SWMM uses various types of objects to model a drainage area and its conveyance system. This section describes how these objects can be created, selected, edited, deleted, and repositioned.
The Object Toolbar contains buttons for adding visual objects to the project via the Study Area Map.
Adds a rain gage to the map
Adds a subcatchment to the map
Adds a junction node to the Map
Adds an outfall node to the Map
Adds a flow divider node to the Map
Adds a storage unit node to the Map
Adds a conduit link to the Map
Adds a pump link to the Map
Adds an orifice link to the Map
Adds a weir link to the Map
Adds an outlet link to the Map
Adds a text label to the Map
Edit Menu
The Edit Menu contains commands for editing and copying.
Command
Description
Copy To
Copies the currently active view (map, report, graph or table) to the clipboard or to a file
Select Object
Enables the user to select an object on the Study Area Map
Select Vertex
Enables the user to select a vertex of a subcatchment or link displayed on the Map
Select Region
Enables the user to delineate a region on the Map for selecting multiple objects
Select All
Selects all objects when the Map is the active window or all cells of a table when a tabular report is the active window
Find Object
Locates a specific object by name on the Map
Edit Object
Edits the properties of the currently selected object
Delete Object
Deletes the currently selected object
Group Edit
Edits a property for the group of objects that fall within the outlined region of the Map
Group Delete
Deletes a group of objects that fall within the outlined region of the Map
Types of Objects
SWMM contains both physical objects that can appear on its Study Area Map, and non-physical objects that encompass design, loading, and operational information. These objects, which are listed in the Project Browser, consist of the following:
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Project Title/Notes
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Project Title/Notes
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Nodes
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Nodes
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Project Title/Notes
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Nodes
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Simulation Options
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Simulation Options
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Links
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Links
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Simulation Options
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Links
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Climatology
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Climatology
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Transects
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Transects
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Climatology
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Transects
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Rain Gages
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Rain Gages
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Control Rules
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Control Rules
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Rain Gages
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Control Rules
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Subcatchments
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Subcatchments
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Pollutants
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Pollutants
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Subcatchments
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Pollutants
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Aquifers
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Aquifers
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Land Uses
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Land Uses
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Aquifers
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Land Uses
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Snow Packs
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Snow Packs
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Curves
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Curves
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Snow Packs
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Curves
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Unit Hydrographs
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Unit Hydrographs
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Time Series
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Time Series
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Unit Hydrographs
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Time Series
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LID Controls
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LID Controls
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Time Patterns
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Time Patterns
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LID Controls
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Time Patterns
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Map Labels
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Map Labels
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Map Labels
Selecting an Object
To select an object on the Study Area Map:
1.
Make sure that the Map is in Selection mode (the mouse cursor has the shape of an arrow pointing up to the left). To switch to this mode, either click the Select Object tool or choose Edit >> Select Object from the Main Menu.
2.
Click the mouse over the desired object on the Map.
Select the object's category from the upper list in the Browser.
2.
Select the object from the lower list in the Browser.
Adding an Object
To add a new object to a project, select the type of object from the upper pane of the Project Browser and either select Project >> Add a New ... from the Main Menu or click the Browser's button. If the object has a button on the Object Toolbar you can simply click the toolbar button instead.
If the object is a visual object that appears on the Study Area Map (a Rain Gage, Subcatchment, Node, Link, or Map Label) it will automatically receive a default ID name and a prompt will appear in the Status Bar telling you how to proceed. The steps used to draw each of these objects on the map are detailed below:
Rain Gages
Move the mouse to the desired location on the Map and left-click.
Subcatchments
Use the mouse to draw a polygon outline of the subcatchment on the Map:
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Left-click at each vertex
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Right-click or press <Enter> to close the polygon
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Press the <Esc> key if you wish to cancel the action.
Nodes (Junctions, Outfalls, Flow Dividers, and Storage Units)
Move the mouse to the desired location on the Study Area Map and left-click.
Links (Conduits, Pumps, Orifices, Weirs, and Outlets)
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Left-click the mouse on the link's inlet (upstream) node.
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Move the mouse (without pressing any button) in the direction of the link's outlet (downstream) node, clicking at all intermediate points necessary to define the link's alignment.
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Left-click the mouse a final time over the link's outlet (downstream) node. (Pressing the right mouse button or the <Esc> key while drawing a link will cancel the operation.)
Map Labels
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Left-click the mouse on the map location where the top left corner of the label should appear.
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Enter the text for the label.
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Press <Enter> to accept the label or <Esc> to cancel.
For all other non-visual types of objects, an object-specific dialog form will appear that allows you to name the object and edit its properties.
Moving an Object
Rain gages, subcatchments, nodes and map labels can be moved to another location on the Study Area Map. To move an object to another location:
1.
Select the object on the Map.
2.
With the left mouse button held down over the object, drag it to its new location.
3.
Release the mouse button.
The following alternative method can also be used:
1.
Select the object to be moved from the Project Browser (it must be either a rain gage, subcatchment, node, or map label).
2.
With the left mouse button held down, drag the item from the Items list box of the Project Browser to its new location on the Map.
3.
Release the mouse button.
Note that the second method can be used to place objects on the Map that were imported from a project file that had no coordinate information included in it.
Editing an Object
To edit an object appearing on the Study Area Map:
Depending on the class of object selected, a special property editor will appear in which the object's properties can be modified.
The unit system in which object properties are expressed depends on the choice of units for flow rate. Using a flow rate expressed in cubic feet, gallons or acre-feet implies that US units will be used for all quantities. Using a flow rate expressed in liters or cubic meters means that SI metric units will be used. Flow units are selected either from the project's default Node/Link properties (see Setting Project Defaults) or directly from the main window's Status Bar.
Converting an Object
It is possible to convert a node or link from one type to another without having to first delete the object and add a new one in its place. An example would be converting a Junction node into an Outfall node, or converting an Orifice link into a Weir link.
To convert a node or link to another type:
1.
Right click the object on the Study Area Map.
2.
Select Convert To from the popup menu that appears.
3.
Select the new type of node or link to convert to from the sub-menu that appears.
4.
Edit the object to provide any data that was not included with the previous type of object.
Only properties that are common to both types of objects will be preserved after an object is converted to a different type. For nodes this includes its name, position, description, tag, external inflows, treatment functions, and invert elevation. For links it includes just its name, end nodes, description, and tag. Non-preserved properties are assigned their default values.
Copying and Pasting Objects
The properties of an object displayed on the Study Area Map can be copied and pasted into another object from the same category.
To copy the properties of an object to SWMM's internal clipboard:
1.
Right click the object on the Map.
2.
Select Copy from the pop-up menu that appears.
To paste copied properties into an object:
1.
Right click the object on the Map.
2.
Select Paste from the pop-up menu that appears.
Only data that can be shared between objects of the same type can be copied and pasted. Properties not copied include the object's name, coordinates, end nodes (for links), Tag property and any descriptive comment associated with the object. For Map Labels, only font properties are copied and pasted.
Deleting an Object
To delete an object:
1.
Select the object on the Study Area Map or from the Project Browser.
2.
Either click the button on the Project Browser, or press the <Delete> key on the keyboard, or select Edit >> Delete Object from the Main Menu, or right-click the object on the map and select Delete from the pop-up menu that appears.
You can require that all deletions be confirmed before they take effect. See the General Preferences page of the Program Preferences dialog box.
Selecting a Group of Objects
A group of objects located within an irregular region of the Study Area Map can have a common property edited or be deleted all together. To select such a group of objects:
1.
Choose Edit >> Select Region from the Main Menu or click the button.
2.
Draw a polygon around the region of interest on the Map by clicking the left mouse button at each successive vertex of the polygon.
3.
Close the polygon by clicking the right button or by pressing the <Enter> key; cancel the selection by pressing the <Esc> key.
To select all objects in the project, whether in view or not, select Edit >> Select All from the Main Menu.
Editing a Group of Objects
Once a group of objects has been selected (see Selecting a Group of Objects), you can edit a common property shared among them:
1.
Select Edit >> Group Edit from the Main Menu.
2.
Use the Group Editor dialog that appears to select a property and specify its new value.
Deleting a Group of Objects
To delete the objects located within a selected area of the Study Area Map (see Selecting a Group of Objects), select Edit >> Group Delete from the Main Menu. Then select the categories of objects you wish to delete from the dialog box that appears. As an option, you can specify that only objects with a specific Tag property should be deleted. Keep in mind that deleting a node will also delete any links connected to the node.
Property Editor
The Property Editor (shown below) is used to edit the properties of data objects that can appear on the Study Area Map. It is invoked when one of these objects is selected (either on the Map or in the Project Browser) and double-clicked or when the Project Browser's Edit button is clicked.
Key features of the Property Editor include:
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The Editor is a grid with two columns - one for the property's name and the other for its value.
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The columns can be re-sized by re-sizing the header at the top of the Editor with the mouse.
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A hint area is displayed at the bottom of the Editor with an expanded description of the property being edited. The size of this area can be adjusted by dragging the splitter bar located just above it.
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The Editor window can be moved and re-sized via the normal Windows operations.
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Depending on the property, the value field can be one of the following:
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a text box in which you enter a value
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a dropdown combo box from which you select a value from a list of choices
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a dropdown combo box in which you can enter a value or select from a list of choices
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an ellipsis button which you click to bring up a specialized editor
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The field in the Editor which currently has focus will have a focus rectangle drawn around it.
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Both the mouse and the Up and Down arrow keys on the keyboard can be used to move between fields.
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To begin editing the field with the focus, either begin typing a value or hit the Enter key.
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To have the program accept edits made in a property field, press the Enter key or move to another field. To cancel an edit, press the Esc key.
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The Property Editor can be hidden by clicking the button in the upper right corner of its title bar.
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