Sparx Enterprise Architect offers the possibility to define custom layouts for list views in the package browser and to save these definitions. When exporting a Project file (*.eap) via xmi, these definitions are not included in the export-file and thus lost. I wonder whether there exists a way to transfer columns layout definitions between two EA-Projects.
Many thanks in advance for every hint!
As Geert suggested the layout is stored in the registry.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sparx Systems\EA400\EA\OPTIONS]
holds a key PKG_BRWSE_LAYOUTS with the comma separated list of profile names (so you better don't use comma in your profile name ;-).
The detailed information is stored in
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sparx Systems\EA400\EA\EA1200Workspace\BCGPGrids\EA_ELEMENT_LIST_<name>BCGPGrid-0]
where <name> is the according profile name.
For a sample layout here they looked like
"Columns"=hex:11,00,01,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,01,00,00,00
"ColumnWidth"=hex:11,00,16,00,00,00,04,01,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,\
00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,\
00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,50,00,00,00
"ColumnOrder"=hex:08,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,06,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,0d,00,\
00,00,0e,00,00,00,0f,00,00,00,10,00,00,00
"Groupping"=hex:00,00
"LastFieldChooserPos"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
"IsFieldChooserVisible"=dword:00000000
"IsFieldChooserThemed"=dword:00000001
"SortColumns"=hex:00,00
I have to leave that to you to decipher the coding used here. But for a pure ex-/import you probably don't need to do that.
I'm trying to create a "Quicklink" document for customizing the allowed connector types between elements. Our UML Profile already exists like below:
Big version here: http://i.stack.imgur.com/kcKQT.png
And this imports as an MDG Technology just fine.
However, when I add a "Quicklink" document to the profile and import it as an MDG Technology, I get the error "Encountered an improper argument". Those of you familiar with MDG Technologies in Sparx EA knows that there is no logging of any sort as to why it failed. Unfortunately, the documentation is just as unhelpful.
Here is my Quicklink document:
//Source Element Type,Source Stereotype Filter,Target Element Type,Target Stereotype Filter,Diagram Filter,New Element Type,New Element Stereotype,New Link Type,New Link Stereotype,New Link Direction,New Link Caption,New Link & Element Caption,Create Link,Create Element,Disallow Self Connector,Exclusive Stereotype Filter + No Inherit from Metatype,Menu Group,Complexity Level,Target Must be Parent,Embed Element,Precedes Separator LEAF,Precedes Separator GROUP,Dummy Column,
Feature,ChiFeature,Requirement,ChiRequirement,,,,Realization,,to,satisfies,,TRUE,,TRUE,TRUE,Requirement,0,,,,,,
My question is, is there any way for me to find out why the Quicklink document is invalid. Alternatively, is there someone more experienced with this that can see the issue?
In answer to your first question: no, I'm afraid not. As you note, EA is not very user-friendly when it comes to debugging extensions.
Happily, I've spotted the problem: you've got too many columns. Instead of filling in a dummy value at the end you've added an additional comma, which means an extra column. Replace that with a 0 and you should be OK. (Plus, of course, there shouldn't be a comma at the end of the comment line either.)
So try
//Source Element Type,Source Stereotype Filter,Target Element Type,Target Stereotype Filter,Diagram Filter,New Element Type,New Element Stereotype,New Link Type,New Link Stereotype,New Link Direction,New Link Caption,New Link & Element Caption,Create Link,Create Element,Disallow Self Connector,Exclusive Stereotype Filter + No Inherit from Metatype,Menu Group,Complexity Level,Target Must be Parent,Embed Element,Precedes Separator LEAF,Precedes Separator GROUP,Dummy Column
Feature,ChiFeature,Requirement,ChiRequirement,,,,Realization,,to,satisfies,,TRUE,,TRUE,TRUE,Requirement,0,,,,,0
How can i include a profiled Relationship matrix in html reports in Enterprise Architect.
I have a link on each diagram which points to a profiled relationship matrix.
I tried to generate a html report for my project. But all these relation matrix links are disabled.
A relationship matrix can't be directly included in an HTML generation and there's no way to script running it or exporting it to an image file. But you can include it in an RTF document, so here's a sort of workaround based on RTF templates and virtual documents.
Create an RTF template which outputs the relationship matrix image. You might want to include the package name and the current date and time as well.
For each package you want a matrix report for, create a «model document» and add the package to it. Please note that if you've defined multiple relationship matrices for a package, you can't choose which one to report - EA will just pick one.
For each «model document», create an Artifact and draw a «trace» from the «model document» to the Artifact.
Move the Artifacts to a package which is included in the HTML generation. You don't have to place them in any diagrams if you don't want to, but they must reside inside the hierarchy for which HTML is generated.
The «model document»:s should be in a separate package which is not included in the HTML generation. Name them according to the scheme "pkgname - matrixname" or similar.
The Artifacts should be given names which make sense within the generated HTML - call them "Requirement Matrix: pkgname" or similar.
Now, before you run your HTML generation, you must run the matrix reports individually and manually by right-clicking the Artifact in the same diagram as the «model document» and selecting "Create Document to Artifact" (so it's a good idea to include the date and time in the template). Then generate your HTML as usual.
This will output the matrix images into the HTML. You'll have to click the document to see the image and as noted you'll have to run the matrix reports manually, but the result will be there.
You could do something similar by placing hyperlinks to image files in your diagrams and then output the different matrices to these image files. I prefer the Artifact method, because it keeps everything inside EA (no broken links) and it gives you the option of including the report date and time and more stuff if you want it.
I have few short questions regarding Enterprise architect.
My question is regarding the automation interface. When following the instructions provided on this page: http://www.sparxsystems.com/uml_tool_guide/sdk_for_enterprise_architect/colle... in order to add a new element to the collection ( and the .eap file) it does not add the element. I can get data from the elements, modify and even delete them, but adding a new element does not work?
Instructions provided:
Call AddNew to add a new item.
Modify the item as required.
Call Update on the item to save it to the database.
Call Refresh on the collection to include it in the current set.
my java example:
elements is a collection of all the elements in the model...
org.sparx.Element elementEa = elements.AddNew("Requirement", "non-functional");
elementEa.Update();
elements.Refresh();
With the api is it possible to change the id or guid of an element since there are no methods specified in org.sparx for that?
One last thing... Is it possible to create a custom element in EA, for example a requirement which will not have the standard properties like difficulty, priority etc.. , but will have others? (normal properties, not tagged values)
The arguments to AddNew() are Name and Type, so to create a Requirement element you should specify "SomeRequirementName" and "Requirement".
You can't change the ID or GUID through the API, and your models would crash and burn if you did (connectors would be left dangling, elements would vanish from diagrams, etc, etc).
With an MDG Technology you can create very detailed stereotyped elements if you like, with their own visual representations (shape scripts) etc, but if you're after creating an element type with its own properties dialog the answer is no; there is no hook for a custom dialog in the API.
Collection<Package> packageCollection = myPackage.GetPackages();
Package consolidatedCfsSpecPackage = packageCollection.AddNew("somePackageName", "");
if (!consolidatedCfsSpecPackage.Update()) {
System.err.println("Not Updated: somePackageName");
}
packageCollection.Refresh();
This works for me. I suggest you to check return value of elementEa.Update() method you called. If it returns false, you can get the reason by calling elementEa.GetLastError().