The Start Page

The Start Page is the default landing page that displays when you first open Enterprise Architect. It provides a range of useful tools to:

Create and/or access project files, connect to a server repository, or access a project via the Cloud, through the 'Open' options, the 'Recent' and 'Pinned' lists and the 'Manage Projects' option; these are documented in this Help topic
Generate basic models in your project using Patterns from a wide range of technologies, both when you first create the project and over time; you can develop these models further as complete components of your project - see the Model Wizard Help topic

Add diagrams to your model based on diagram patterns tailored to specific technologies, displaying the appropriate Toolbox pages for the generated diagram; see the Add New Diagrams Help topic
Quickly set up the organization of any number of complex processes that require common, structured methods and carefully organized checkpoints at important stages based on a range of Process Guidance templates; see the Applying Process Guidance Help topic

Access

Opened by default on start up of Enterprise Architect, at the 'Open Project' tab.

Ribbon	Start > Appearance > View > Show Start Page > Open Project
Other	(If the Start Page is not shown) Click on the drop-down arrow at the right of the 'current view' bar (above the view name tabs) and select the 'Show Start Page' option > Open Project

Open

Option	Action	See also
Open File	Click on this option to display the Windows 'Select Enterprise Architect Project to Open' dialog, to browse for and open an existing .eap, .eapx, .qea, .qeax or .feap project file.
Create New	Click on this option to display the Windows 'New Project' dialog , to create a new local .eap, .eapx, .qea, .qeap or .feap project file, that you can add model structures to using the Model Wizard (Start Page 'Create from Pattern' tab).	Model Wizard File Based Projects
Cloud Connection	Click on this option to open the 'Cloud Connection' dialog, which you use to specify a project held at a remote location, and to access it through the internet or web. You work on the project using the Enterprise Architect installation on your machine. An advantage of working in this way is that you do not need to have the database drivers installed on your machine, as you would to work on projects held on a DBMS server.	Connecting Enterprise Architect to a Cloud Model
Server Connection	Click on this option to display the 'Open Server Connection' dialog, on which you specify an existing data source to connect to, on one of a number of supported repositories. This feature is available in the Corporate, Unified and Ultimate Editions.	Server Based Repositories Open Server Connections - Native Connection
Custom Data Source	Click on this option to display the Microsoft 'Data Link Properties' dialog, from which you begin to define a data source to connect to, on one of a number of supported repositories. This feature is available in the Corporate, Unified and Ultimate Editions.
URL	If you click on this option, the 'Connection String' dialog displays. Type or paste in the server connection string to the project you want to open, and click on the OK button. This is the same dialog that you use in the 'Manage Projects' dialog (see the 'Manage Projects' option in the next section.)

Manage Projects

Click on this option to open the 'Manage Projects' dialog, which you use to manage connections to the Enterprise Architect projects (.eap files, .eapx files, .qea files, .qeax files, .feap files, DBMS server connections and Cloud connections) to which you have access. See the Managing Connections to Projects Help topic.

Recent

This is a list of up to ten Enterprise Architect projects (.qea files, .qeax files, .feap files, DBMS server connections and Cloud connections) that you have opened most recently. The drop-down arrow in the list heading displays options to:

Switch the list between recently-accessed models and currently 'watched' models
Change the sequence of models in the list between an alphabetical listing and a chronological listing (most recently opened at the top)
Set up a 'Watched Model' configuration to define what projects to monitor and what actions to capture within the models (see the Model Watches Help topic)

Option	Action	See also
<Model names>	Either: Click on a project name in the list to open that project in the current instance of Enterprise Architect (and close any project you already have open), or Ctrl+click on a project name in the list to launch that project in a separate instance of Enterprise Architect, in addition to the current project You can also right-click on a project name in the list and display a short context menu with options to: Open the selected project in the current instance of Enterprise Architect (and close any project you already have open) Launch the selected project in a new instance of Enterprise Architect (keeping the current project open in the current instance) Add the project to the list of watched projects that you are monitoring for various kinds of activity Pin the connection, thereby moving it to the 'Pinned' model list; the project name is deleted from the 'Recent' list Edit the name of the selected project, by overtyping the name in a brief dialog Remove the selected project from the list (which removes the link to the project, not the project file itself)	How to Remove Links to Recent Projects Model Watches

Option

Action

Pinned

The 'Pinned' repository list allows modelers who frequently work on particular repositories to add them to a list where they can always be easily and reliably accessed. Some users might only work on a single corporate repository or a small set of project repositories, so the 'Recent' list will always provide access to these projects. However, other users such as consultants and multi-disciplinary team members often work on a large number of repositories and, in this scenario, the repositories they need to visit regularly might 'drop-off' the 'Recent' list as new repositories are visited. If these repositories are added to the 'Pinned' list they will always be available for selection.

The 'Pinned' list shows up to ten Enterprise Architect projects (.qea files, .qeax files, .feap files, DBMS server connections and Cloud connections) that you have opened at some point in the 'Recent' list and you have 'pinned' so that they remain available for selection across all registry hives that you might use.

You can also right-click on a project name in the list and display a short context menu with options to:

Open the selected project in the current instance of Enterprise Architect (and close any project you already have open)
Launch the selected project in a new instance of Enterprise Architect (keeping the current project open in the current instance)
If the project is accessed via a connection string to a DBMS or Cloud repository, change the connection string

Edit the name of the selected project, by overtyping the name in a brief dialog

Remove the selected project from the list (which removes the link to the project, not the project file itself; the link is not returned to the 'Recent' list)

Notes

When you initially open Enterprise Architect, the Browser window contains the option '<click to open project>'; this has the same effect as the Manage Projects button

You can hide the Start Page, or show it again, by toggling the 'Start > Appearance > View > Show Start Page' ribbon option; this setting persists after shut down and restart of Enterprise Architect until you explicitly toggle the option again

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