Specifying Icons for Attribute Values

You can specify icons to display on object symbols in place of extended attribute values by creating an attribute icon set with individual attribute value icons for each possible value.

1. Create an extended attribute (see Extended Attributes (Profile)).
2. Select a standard data type or an extended attribute type (see Creating an Extended Attribute Type).
3. If appropriate, specify a list of possible values and a default value.
4. Click the Create tool to the right of the Icon set list to create a new icon set
   A new icon set is created at Profile > Shared > Attribute Icon Sets initialized with the possible values and an empty icon which matches any value for which another icon has not been defined (=*).
5. For each value in the list, double-click it, and click the Icon tool to select an icon to represent this value on object symbols:
   
   
   Note: By default, the Filter operator field is set to =, and each icon matches exactly one possible value. To have a single icon match multiple values, use the Between or another operator together with a suitable Filter value. For example, in an icon set paired with a progress attribute for which the user can enter any value between 0 and 100% progress, you could use three icons:

   • Not Started - = 0
   • In Progress - Between 1,99
   • Completed - = 100
6. If appropriate, add the attribute to a form (see Forms (Profile)), to enable users to modify its value.
7. Click OK to save your changes and return to the model.
8. To enable the display of the icon on your object symbol, select Tools > Display Preferences, select your object type, and click the Advanced button to add your attribute to the symbol. For detailed information about working with display preferences, see Core Features Guide > Modeling with PowerDesigner > Diagrams, Matrices, and Symbols > Display Preferences.

   Your attribute is now displayed on object symbols. In the following example, the Employee entity is In Progress, while the Customer entity is Completed: