How to: Create System Diagrams

In Visual Studio Team System Architecture Edition, you can design an application system when your solution contains a system diagram. For more information about application systems and system diagrams, see Overview of Application Systems.

You can create or add a system diagram to your solution in the following ways:

Use the following procedures either to create a new solution with a blank system diagram or to create a system diagram from existing application definitions.

To create a new solution with a blank system diagram

  1. On the File menu, point to New, and click Project.

    The New Project dialog box appears.

  2. In the New Project dialog box, click Distributed Systems under Project Types.

  3. Under Templates, click System Design.

  4. Name the solution.

  5. Enter a location to save the solution, and click OK.

    System Designer displays a system diagram with a blank system definition. This diagram opens in the foreground. A blank application diagram opens in the background.

In Solution Explorer, the system diagram (.sd) file appears in the Solution Items folder. The document tab displays the diagram name and an abbreviation ([SD]). This abbreviation represents System Designer.

To continue designing this system, you can add members to the system definition, connect members, override settings, or define deployment for the system definition. For more information, see the following topics:

To create a system diagram from existing application definitions

  1. On the application diagram, select either the application definitions you want or everything on the diagram.

  2. On the Diagram menu, choose Design Application System.

  3. In the Design Application System dialog box, name the system.

    System Designer displays a system diagram with a system definition. This system definition contains uses of the selected definitions and any connections that exist between them.

    Tip

    You can also right-click the application diagram without selecting applications and then click Design Application System. This action adds everything on the diagram to the system.

To continue designing this system, you can add or remove members of the system definition, edit or create new connections, override settings, or define deployment for the system definition. For more information, see the following topics:

See Also

Tasks

Walkthrough: Designing Application Systems by Using a Bottom-Up Approach

Other Resources

Common Tasks Across Distributed System Designers

Designing Application Systems with System Designer