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Child Objects

An object in your model can have subordinate objects: for example, elements have child diagrams and other elements; Packages contain other Packages, elements and diagrams; and diagrams contain elements and connectors. When you set up your document report template to report on these subordinate objects, you can:

  • Generate just the information you specify in selected fields, such as the object name only; for example, details of elements could be extracted in a number of places - Package elements, Embedded elements, source and target elements on connectors, child elements - and you might not require full details in all sections in your report, so you would just set a field for the element name in some of the sections

    Alternatively
  • Generate the same type of information as is provided for the parent-level objects of that type, by not defining any content (text or fields) between the section tags; for example, you could generate recursive documentation of child Packages, getting the same level of detail as for the parent Package

Access

Ribbon

Publish > Model Reports > Templates > Sections

Publish > Model Reports > Templates > Content

Other

'Resources' tab of the Browser window | Document Publishing | Custom Templates | <template type> : right-click on a template | Open > Sections

'Resources' tab of the Browser window | Document Publishing | Custom Templates | <template type> : right-click on a template | Open > Content

Examples of reporting on child objects

Example

Detail

See also

Specific object details

This template has valid content (text and the 'Element.Name' field) between the child element tags. Therefore, in the generated report, the child element section will show only the element name and none of the detail shown for the parent element.

Setting fields in a Child Section of a Report Template using Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Default to parent-level detail

This template has no valid content between the child element tags. Therefore, in the generated report the child element section will default to the detail shown for the parent element.

Setting no fields in a Child Section to render the Elelement Section Fields of a Report Template using Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect.

Default parent detail for child objects

  • Package > Element > Child Element - Package > Element
  • Package > Element > Diagram - Package > Diagram
  • Package > Diagram > Element - Package > Element
  • Package > Diagram > Connector - Package > Element > Connector

Notes

  • In principle, it is better to leave Child sections blank to replicate their parent sections

    Child sections do not contain the same sub-section detail as their parents; Element::Child Element does not contain sub-sections such as Scenario or Attribute, so where Child Element sections are populated, these sub-sections are not rendered

    An exception to this is cases where sub-sections are not required, but different formatting of the section fields is preferred

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