New UML Profile support in EA

[gsparks]

Hello all,
 
As you may be aware if you read the latest news on this forum, we have just posted build 490 of Enteprise Architect.

Among other things, this new release includes the first support in EA for customisable UML Profiles.

For those of you not familiar with UML Profiles, these specify a set of stereotypes, tagged values, constraints and other values that together help solve a particular modeling problem in UML. For example, there are profiles for modeling web sites, XML Schemas, business process and more.

A new tab has been added to the Project Workspace named "Resources". In the Resources tree there is a section to hold imported UML Profiles. Profiles are defined  in XML format and can be imported by right clicking on the UML Profile node and selecting to import a profile XML file.

To help get you started we have posted a few common profiles. These can be found at:

http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/uml_profiles.htm

along with some explanation and instructions.

As always, we would appreciate any suggestions/feedback about this new feature - and hope it provides a worthwhile addition to EA's current functionality.

Geoff Sparks

[cloudsoup]

Looks interesting - but whereabouts is the download? I can only find build 489.

[sbaishya]

Geoff,

Looks good, and I think it will meet the requirements I've been talking to you about.

A couple of questions/issues:

1) EA doesn't seem to import constraints properly (can't get them to show up in the dialogs).

2) Is there an XML schema describing the format of a profile XML document?

Cheers,

Stephen

[cloudsoup]

Yes, in particular, can you assign attributes to profile stereotypes?

[gsparks]

Hi guys,

I will put together a schema over the next couple of weeks. I think there will be a few refinements in the XML format in that time - and I will wait for the dust to settle a bit :-)

We also intend to add a 'Profile Editor' within EA to help build and modify profiles - this is a few weeks of too.

I checked out the Constraint problem - and it appears a late change does appear to have caused a problem - I will get that fixed straight away and post a new build when its ready.

With regard to attributes - Im not quite sure of the question. You can stereotype Attributes, then drag them onto classes in a diagram.

Geoff Sparks

[cloudsoup]

I'll wait for the schema but what I was asking about attributes was whether a sterotype can have attributes with default calues so that it's dragged onto a diagram it appears complete with those attributes already entered and assigned.

[sbaishya]

Is it possible to apply stereotypes to aggregations and compositions? I'm trying to write an XML file for the UML Profile for Database Design, and it requires that an "Identifying relationship" is created with a stereotype of <<Identifying>> on a composite aggregation.

[gsparks]

Hi ,

I will try and get 'aggregation' and 'composition' added during the next day or so - if there is anything else that you think would help, let me know ASAP.


Cheers,

Geoff Sparks

[sbaishya]

Geoff,

The composition thing should be all I need to complete the Database Profile. I may find other things when I come to look at the EJB profile in detail, but from a first glance through it I'm not expecting anything.

Thanks,

Stephen

[sbaishya]

Having said that, I've thought of a "nice-to-have". How about being able to associate an icon with a stereotype, ie with a view to displaying it in the top right corner of a class?

Stephen

[gsparks]

Stephen,

This isnt too far around the corner I hope. You can already associate a metafile with a stereotype - there just needs to be a setting to draw the metafile as an icon in the corner - rather than taking over the whole appearance. I hope something will be available in the next couple of weeks - it will still need to be a metafile at this stage, but there are a few graphics programs around that will do the conversion.

Geoff

[Tjerk]

Hi,

Nice work on the profiles! Two remarks for the moment:

BUG: Right-click Stylesheets->import stylesheet, selecting filetype gives XSL stylesheet AND some lines of random garbage.

FEAT.Req.: I would like to be able to create document groups under RTF documents and have the possibility to generate all documentation in such a group (or when no group, generate all RTF documentation).

Keep on going . It keeps getting better and better.

Tjerk

[Tjerk]

Sorry, found another thing:

right-click on resources element in resource tab gives context menu of an RTF document -> disable context menu for this item?

Tjerk

[sbaishya]

Geoff,

Some more comments/queries:

1) How does EA handle the stereotypes with similar names being defined in more than one profile? For example, the database profile has stereotypes called Server, and Table. EA already has stereotypes called server and table built in. When I use my Table stereotype, the properties dialog shows table (lower case t) rather than Table, and the stereotype does not show on the diagram.

2) My initial assumption with the metafiles was that is was for icons rather than to display the object graphically, so I added some to my profile. I have now removed them from the profile XML document and re-imported it, but EA still places the metafiles on the diagram.

Cheers,

Stephen

[gsparks]

Hi Tjerk,

Thanks for the report. I have fixed the Stylesheet file dialog problem and context menu on root element - these both will be available in the next build - which will probably be in the next day or so.

Sorting RTF documents into packages is something I had in mind and I think it is a good idea. Web reports will also be included under the Documentation node as well - and the same will apply to them.

Regards,
Geoff Sparks