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

Design Custom Document Templates

If you want to record and document details of your model, you can do so using a range of document reports, each generated using a document template. To meet your specific requirements, it is possible to customize the reports by developing your own templates; during this process you also have the option of generating test reports to review the output from your design as you develop it. The custom templates you can develop include full-document templates and independent Stylesheets, Cover Pages and Tables of Contents.

You create and edit report templates using the Document Template Designer to define:

·The model components to report on
·The information to extract on each component and
·The styles and layout of the report
 

It is possible to create a template from scratch or by copying and editing either another custom template or a system template. If you want to review the system templates you can list and display them using the Document Template Designer, and establish what templates already exist to either extract the information you require, or act as a starting point for your own design.

Access     Package | Documentation | Document Templates
 
Also, through the Generate Documentation dialog or the Document Generation folders in the project Resources window

The Document Template Designer

The Document Template Designer consists of:

·A Toolbar, through which you create or select a template to work on, save your work, and generate and view the test reports
·A Sections panel, on which you select the components of the model to report on
·A Content panel, in which you develop the content and layout of the report, using an extensive range of context menu options
 

Toolbar Options

Icon

Action

See also

dtdnew

Creates a new template.

A prompt displays for you to enter the name of the new template and, optionally, the name of an existing template to use as a base.

 

 

Custom Document Templates

DTDSave

Saves changes to the current template.

 

 

DTDSaveAs

Saves the current template as a new template.

A prompt displays for the new template name.

 

 

dtdDocOptions

Displays a range of document options that you can set to apply to all reports generated using the template. These options filter and organize the information presented in the report.

 

Document Options

SearchResource

Opens the Resources window and/or folder containing the currently-displayed document template, and highlights the template name.

 

Resources

ToggleSection

Toggles the Document Generator view between showing the Sections hierarchy panel and hiding it.

 

Setting Sections for Reporting

TempGroupField

Displays the Template Group name in which to locate or save the template; defaults to Model Templates.

Click on the drop-down arrow and select the appropriate Template Group name to search in. This filters the options in the next field to templates within that group only. For example, Cover Pages, or 'DavidG Reports'.

 

 

DTDTestName

Displays a list of the templates in the Template Group you specified in the previous field.  To view or edit an existing template, click on the drop-down arrow and select the template name.

·The system templates are protected; when you select one all editing options are grayed out
·Custom templates are available to edit

 

 

 

 

Custom Document Templates

DTDTestFile

Displays the path and name of the file into which to generate the test report from the template.

If no file path is shown, you can either type one in or use the browser button (below).

 

 

DTDBrowse

Displays the browser dialog, in which you can locate and select the file to hold the generated test report.

 

 

dtdgenerate

Generates and displays the test report based on the template.

To generate a test report, you need to specify a target file (above) and select a Package, diagram or element in the Project Browser to run the report on. You could develop a special test Package for this purpose.

 

 

dtdview

Displays the report held in the file specified in the file path field.

You can return to a generated report many times whilst you review the effects of different sections of the template you are editing.

 

 

 

The Sections and Content Panels

Facility

Description

See also

Sections Panel

Consists of a hierarchy of model components and their properties, each with a checkbox. To include information on a type of component in the report, you select the checkbox against it.

As you select checkboxes, corresponding pairs of open/close markers display in the Content panel; for example:
                     

Setting Sections for Reporting

Sections panel
 

Sectionchecks

 

Content Panel
 

ReportMarkers

 

Content Panel

The editing area, in which you develop the structure and content of the template.

As you add section markers to the template (as above), various pointer texts display between them such as:

element>
[right-click-to-insert-Element-field(s)]
<element

You replace this text with a range of fields that extract information from your model to display in the report.

You can also add your own text.

 

 

 

Add Section Content

Content Panel Context Menu

Lists a wide range of options to:

·Apply styles and formatting to the template
·Insert  objects such as tables, images and an internal contents list, and
·Save, import and export the template file

 

Custom Template Design Options

Content Panel Toolbars

Two text editing toolbars (based on the standard Windows toolbars) that you can use in conjunction with the context menu options.

The lower toolbar provides an additional facility, for toggling the format of sequenced lists in the document. This is the drop-down arrow to the left of the bullet-list icon; it provides options for switching the list format of:

·Single-level lists, with the sequence represented by arabic or roman numerals or upper case or lower case letters, and
·Multiple-level lists, with the sequencing represented by arabic or roman numerals or symbols (whichever bullet symbol you are using)

 

 

 

 

Format Paragraphs

Notes

·A standard file of global document styles, called Normal.rtf, is automatically applied to all new templates you create from scratch; it is possible to edit Normal.rtf to tailor the styles to your requirements, and to override these styles within the template
·You can also create special customized Tables of Contents and Cover Pages to be used optionally on any document report in place of any Cover Pages or Tables of Contents built into the report templates, and Stylesheets that can be chosen to override the Normal.rtf styles or any edited styles in a report template
·You can transport templates between models, using the Export Reference Data and Import Reference Data options
 

Learn more

Learning Center topics

·Alt+F1 | Enterprise Architect | Reporting | RTF Templates | Create a new template