Using Packages to Structure the Repository

The Package is one of the most fundamental and important elements in the SysML. It functions as a container and viewed simply, it is resembles a folder in your favorite file explorer software for your computer. So, in this way, it is firstly a container that groups together other elements, including other Packages but we will learn in this topic that it also has other important functions in Enterprise Architect.

In a deeper sense a Package is a namespace that provides a way of uniquely identifying any element in a repository, similar to the way URL works. The path shown here has been extracted automatically from Enterprise Architect; it allows you to visualize the namespace.

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Setting up the Package structure is an important and often dreaded task, but fortunately Enterprise Architect takes away a lot of the anguish that newcomers (and experienced modelers) feel when approaching this task.

The next few topics will introduce you to best practice in setting up a Package structure, and to some of the additional tools and facilities that will make working with Packages a lot easier.