Visual Nesting & Compound Containers
Real-world enterprise architecture is deeply hierarchical: services run inside clusters, databases belong to environments, and teams roll up into departments. Instead of drawing tangled webs of arrows, Kyb renders containment relationships as visual compound containers.
Containment Relationship Types & Priority
Nesting is driven by specific ArchiMate relationship types stored in the semantic graph. Not all relationships cause nesting:
| Relationship Type | Priority | Semantics & Result |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Priority 2 (Strong) | “A is composed of B” — child cannot exist without parent. Renders nested. |
| Aggregation | Priority 2 (Strong) | “A aggregates B” — structural collection. Renders nested. |
| Assignment | Priority 1 (Weak) | “B is assigned to A” — functional allocation. Renders nested if no stronger parent exists. |
| Serving / Flow / Others | Priority 0 (None) | Never causes nesting — always rendered as explicit directional edges (arrows). |
Conflict Resolution: Multi-Parent Rules
In complex graphs, an entity might be linked to multiple potential parent containers. Kyb solves this deterministically using an automated 3-Phase Conflict Resolution Algorithm:
1. Single Parent
If an entity has exactly one containment candidate parent, it is directly nested inside that container.
2. Ancestor Covers All
If multiple candidates exist but one candidate is an ancestor of all other candidates (e.g. Org > Team), the outermost common ancestor wins to avoid circular or broken geometric nesting.
3. Priority Tie-Breaker or Fallback
If candidates are at the same hierarchical depth, the higher priority relationship (Composition over Assignment) wins. If equal priorities conflict across unrelated containers, Kyb falls back to standard visible arrows to preserve truth without guessing.
Ancestor Breadcrumbs
When navigating nested architectures, it is easy to lose context of where an entity sits within the organization. Selecting any nested node immediately renders the Ancestor Breadcrumb bar above the canvas.
Each item in the breadcrumb is clickable, allowing you to quickly navigate up the containment hierarchy to parent folders, clusters, or organizations.
Collapsing Containers & Aggregate Edges
Container headers feature an interactive collapse toggle. When collapsed:
- The container compacts into an identifiable pill displaying its member count badge.
- All internal edges between member nodes are hidden to minimize visual clutter.
- External edges connecting to any member of the container are bundled into a dashed Aggregate Edge.
- Clicking the aggregate edge opens the Aggregate Relationship Panel, detailing each underlying connection and its relationship type.
Next: Architecture Scenarios
Learn how to branch alternative architectures and what-if designs in Architecture Scenarios.