Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.
Attributes
Attributes define the properties or internal data elements of an element. Not all element types support attributes, and others have restrictions; for example, attributes of Interfaces must have Public scope. In the Project Browser, elements with attributes (typically Classes) have their attributes listed under the element name, each preceded by a blue box (
). When depicted in diagrams, the attributes are listed in the first properties compartment of the element, as shown in this Customer Class example.
Attributes themselves have several important characteristics, such as type, scope (visibility), derivation and notes.
Access Right-click element in diagram | Features and Properties | Attributes (F9) or
Right-click element in Project Browser | Attributes
Maintain Attributes
Action |
Detail |
See also |
|---|---|---|
|
Create and Modify Attributes |
On the 'Attributes' page of the '<element name> Features' dialog, you create and modify attributes using the various panels and tabs. |
Attribute Constraints Attribute Tagged Values Attribute Details Create and Manage Attributes |
|
Move and Copy Attributes |
You can copy or move existing attributes between elements, if the target element also supports attributes. |
Move Features Between Elements Copy Features Between Elements The Element Browser |
|
Define Properties |
You can create property implementations specific to your coding languages for each attribute. |
Create Properties |
|
Identify Inherited Attributes |
The attributes of an element can be inherited from one or more successive parent elements in the model. On a diagram, you can show which attributes are inherited from which 'owning' element in the hierarchy. |
Display Inherited Attributes |
Notes
- Attributes, with Operations, are collectively referred to as Features of an element
- If you are creating many attributes, go to the 'Attribute/Operations' page of the 'Options' dialog ('Tools | Options | Source Code Engineering | Attribute/Operations') and de-select the 'After save, re-select edited item' checkbox; now, when you create an attribute and click on the , the 'Attribute' page fields clear ready for you to enter the details of the next attribute - this helps you when you want to create attributes quickly and might not necessarily want to fully define each one as you create it
- If the parent element provides source or target roles for a connector, the connector can be attached to a specific attribute (as a feature)
- An alternative method of creating relationships between elements and attributes is to drag an attribute onto an Activity diagram, which generates an Object element named after the attribute; you then create relationships to and from this Object element
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