Displaying Shortcuts

Shortcuts are visible in both the Browser and the diagram window.

In the Browser, a shortcut is treated as a regular object, except that its symbol carries a small arrow in its bottom left corner. In the example below, the shortcut to Class C appears under the Class folder, sorted alphabetically among the other classes that are native to the model:

In a diagram, the symbol of a shortcut is identical to the symbol of a regular object except that it carries a small arrow in its bottom left corner.

If the target model is closed, only the name of the target model will be displayed. No other properties or sub-objects will be available:

Target model	Description	Default display Symbol
Opened	Shortcut symbols displays target object name, and target object attributes
Closed	Simplified shortcut symbol with name, identical size but no attributes

Modifying Shortcut Display Preferences
You can modify the following display preferences for a shortcut using the Tools Display Preferences command:
Displaying the Objects that Are Dependent on a Shortcut
Shortcuts can collaborate with other objects in a variety of ways. The Dependencies tab in the shortcut property sheet lists the objects that are dependent on the shortcut.
Displaying the Shortcuts that Reference a Target Object
The Dependencies tab in an object's property sheet lists all the shortcuts that reference the object
Displaying All the Shortcuts for a Particular Type of Object
You can display all the shortcuts for a particular type of object in the object lists.
Displaying All the Shortcuts in the Model
You can display all the shortcuts in the model in the List of Shortcuts. The U[sed] column is checked when the shortcut has a symbol in a diagram or if it is referenced by at least one other object. If this column is not checked, the shortcut is not used in the model and you can safely delete it.
Working with the Target Models Referenced by the Model
In addition to external shortcuts that you create yourself, PowerDesigner also creates shortcuts automatically when you perform certain tasks, such as linking requirements to design objects, mapping objects, or selecting a library during OOM reverse engineering.

Parent topic: Shortcuts