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

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Explore Panel

The 'Explore' panel is to the left of each of the other ribbons. It contains icons to invoke the Portals feature and a range of search facilities.

Show portal.

The Search Facilities

Click on the drop-down arrow under the icon to display a selection of search facilities that you can use to locate objects in the model, or code in source files:

  • Model - display the Find in Project view, which provides access to the full range of standard and customized searches in your project
  • Files - locate and open source files having specific characteristics, using the 'Find in Files' dialog
  • Recent Diagrams - display the 'Find in Project' view defaulted to an executed specific search for recently modified (that is, Active) diagrams. The default time period is the three days prior to today's date
  • Recent Elements - display the 'Find in Project' view defaulted to an executed specific search for recently modified (that is, Active) elements. The default time period is the three days prior to today's date
  • Recent Tasks - display the 'Find in Project' view defaulted to an executed specific search for Active Tasks (those that are in progress)
  • Diagram - display the Find in Project view, pre-loaded with the Diagram Details search to locate diagrams of a specific name or type
  • Package - display the Find in Project view, pre-loaded with the Find Package search to locate Packages of a specific name or type
  • Browse for Diagram - locate and select a specific diagram using the 'Select Classifier' dialog, which shows the full hierarchy of Packages in the model
  • Browse for Package - locate and select a specific Package using the 'Find Package' dialog, which shows the full hierarchy of Packages in the model

The Portals

Clicking on the Portal icon displays a list of the Portals that you might use to set up the user interface to support a particular area of work. When you click on a Portal name the corresponding Portal displays on the left or right of the work area (according to your personal settings). The icon next to the name of the selected Portal is highlighted, so the list indicates which Portal is active.

Show Portal in Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Portal/Option

Description

See also

Recent Places

Provides links to the working sets, diagrams, documents and system windows that you currently have open, and the diagrams and source files that you have recently opened and then closed again. The Portal also has options to re-open other files that you might have opened from within Enterprise Architect.

Recent Places Portal

Recent Activity

Provides links to run searches that locate recent activities of various types across the model.  The searches are grouped to identify:

  • Recently created elements, Linked Documents, diagrams and discussions
  • Recent formal reviews
  • Recent  informal discussions and chats
  • Recently started, finished, overdue or active tasks
  • Results of recently-run tests
  • Recently reported and implemented Changes
  • Recently reported and investigated Defects
  • Recently reported and investigated Issues
Recent Activity Portal

Working Sets

The Working Sets Portal provides links to the system-provided working sets that you might use to lay out the Enterprise Architect work area, but even more so to any working sets that you have created yourself. The system options include:

  • Managing Working Sets and
  • Windows open when Model was last closed (which includes the Diagram View, if it was in use)

The Managing Working Sets folder contains a link to the 'Manage Working Sets' dialog, through which you can create your own working sets that will be listed with the two system sets.

Working Sets Portal

Model Views

The Model Views Portal helps you to capture information on the objects in your model from different aspects that you define yourself, helping you to encapsulate your model under the areas you are interested in. You can define a number of types of view based on searches or objects that you have placed into a collection, or you can collate diagrams into a slide show. You can also import views from, or export views to, other models.

Model Views Portal

Workspaces

Provides links to the system-provided workspaces that you might use to lay out the Enterprise Architect work area, and to any workspaces that you have created yourself. The categories provided are:

  • My Workspaces
  • Core modeling
  • Design
  • Software management
  • Simulation
  • Construction
  • BABOK and the BABOK Reader
Workspaces Portal

Perspectives

Provides a range of model Patterns from which you can generate model structures for particular areas of work. The Patterns are organized into groups within Perspectives, and presented for selection through the 'Model Patterns' tab of the Model Wizard. The system-provided Perspectives are:

  • Standard UML Modeling
  • Strategy
  • Analysis, such as Mind Mapping and Requirements modeling
  • Requirements
  • UX Design
  • Business Modeling
  • Software Engineering
  • Systems Engineering
  • Database Engineering
  • Enterprise Architecture
  • Information Exchange
  • Construction, such as Road Maps and Test Management
  • Management

The Portal also includes a category for Perspectives that you have created yourself, which provide the Patterns from MDG Technologies that you have specified in the Perspective.

Perspectives Portal

Windows

Provides links to the Enterprise Architect windows and displays that you use to develop a model and create and manage the objects within it. These facilities are grouped under the activity areas of:

  • Exploring the model
  • Displaying object properties
  • Managing the display of diagrams
  • Working with specialized tools
  • Tracing relationships between objects
  • Enabling collaboration between team members
  • Managing tests
  • Managing resource tasks
  • Project management and maintenance
  • Developing code and document templates
Windows Portal

Extend

Lists the MDG Technologies currently active in your model - such as ArcGIS and NEIM (4.0) - and for each one provides links to the facilities for working with those technologies within Enterprise Architect.

Extend Portal

Execute

Provides a wide range of options that help you to:

  • Perform Execution Analysis on your model - building and running the Analyzer scripts
  • Open the Record & Analyze, Profiler, Debugger and/or Testpoints dialogs for monitoring the execution of your modeled application
  • Set up and perform simulations of the execution of your application
  • Control the progress of a simulation
  • Access various windows that display specific aspects of debugging an application
  • Control the progress of a debug
  • Set up and run recording of the execution of an application
  • Display the dialogs to prepare to profile the execution of an application
  • Create and edit code from the model
Execute Portal

Guidebook

Provides links to the library of Enterprise Architect User Guides in PDF format. The Portal initially displays with ten categories of document, each of which can be expanded to a list of the PDF documents in that category.

Guidebook Portal

Learning

Provides links to either the web version of the Enterprise Architect User Guide, or the locally-installed Help if you have downloaded that. The Portal also provides links to a number of useful web pages on the Sparx Systems website, such as the Resources, Tutorials, Webinars and Video Demos pages.

Learning Portal

Learn more