Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

Element Class

An Element is the main modeling unit, corresponding to (for example) a Class, Use Case, Node or Component. You create new elements by adding to the Package Elements collection. Once you have created an element, you can add it to the DiagramObject Class of a diagram to include it in the diagram.

Elements also have a collection of connectors. Each entry in this collection indicates a relationship to another element.

There are also some extended collections for managing addition information about the element, including properties such as Tagged Values, Issues, Constraints and Requirements.

Associated table in .EAP file     t_object

Element Attributes

Attribute

Type

Notes

See also

Abstract

String

Read/Write

Indicates if the element is Abstract (1) or Concrete (0).

 

 

ActionFlags

String

Read/Write

A structure to hold flags concerned with Action semantics.

 

 

Alias

String

Read/Write

An optional alias for this element.

 

 

AssociationClassConnectorID

Long

Read only

If the element is an AssociationClass, AssociationClassConnectorID contains the Connector ID of the respective Association connector.

CreateAssociationClass() (Information on creating AssociationClasses from elements)

 

Attributes

Collection

Read only

A collection of Attribute objects for the current element; use the AddNew and Delete functions to manage attributes.

 

 

AttributesEx

Collection

Read only

A collection of Attribute objects belonging to the current element and its parent elements.

 

 

Author

String

Read/Write

The element author.

 

Repository: Authors

BaseClasses

Collection

Read only

List of Base Classes for this element, presented as a collection for convenience.

 

 

ClassfierID

Long

Deprecated

See ClassifierID.

 

 

ClassifierID

Long

Read/Write

The ElementID of a Classifier associated with this element; that is, the base type.

Only valid for instance type elements (such as Object or Sequence).

 

 

ClassifierName

String

Read/Write

Name of associated Classifier (if any).

 

 

ClassifierType

String

Read only

Type of associated Classifier.

 

 

Complexity

String

Read/Write

A complexity value indicating how complex the element is; used for metric reporting and estimation.

Valid values are: 1 for Easy, 2 for Medium, 3 for Difficult.

 

 

CompositeDiagram

Diagram

Read only

If the element is Composite, returns its associated diagram; otherwise returns null.

 

 

Connectors

Collection

Read only

Returns a collection containing the connectors to other elements.

 

 

Constraints

Collection

Read only

A collection of Constraint objects.

 

Constraint Class

ConstraintsEx

Collection

Read only

Collection of Constraint objects belonging to the current element and its parent elements.

 

 

Created

Date

Read/Write

The date the element was created.

 

 

CustomProperties

Collection

Read only

List of advanced properties for an element.

The collection of advanced properties differs depending on element type; for example, an Action and an Activity have different advanced properties.

Currently only editable from the user interface.

 

 

Diagrams

Collection

Read only

Returns a collection of sub-diagrams (child diagrams) attached to this element as seen in the tree view.

 

 

Difficulty

String

Read/Write

A difficulty level associated with this element for estimation/metrics; only useable for Requirement, Change and Issue element types, otherwise ignored.

Valid values are: Low, Medium, High.

 

 

Efforts

Collection

Read only

A collection of Effort objects.

 

Effort Class

ElementGUID

String

Read only

A globally unique ID for this element; that is, unique across all model files.

 

 

ElementID

Long

Read only

The local ID of the Element; valid for this file only.

 

 

Elements

Collection

Read only

Returns a collection of child elements (sub-elements) attached to this element as seen in the tree view.

 

 

EmbeddedElements

Collection

Read only

A list of elements that are embedded into this element, such as Ports, Parts, Pins and Parameter Sets.

 

 

EventFlags

String

Read/Write

A structure to hold a variety of flags to do with signals or events.

 

 

ExtensionPoints

String

Read/Write

Optional extension points for a Use Case as a comma-separated list.

 

 

Files

Collection

Read only

A collection of File objects.

 

File Class

GenFile

String

Read/Write

The file associated with this element for code generation and synchronization purposes; can include macro expansion tags for local conversion to full path.

 

 

Genlinks

String

Read/Write

Links to other Classes discovered at code reversing time; Parents and Implements connectors only.

 

 

GenType

String

Read/Write

The code generation type; for example, Java, C++, C#, VBNet, Visual Basic, Delphi.

 

 

Header1

Variant

Read/Write

A user defined string for inclusion as header in the source files generated.

 

 

Header2

Variant

Read/Write

Same as for Header1, but used in the CPP source file.

 

 

IsActive

Boolean

Read/Write

Boolean value indicating whether the element is active or not.

1 = True, 0 = False.

 

 

IsComposite

Boolean

Read/Write

Indicates whether the element is composite or not.

1 = True, 0 = False.

 

 

IsLeaf

Boolean

Read/Write

Boolean value indicating whether the element is in leaf node or not.

1 = True, 0 = False.

 

 

IsNew

Boolean

Read/Write

Boolean value indicating whether the element is new or not.

1 = True, 0 = False.

 

 

IsSpec

Boolean

Read/Write

Boolean value indicating whether the element is a specification or not.

1 = True, 0 = False.

 

 

Issues

Collection

Read only

Collection of Issue objects.

 

 

Locked

Boolean

Read/Write

Indicates if the element has been locked against further change.

 

 

MetaType

String

Read only

The element's domain-specific meta type, as defined by an applied stereotype from an MDG Technology.

 

 

Methods

Collection

Read only

Collection of Method objects for current element.

 

 

MethodsEx

Collection

Read only

Collection of Method objects belonging to the current element and its parent elements.

 

 

Metrics

Collection

Read only

Collection of Metric elements for current element.

 

 

MiscData

String

Read only

This low-level property provides information about the contents of the PDatax fields.

These database fields are not documented, and developers must gain understanding of these fields through their own endeavors to use this property.

MiscData is zero based, therefore:

•MiscData(0) corresponds to PData1
•MiscData(1) to PData2

and so on.

 

 

Modified

Date

Read/Write

The date the element was last modified.

 

 

Multiplicity

String

Read/Write

Multiplicity value for this element.

 

 

Name

String

Read/Write

The element name; should be unique within the current package.

 

 

Notes

String

Read/Write

Further descriptive text about the element.

 

 

ObjectType

ObjectType

Read only

Distinguishes objects referenced through a Dispatch interface.

 

 

PackageID

Long

Read/Write

A local ID for the package containing this element.

 

 

ParentID

Long

Read/Write

If this element is a child of another, used to set or retrieve the ElementID of the other element; if not, returns 0.

 

 

Partitions

Collection

Read only

List of logical partitions into which an element can be divided.

Only valid for elements that support partitions, such as Activities and States.

 

 

Persistence

String

Read/Write

The persistence associated with this element; can be Persistent or Transient.

 

 

Phase

String

Read/Write

The phase this element is scheduled to be constructed in; any string value.

 

 

Priority

String

Read/Write

The priority of this element as compared to other project elements; only applies to Requirement, Change and Issue types, otherwise ignored.

Valid values are: Low, Medium and High.

 

 

Properties

Properties

Returns a list of specialized properties that apply to the element that might not be available using the automation model.

The properties are purposely undocumented because of their obscure nature and because they are subject to change as progressive enhancements are made to them.

 

 

PropertyType

Long

Read/Write

The ElementID of a Type associated with this element; only valid for Port and Part elements.

 

 

Realizes

Collection

Read only

List of Interfaces realized by this element for convenience.

 

 

Requirements

Collection

Read only

Collection of Requirement objects.

 

Requirement Class

RequirementsEx

Collection

Read only

Collection of Requirement objects belonging to the current element and its parent elements.

 

Requirement Class

Resources

Collection

Read only

Collection of Resource objects for current element.

 

Resource Class

Risks

Collection

Read only

Collection of Risk objects.

 

Risk Class

RunState

String

Read/Write

The object's runstate list as a string.

 

 

Scenarios

Collection

Read only

Collection of Scenario objects for current element.

 

Scenario Class

StateTransitions

Collection

Read only

List of State Transitions that an element can support; applies in particular to Timing elements.

 

 

Status

String

Read/Write

Sets or gets the status, such as Proposed or Approved.

 

 

Stereotype

String

Read/Write

The primary element stereotype; the first of the list of stereotypes you can access using the StereotypeEx attribute.

 

 

StereotypeEx

String

Read/Write

All the applied stereotypes of the element in a comma-separated list.

 

 

StyleEx

String

Read/Write

Advanced style settings; reserved for the use of Sparx Systems.

 

 

Subtype

Long

Read/Write

A numeric subtype that qualifies the Type of the main element

•For Event: 0 = Receiver, 1 = Sender
•For Class: 1 = Parameterised, 2 = Instantiated, 3 = Both, 0 = Neither,
17 = Association Class

 

If 17, because an Association Class has been created through the user interface, MiscData(3) contains the ID of the related Association; as MiscData is read-only, you cannot create an Association Class through the Automation Interface:

•For Note: 1 = Note linked to connector, 2 = Constraint linked to connector
•For StateNode: 100 = ActivityIntitial, 101 = ActivityFinal
•For Activity: 0 = Activity, 8 = composite Activity (also set to 8 for other composite elements such as Use Cases)
•For Synchronization: 0 = Horizontal, 1 = Vertical

 

Note that there are many more Types than indicated in the above examples.

 

Type

Tablespace

String

Read/Write

Associated tablespace for a Table element.

 

 

Tag

String

Read/Write

Corresponds to the Keywords field in the Enterprise Architect user interface.

 

General Settings

TaggedValues

Collection of type TaggedValue

Read only

Returns a collection of TaggedValue objects.

 

TaggedValue Class

TaggedValuesEx

Collection of type TaggedValue

Read only

Returns a collection of TaggedValue objects belonging to the current element and the elements specialized or realized by the current element.

 

TaggedValue Class

Tests

Collection

Read only

A collection of Test objects for the current element.

 

Test Class

TreePos

Long

Read/Write

Sets or gets the tree position.

 

 

Type

String

Read/Write

The element type (such as Class, Component).

Note that Type is case sensitive inside Enterprise Architect and should be provided with an initial capital (proper case); valid types are:

 

 

Action
Activity
ActivityPartition
ActivityRegion
Actor
Artifact
Association
Boundary
Change
Class
Collaboration
Component
Constraint
Decision
DeploymentSpecification
DiagramFrame
EmbeddedElement
Entity
EntryPoint
Event
ExceptionHandler
ExitPoint
ExpansionNode
ExpansionRegion
GUIElement
InteractionFragment
 
 

InteractionOccurrence
InteractionState
Interface
InterruptibleActivityRegion
Issue
Node
Note
Object
Package
Parameter
Part
Port
ProvidedInterface
Report
RequiredInterface
Requirement
Screen
Sequence
State
StateNode
Synchronization
Text
TimeLine
UMLDiagram
UseCase
 

 

Version

String

Read/Write

The version of the element.

 

 

Visibility

String

Read/Write

The Scope of this element within the current package.

Valid values are: Public, Private, Protected or Package.

 

 

 

Element Methods

Method

Type

Notes

See also

ApplyGroupLock (
string aGroupName)

Boolean

Applies a group lock to the element object, for the specified group, on behalf of the current user.

Returns true if the operation is successful; returns false if the operation is unsuccessful. Use GetLastError() to retrieve error information.

Parameters:

•aGroupName: String - the name of the user group for which to set the group lock
 

 

ApplyUserLock ()

Boolean

Applies a user lock to the element object for the current user.

Returns true if the operation is successful; returns false if the operation is unsuccessful. Use GetLastError() to retrieve error information.
 

 

CreateAssociationClass (
long ConnectorID)

Boolean

Makes this element an AssociationClass of the Association with the provided Connector ID; the return value indicates whether the function succeeded in converting the element to an AssociationClass.

AssociationClasses are created only where:

• The current element is valid
• The current element is a Class
• The current element is not already an AssociationClass
• The specified connector exists
• The specified connector is an Association
• The specified connector is not already in an AssociationClass pair
• The current element is not at either end of the specified connector
 

Parameters:

•ConnectorID: Long - the Connector ID of an Association connector
 

UnlinkFromAssociation

GetLastError ()

String

Returns a string value describing the most recent error that occurred in relation to this object.

 

 

GetLinkedDocument ()

String

Returns a string value containing the element's linked document contents, in RTF format.

If the element contains no linked document, an empty string is returned.

 

 

GetRelationSet (
EnumRelationSetType Type)

String

Returns a string containing a comma-separated list of ElementIDs of directly- and indirectly-related elements based on the given type.

Recurses using the same relation type on all elements it finds, retrieving all dependencies and sub-dependencies of the current element; for example, Object1 depends on Object2, which depends on Object3, therefore this method returns Object2 and Object3.

To obtain only the direct relationships of the element, use the Connector collection instead.

 

EnumRelationSetType

Connector

GetStereotypeList ()

String

Returns a comma-separated list of stereotypes allied to this element.

 

 

IsAssociationClass

Boolean

Returns whether or not the current element is an AssociationClass.

 

 

LoadLinkedDocument (
string Filename)

Boolean

Loads the RTF document from the specified file into the element's linked document.

Parameters:

•FileName: String - the name of the file from which to load the RTF document
 

 

Refresh ()

Void

Refreshes the element features in the Project Browser.

Usually called after adding or deleting attributes or methods, when the user interface is required to be updated as well.

 

 

ReleaseUserLock ()

Boolean

Releases a user lock or group lock on the element object.

Returns true if the operation is successful; returns false if the operation is unsuccessful. Use GetLastError() to retrieve error information.

 

 

SaveLinkedDocument (
string Filename)

Boolean

Saves the linked document for this element to the specified RTF file.

Parameters:

•FileName: String - the name of the RTF file to which to save the linked document
 

 

SetAppearance (
long Scope,
long Item,
long Value)

Void

Sets the visual appearance of the element.

Parameters:

•Scope: Long - Scope of appearance set to modify
1 - Base (Default appearance across entire model)
 
To set appearance for the element (diagram object) in a selected diagram only, see Setting The Style in the DiagramObject Class topic

 

•Item: Long - Appearance feature to modify
0 - Background color
1 - Font Color
2 - Border Color
3 - Border Width
 
•Value: Long - Value to set appearance to
 

DiagramObject Class

SetCreated (
Date NewVal)

Void

Deprecated

This method is no longer supported.

 

 

SetModified (
Date NewVal)

Void

Deprecated

This method is no longer supported.

 

 

SynchConstraints (
string Profile,
string Stereotype)

Boolean

Synchronizes the constraints of a UML Profile item for this element, only if the specified stereotype has been applied.

Parameters:

•Profile: String - Name of the profile that contains the stereotype
•Stereotype: String - Name of the profile stereotype for which the default constraints are to be synchronized
 

 

SynchTaggedValues (
string Profile,
string Stereotype)

 

Boolean

Synchronizes the Tagged Values of a UML Profile item for this element, only if the specified stereotype has been applied.

Parameters:

•Profile: String - Name of the profile that contains the stereotype
•Stereotype: String - Name of the profile stereotype for which the default tags are to be synchronized
 

 

UnlinkFromAssociation

Boolean

Performs the opposite of CreateAssociationClass().

 

CreateAssociationClass()

Update ()

Boolean

Updates the current element object after modification or appending a new item.

If false is returned, check the GetLastError function for more information.