Changing the Class of an Instance

You can change the class of an instance using drag-and-drop in the Instances Tab. To change the class of an instance:

  1. Select the class that contains the instance in the Class Pane at the Instances Tab.
  2. Select the instance you want to move in the Direct Instances pane.
  3. Hold down the mouse button and drag the instance from the Direct Instances pane to the Class Pane at the Instances Tab until it is on top of the desired class. 
  4. Release the mouse. The instance will now have the selected class as its direct type. Note that the slots of the dragged instance will automatically change to reflect the inheritance from the new class.

Note: When you drag an instance to a new class, the fields in the instance will change to match the slots in the class. If you drag an instance, you may lose some of the information in your instance. This loss is permanent. You cannot restore the information by dragging the instance back to the original class. In addition, any changes you make will be evident wherever that instance is referenced -- for example, if that instance appears as the value of a field, the change will also occur in the field. Therefore, you should be sure you want to make these changes before you drag an instance to a new class. You can use the backreferences button to see where this instance is referenced before changing its class. You may also wish to save a backup of the project before you move instances. See Renaming a Project for more information. 


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