A busy diagram can be easier to explain in stages. Reveal the student first, then the portal, then its dependencies. For a change discussion, use a timeline to show services arriving, changing or retiring.
Add a simple walkthrough
- Select the view you want to present and choose Layout → Add steps to this view.
- Use + Step to create a step. Rename it with the pencil control.
- Select an element. Set Arrives at to the step when it should appear.
- Add another step and assign other elements or interactions to it.
- Press Edit again to finish editing. Step through with the arrows, then save the model.
Play and inspect
The arrows move backwards and forwards. All shows every element in the view. Initial state shows elements present before the first step. The model is laid out once, so stepping changes visibility without moving the layout around.
Show architecture change
For a timeline, give each selected record an arrival and departure using Arrives at and Leaves at. Use Change to mark one or more steps at which a present element changes. Each record has one arrival and one departure; to bring it back, revise its departure rather than adding a second lifecycle interval.
The Changes display marks arrivals, retirements, changed elements and interim elements that arrive and depart in the same step. Retiring elements remain visible in the step where they leave. Read the step legend rather than relying on colour alone.
Edit the sequence of steps
Use the step bar to add, rename, move or delete steps. While editing, off-stage elements are faint rather than hidden, so you can select them. An element added while standing on a step arrives at that step.
The model timeline
The first view to receive steps becomes the model timeline. Its steps write START, END and CHANGE properties on save. Existing lifecycle fields can create a Roadmap view. Other views can have independent animations without changing those model lifecycle properties. Duplicating the timeline view does not create a second model timeline.
If an externally edited file expresses more lifecycle intervals than the editor supports, review the save warning: the saved form keeps the first arrival and last departure. Keep the original file when converting it.