You can control the layout of a component by changing the set of activity chart preferences. As you make changes, you can preview them in real time by selecting File > Preview Component from an activity chart editor or from the Create/ Modify Component operation in the toolbar of the Rational Statemate main window.
● The component and stubs are displayed with the same graphic attributes (shape, size, color, font, etc.) that will appear when the component is inserted into a chart.
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● The box size is the minimum size required to map all stubs, but not smaller than a predefined (preference) size.
● The stub placement is based on the intersection point between flow lines and the top-level activity. The stubs are positioned with equal distance between them. (The distance is a preference.) These (intersecting) arrows are labeled and the label is used for the synthesis. Arrows without labels are ignored.
● Formal parameters that do not appear on external flows are mapped to stubs (inputs at the left edge, outputs at the right edge of the component).
● If the grid is on (in the generic chart), the synthesis is done according to the above, but also follows the grid rules. (If the distance between stubs contradicts the grid settings, the distance between stubs is enlarged to fit into the next grid point.