Traceability between swimlanes and classfiers

[UrsulaGreen]

When creating activity diagram I tend to use swimlanes and set the classifier for the swimlane to an actor.  The actor name appears on the activity diagram.  

But when I select the actor in the project browser it doesn’t show a link to the activity diagram or in the element usage in the traceability view.  
I am using EA 11.1.1112 professional edition

[Uffe]

Hi Ursula,


The reason the swimlane classifier doesn't count as a reference in either the Traceability window or the Elements Usage (Find in all Diagrams) dialog is that swimlanes aren't diagram objects.

Exactly how the reference is stored I don't know, but it does work in the sense that the swimlane labels is updated when the classifier's name is changed.

So the potential is there, it's just not implemented. You could post a suggestion and see if anyone likes it.

As a workaround, you could use boundaries or (in activity diagrams) partitions. You can set classifiers on both these, and since a boundary is a diagram object and a partition is a fully-fledged element, the backwards references work.

Cheers,


/Uffe

[qwerty]

A swimlane is just a graphical element and has no way to assign classifiers. If you use pools/lanes (ActivityPartitiion) you can classify them (using Ctrl-L). This will not create a connector. So the traceability can not be used since it relies on connectors. You can find instances of the classifier by using Ctrl-U.

q.

[Uffe]

So the traceability can not be used since it relies on connectors.

This is incorrect. The traceability window keeps track of other types of relationships as well, not just those expressed with connectors.

The classifier/instance relationship is also shown in Traceability, and it actually works even if the instance is not a proper element (like a Partition is) but just a diagram object, like a Boundary.

Ctrl-U / Find in Diagrams also finds instances of the selected element, and that includes boundary instances.

My point was that swimlanes are not even diagram objects, so Traceability doesn't work for them. And neither does Ctrl-U. Swimlanes are magical, but boundaries can be used as a workaround.


/Uffe

[Geert Bellekens]

I don't know since when, but you can actually assign a classifier to a swimlane as well.

It doesn't show up in the traceability view, nor in the "find in all diagrams", but you should be able to use it in queries or scripts/add-ins

Geert

[qwerty]

I stand corrected. Adding a classifier is some new function I was not aware of. Is it useful? I doubt. Using ActivityPartition is for sure a better way. I'll check the specs what it says about classifying swimlanes.

Regarding the traceability: I better had shut up. I stopped using it a long time ago since it made the use of my model slower as a snail. Maybe that improved but I got by fine without it.

q.

P.S. UML talks about swimlanes only in the context of ActivityPartitions. Those heritage swimlanes in EA are definitely not ActivityPartitions. They are heritage which is painted pink.

[Geert Bellekens]

Traceability performance was fixed in v10 I think.

I use it all the time these days, and they keep adding useful stuff to it (such as links through RefGUID tagged values in v12.1) for which I had to use EA Navigator before.

Geert

[qwerty]

Ok, thanks for the pointer I might give it a new chance then.

But the swimlane stuff: it's simply scrap.

q.