Software Design Center

HOW TO DRAW NASSI-SHNEIDERMAN DIAGRAMS (cont'd)

Drag a Decision Symbol from the Library
To add a decision to your chart, drag a selection symbol from the Nassi-Shneiderman library to your page.

Create Your Own Decision Symbol
You can also create your own decision symbol using the FreeForm drawing tool (available in Professional and ProPlus). In order to have three separate text fields, draw three triangles instead of diagonal lines across a rectangle. (If you prefer using diagonal lines, you will have to add text as a separate object.)

To start drawing a triangle, make sure Enable FreeForm Draw is checked under the Arrange menu.

After selecting the FreeForm stepwise tool , begin drawing by clicking on the page at the point you want your shape to begin.

Stretch the first line segment by moving your mouse in the direction you want to the line to go. Think of this tool as string tied to a nail on the page. When you first click on the page you place a nail there and by moving the mouse you can stretch the string in any direction. By clicking again, you can add a second (third, fourth, etc) nail to the page and stretch the string again in a new direction.

Continute clicking and stretching to draw additional line segments. A line segment is automatically added to the line for each point that you click.

Once your shape is complete, you can close it by clicking near the starting point. As you move your cursor near the starting point, your cursor will change to a pen with a circle at the end. This signals the shape is ready to be closed if you click down with the mouse.