Creating Annotations & Sticky Notes

Basic Overview

The Annotations & Sticky Notes feature enhances collaboration in the Valsight Model Editor by allowing users to visually comment on, organize, and highlight areas of a model. It provides a clear and flexible way to communicate logic, context, or suggestions directly within the modeling environment.

Whether clarifying a calculation, marking key nodes, or guiding team members through a complex model structure, annotations help streamline collaboration and support model transparency.

Key Benefits

With Annotations & Sticky Notes, users can:

• Add contextual notes directly on the canvas using customizable sticky notes

• Use colored frames to group related areas of a model

• Easily toggle visibility of all annotations to reduce visual clutter

• Reposition, edit, and delete annotations freely as the model evolves

• Reuse annotations across models and projects via copy and paste

Example Use Case

In a car manufacturing scenario, the finance team might use a frame to highlight all nodes related to “EV production cost drivers” and add sticky notes to explain assumptions for battery pricing. This helps ensure consistency across departments reviewing the same model structure.

Setup and Usage

Recommended Preparation

To use annotations meaningfully and effectively:

• Use clear, concise naming for frames and comments to enhance readability

• Place annotations near relevant nodes to provide immediate visual context

• Avoid excessive overlapping of annotations to maintain a clean canvas

• For multi-user environments, establish internal guidelines for color usage or note structure

• Consider using visibility toggles during presentations or walkthroughs to focus the view

Creating Annotations & Sticky Notes

To create a sticky note or frame:

1. Open the Model Editor

2. Click “Add Annotation” (next to the “Add Node” button)

3. Choose one of the following options:

   • Add Sticky Note

   • Add Frame

Sticky Note Setup

• A dialog titled “Add Sticky Note” opens

• Enter text into the formatting-enabled field

• Choose a color using the color picker

• Click Save, then place the note anywhere on the canvas

• Notes display a scrollbar if the text exceeds the field height

• Selected notes show a dotted border and can be moved freely

Frame Setup

• A dialog titled “Add Frame” opens

• Enter a name (e.g., “Revenue Drivers”)

• Choose a frame color

• (Optional) Enable background color using the checkbox

• Click Save, then draw a rectangle around the relevant area

• Frames display the title and can be resized, repositioned, or edited later

Interacting with Annotations & Sticky Notes

• Click any annotation to select it and open its settings in the Editor Panel (top right)

• For sticky notes:

  • Click “Edit Text” to modify content

• For frames:

  • Edit title, color, or background

• To remove an annotation, click the trash icon in the object or editor panel

• To manage visibility:

  • Use the toggle button next to the zoom controls to show/hide all annotations

  • This toggle is user-specific and does not affect other users

Managing, Configuration and Limitations

Supported Configuration

• Annotations include:

  • Sticky Notes with text formatting and color

  • Frames with title, border, and optional background color

• Annotations can be moved, copied, edited, deleted, or hidden

• Annotations are compatible with keyboard and mouse input, supporting drag-and-drop positioning

• Copy & paste functionality is supported:

  • Within the same model

  • Across different models

  • Across projects

Error Handling and System Limitations

• Overlapping or excessive annotations may lead to visual clutter but do not affect model performance

• If an annotation cannot be pasted (e.g., incompatible data), a clear error message is shown

• Long sticky notes will automatically scroll rather than resize

• Annotations are purely visual aids and do not affect the model’s logic or calculations

Data Synchronization and Integration

• All annotations are stored per model and saved with the model state

• Visibility settings are stored per user, ensuring a personalized experience

• No special rights are required—any user with model edit access can use and manage annotations

• Annotations are preserved during project duplication, import, or export

Summary

Annotations & Sticky Notes support clearer communication, better documentation, and more efficient teamwork within the Model Editor. With rich formatting, intuitive placement, and full copy/paste support, they allow users to:

• Provide helpful comments directly in the canvas

• Visually organize and explain model logic

• Reuse and manage annotations across models

• Reduce complexity by toggling visibility on demand

This feature helps make even the most complex models more accessible, navigable, and team-friendly—essential for transparent and collaborative modelling.