Metadata are structures that describe data. (See Metadata) At first, each edge is displayed as a dashed line. Only after metadata has been created and assigned or propagated to the edge, the line becomes solid.

You can create metadata as shown in corresponding sections below; however, you can also double-click the empty (dashed) edge and select Create metadata from the menu, or link some existing external metadata file by selecting Link shared metadata.

You can also assign metadata to an edge by right-clicking the edge, choosing the Select metadata item from the context menu and selecting the desired metadata from the list.

Third way to add metadata to an edge is to drag a metadata’s entry from the Outline onto the edge.

You can also select metadata to be automatically assigned to edges as you create them. You choose this by right-clicking on the edge tool in the Palette and then selecting the metadata you want, or none if you want to remove the selection.