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

Use a Pattern

Using a Pattern enables you to rapidly create template solutions for code structures that perform the same type of task in other situations, and to use items defined in the Pattern with the UML model

How to:

To use a Pattern that you have previously imported into the model, follow the steps below:

Step

Action

See Also

1

Open the diagram into which to add the UML Pattern

 

2

Select the Resources window

 

3

Expand the UML Pattern folder and find the Pattern to add

 

4

Either:

  • Right-click on the Pattern and select the Add Pattern to Diagram context menu option or
  • Drag and drop the Pattern from the Resources window onto the diagram

You can also view the Pattern details in read-only mode by selecting the View Pattern Details context menu option

Add Pattern Dialog

5

Once the appropriate selections have been made, click on the OK button to import the Pattern into the model, recreating the original diagram with new GUIDs

 

 

To change the default of the Pattern element, follow the steps below:

Step

Action

See Also

1

From the Add Pattern dialog select the individual element in the Pattern Element panel

 

2

Click on the (  ...  ) button to display the Edit dialog

The specific method for changing the element name is dependant upon the entry in the Action column of the Pattern Elements panel

 

3

If the Action entry is Create, then in the Default field in the Edit dialog delete the existing value and type your own, user-defined value

Click on the OK button

The element default is updated on the Add Pattern dialog

 

4

If the Action entry for the element is Merge, in the Edit dialog click on the (  ...  ) button to browse to an existing element classifier

The Select <Item> dialog displays

 

5

Locate and select an existing element classifier

You can restrict the number of choices by selecting the elements from a specific namespace; to do this, click on the In Namespace drop-down arrow and select a namespace

Using Classifiers

Learn More: