How to identify the node that will be the base for Alignment?

camunda / camunda-modeler

An integrated modeling solution for BPMN, DMN and Forms based on bpmn.io.

https://camunda.com/products/modeler

MIT License

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How to identify the node that will be the base for Alignment? #1056

Closed rvaneerd closed 5 years ago

rvaneerd commented 5 years ago

Hi,

I am aware of the Alignment tools in Camunda Modeler's toolbar. However, they don't work for me as expected as I cannot seem to figure out which node will be used as the base point (the one that will be used for the alignment of the others) for the alignment.

In other tools (ie. Microsoft Visio), the base node will be identified with a thicker border. Because of the fact I don't have access to Visio anymore, I cannot provide a screenshot of what I mean.

It would help if this could be implemented in Camunda Modeler as well (as part of the main code or as a plugin).

I've investigated #312 but I cannot figure out to what level that one is related to my request.

I hope the above description is clear enough.

Regards, Rob.

nikku commented 5 years ago

Could you provide examples (maybe created using a screen recorder) that illustrate what is not working as expected and how the expected behavior looks like? Depending on whether you file a feature request or bug report, make sure to provide us with all necessary details for the respective issue type.

nikku commented 5 years ago

Because of the fact I don't have access to Visio anymore, I cannot provide a screenshot of what I mean.

You could screenshot the Camunda Modeler and "mock" things using Paint. That would help us tremendously to evaluate your issue.

nikku commented 5 years ago

Is a primary selection indicator the thing you may be missing?

rvaneerd commented 5 years ago

Is a primary selection indicator the thing you may be missing?

If in this case, the "choose recipe" is the one that would be the base, then yes, that would do! If your screenshot would be the result of selecting the "choose recipe" as the first (or last) in the following sample, then that would be exactly what I would like.

nikku commented 5 years ago

Thanks for the clarification.

nikku commented 5 years ago

How to identify the node that will be the base for Alignment?

Going back to that initial question: Alignment (middle) distinguishes between two scenarios:

there exists no common line: in this case the elements will be aligned in the middle of the bounding box (vertically or horizontally). The elements won't be aligned to some particular elements middle, so to say
there exists a common line already: That line (horizontally or vertically) will be identified and used. That results in an intuitive alignment experience in most cases.

Both cases are showcased in the following screencast:

foo

Another more real-world example showcasing the power of that approach in action:

foo

I'll close this issue, given that we got no intentions to change that behavior.