on a component.
- Go to the Box Item menu and scroll down until the Supervisor field is visible.
- In the Supervisor field, click None.
- The None field will appear to turn into a box. Click on the small arrow to open up a menu that contains the names of other components on the chart (see below):
Select the name of a component from the list. On the chart, the two components are now linked.
Components: Connecting Through Data Outline
- Make certain two (unconnected) components are on the chart.
- Go to Data Outline View. The names of both components are listed.
- In the Name field, click on the first component’s name and drag and drop it onto the name of the second component.
- On the chart, the two components are now linked.
- In the Data Outline View, the linking of the two components is signified by a line which joins their names. (In the below illustration, Box 1 is the “Parent” and Box 2 is the “Child”.)
Components: Collapsing Subordinates
In Data Outline View, the hierarchical tree of linked components can be collapsed or expanded by clicking the box next to the Parent component’s name (see above illustration).
Rule: A plus sign (+) in the box next to a name indicates that the tree is collapsed and a minus sign (– ) indicates that the tree is expanded.