Working With the Context Pad in Camunda Modeler

Working With the Context Pad

When you click on an Element on the Canvas, a helpful toolbox called the Context Pad appears above it. This pad offers quick access to various actions you can perform on the selected Element.

What can you do with the Context Pad?

Change Element: Transform your selected Element into a different kind of Element.
Connect to Other Element: Create links between different Elements on your Canvas.
Set Color: Customize the appearance of your Element by changing its color.
Delete: Remove the selected Element from your Canvas.
Manage Pools & Lanes: When a Pool or Lane is selected, you can add a Lane or divide the Pool/Lane.

Change Element

Select the Element you wish to change.
From the Context Pad, click on the Change Element icon (it looks like a rectangle on top of a circle).
A list will appear showing the types of Elements available to choose from. (This list is context-sensitive, meaning it changes based on the type of Element you selected.)
Select the new Element Type you want, and your Element will transform instantly.

A example of using the Context Pad to change a Gateway type and a Task type.

Connect to Other Element

Select the Element you wish to start the connection from.
From the Context Pad, click on the Connect to Other Element icon (it looks like an arrow).
Your cursor will change to indicate you are in connection mode.
Move your cursor to the Element you want to connect to.
Click on the target Element to complete the connection.

An example of using the Context Pad to connect to another element.

Set Color

Select the Element you want to set the color for.
From the Context Pad, click on the Set Color icon (it looks like a paintbrush).
Choose the desired color from the color picker.
The selected Element will immediately change to the new color.

An example of using the Context Pad to set the color of an Element.

Delete

You can also use the Delete key to delete an Element.

Select the Element you wish to remove.
From the Context Pad, click on the Delete icon (it looks like a trash can).
The selected Element will be immediately removed.

An example of using the Context Pad to delete an Element.

Special Context Pad Options for Pools & Lanes

When your selected Element is a Pool or a Lane, the Context Pad displays an additional set of icons:

Add Lane Above: Inserts a new Lane above the selected Pool or Lane.
Divide Into Two Lanes: Splits the selected Pool or Lane into two equal parts. (Available only for undivided Pools or Lanes)
Divide Into Three Lanes: Splits the selected Pool into three equal parts. (Available only for undivided Pools)
Add Lane Below: Inserts a new Lane below the selected Pool or Lane.

An example of using the Context Pad to add Lanes to a Pool.