I want to create my own custom toolbox. Therefore I created a metaclass and a stereotype. In the stereotype I wrote a note that gives some instructions about how to populate the object.
Problem is, when I create my MDG Technology, the Notes won't display in the objects I create in my diagram..
How can I fix this and display the Notes for every object I create?
You can either
Write and MDG-Addin to populate the notes for your elements.
Add an element with your stereotype to the template package and add the required notes there. This will have to be done on each model that uses your MDG.
Firstly I'm assuming that you can see the notes you seek on the Properties page of an element you create using your toolbox i.e. the notes field is populated.
If it is, check that notes visibility is turned on by doing these two things:
1) Select the element and go to Element->Feature and Compartment Visibility. Check the Show Notes box. Hit OK
2) Right click on an element and choose Advanced->Use Rectangle Notation
Related
i have to change the diagram type of a lot of diagrams within my Enterprise Architect model. The change can be made manually using following option (that works as expected):
Select diagram - Diagram - Advanced - Change Type...
As I have to change a lot of diagrams I have created a script which searches for all concerned diagrams and change the type automatically. I wrote already a lot of JScript EA scripts for changing some modeling elements. Unfortunately, this feature seems not be available over the scripting interface.
I have to change the "MetaType" of the the diagram object. But this is read-only (see http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/12/automation_and_scripting/diagram2.html). Therefore, I got an error.
var currentDiagram as EA.Diagram
currentDiagram = theDiagram
currentDiagram.MetaType = MY_DIAGRAM_METATYPE // ERROR
In the next step I searched for appropriate functionalities in the Repository interface (http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/12/automation_and_scripting/repository3.html) and in the project interface. But I found nothing appropiate.
I am using Enterprise Architect 12.0.1215 and I used JScript.
Has anyone already tried this by script?
Have I missed something?
Is there another approach to achieve the diagram type change by script?
Thanks in advance!
You have to do that in two steps (if you change to different MDG diagram types). E.g. to change a Class diagram to a BPMN2.0::BPEL you first change Diagram_Type from Logical to Analysis. Additionally you need to add MDGDgm=BPMN2.0::BPEL; to StyleEx. In case your old diagram is from another MDG you need to modify the existing MDGDgm attribute in StyleEx.
As Uffe noted, the diagram type in the API is r/o. So if you need to change that you would need to do something like
Repository.Execute("UPDATE t_diagram SET Diagram_Type='Analysis' WHERE Diagram_ID=<theId>")
where <theId> would be the correct diagram ID.
I have a custom toolbox with a foo element.
I would like the foo to be green on an class diagram and red on flow chart diagram by default.
Adding more than one stereotype to non- UML type is impossible (as far as I know).
Is it possible to create 2 toolboxes- one for class diagrams and one for flow charts, specifying the default diagram for each toolbox in the profile?
Not quite the way you describe it.
Toolboxes don't specify which diagram they open, it's the other way around: you create a custom diagram type and associate it with a toolbox. Different custom diagrams may use the same custom toolbox.
You can create two custom diagram types, one for class ("Logical") and one for flow chart ("Activity"), but if you're only after getting the same stereotyped element (foo) to display differently in the diagrams, you don't need to.
The solution is to create a shape script for the stereotype, which checks the diagram type and changes the color accordingly. The diagram type can be queried from the shape script using the diagram.type property (for the base UML diagram type), or diagram.mdgtype (for the custom diagram type, if you've defined one). There is no need to create an Add-In, as another answer suggests, at least not in EA 11.
Check the help file under Extending UML Models -- MDG Technology SDK -- Shape Scripts -- Write Scripts -- Display Element/Connector Properties.
A simple script might look like this:
shape main {
if (hasproperty("diagram.type", "Logical")) {
setfillcolor(0, 255, 70);
} else if (hasproperty("diagram.type", "Activity")) {
setfillcolor(255, 87, 87);
}
drawnativeshape();
};
No. You need to have two different stereotypes. The target diagram is independent of the element. If you want the element appear different on the type of the diagram where you use it you need to adapt the shape script so it calls an add-in which detects the diagram type.
Well, writing the last sentence I would not know how to detect the diagram where the element in question is in. Needs investigation. But other than that - no solution I know of.
Edit: Since the add-in just receives the element GUID it has no way to figure out the diagram from where the call is made. Probably worth a feature request. But the time where we saw those realized in the next build are gone (since more than 10 years).
A last though: template packages. I almost never used them. Maybe they offer coloring depending on diagram/element.
Edit2: Last resort EA_OnPostNewDiagramObject. Catch that and you can get all information you need to apply the color.
I would like to create a custom toolbox with useful elements for me.
The elements I use are all built-in, such as Archimate tools, SoaML and activity tools.
Is it possible to assemble them all to one toolbox?
When I create an MDG of a new tool set, I can only extend the common tools, such as class, component, package, etc. Where are the other elements?
Yes, you can put them in a single MDG. To address elements from other MDGs you need to qualify them explicitly. E.g. for a ArchiMate_BusinessActor you need to write by hand ArchiMate2::ArchiMate_BusinessActor.
To find out the id (e.g. Archimate2 in the above example) open the MDG file which is located in the EA program folder under MDGTechnologies. The second line holds the attribute id which is what you need.
To find the stereotype simply open the element properties.
id and stereotype concatenated with :: form the specifier for the meta class.
EDIT (from user3165438): TheArchiMate2::ArchiMate_BusinessActor should be added to the toolbox page list.
I am trying to draw a part decomposition diagram with EA10. It should look like below.
But I couldn't find how. Is this UML diagram ever supported by EA?
Found it. I need to activate the "More tools..." -> "Composite" first. And choose "Port".
BTW, this is really a bad user experience.
You're doing it wrong. Sorry, but there's no kinder way to say it. :)
If the lifeline (:Class) is associated with a classifier (Class) which has properly defined ports (as it should be), then the following applies:
If you create the lifeline by dropping the classifier onto the sequence diagram, you get the option of displaying the ports (aka "structural elements") immediately.
Regardless of how the lifeline was created, you can right-click it and select "Structural Elements" which allows you to select the ports from the classifier (which may have been added since the lifeline was created).
If you want to create ports under a lifeline which has no classifier, you can do that too. Simply right-click and select "Structural Elements". The dialog allows you to create new ports.
The :Class lifeline presumably gets its type information from a Class element, so the first thing you need to do is find the Class element and give it two ports. Once you have done that, you can right-click the lifeline, select the Embedded Elements dialog and include the ports on the lifeline. (The Embedded Elements dialog may have been renamed Structural Elements in recent versions).
In EA I when I am adding attributes to a class I use the insert button. I would like to change the default new attribute to be public and of type string. I quickly did a search and found nothing. EA is hard to search for based on so many bogus responses.
So I thought I would quickly ask here.
Thanks in advance.
I'm fairly sure there isn't an option for this.
If you create your own UML profile (with a customized diagram type), you can set the default attribute type for attributes created from the diagram toolbox (not from within the Properties dialog), but even then there isn't a way to specify the default visibility.