Custom User Tools in EA v3.51

[potterm]

Hello all,

The release notes for EA v3.51 suggest that custom tools added into the Tools menu can be passed the name of the current element, package or diagram as a parameter - I quote..

"User tools menu. Allows addition of custom user tools - supports additional paramters for current diagram, element and package"

Does anyone know how to do this?  I can't find any details in the help file - i.e. how do you tell EA to pass the name of the current package/element/diagram as a parameter when launching a custom user tool?

Many Thanks.
Martin.

[mbc]

I happen to know that these variables work in the parameter line:

$p - current package ID
$d - current diagram ID
$f - current project file name

I have not been able to find any variable for current element (and I have tried $ with every letter in the alphabet). If you do, let me know.

I have not been able to find anything on this in the help file either. My knowledge comes from an e-mail I received a while ago from Sparks himself in reply to a feature request I submitted about customization features.

Mikkel

[potterm]

Mikkel,

Many thanks for this.  I had started to try a number of combinations, but gave up in the end.  

Just knowing the current package will be enough for my needs (we're looking at how to semi-automatically integrate EA with external config mgmt tools).  

If I find out how to pass element names across I'll let you know.

Cheers,
Martin.

[mbc]

I am very interested in hearing about your approach to configuration management/version control too. Maybe you will post some info on this in a new thread when you have a strategy laid out?

Mikkel

[potterm]

Mikkel,

Yes I certainly will - although it's just a twinkle in the eye at this stage.  Still thinking about a number of issues, and how we might go about resolving them:

• We have several analysts working in parallel, so we want multi-user access.  I think we want the ability to lock and checkout individual packages which analysts will work on, then check-in and make them available to the whole group.  During the check-out, other users should see the last checked-in version (not live updates).
  
• We want a master repository that is held on a server, for reference, backup etc. purposes.
  
• Some analysts need to work offsite at certain times, so the ability to lock and check-out packages needs to be supported locally as well (i.e. such that you can take the model away, work on selected packages, then update the master repository later).
  

Having read this list, you're probably thinking of JET Replica DBs with Design Masters, but we've used these before (although not with EA) and it's given us some hairy moments, so we're abit reluctant.

We also want areas of the model locked read-only (to other users) during updates, so replicas wouldn't work I think.

Current (scatter-brained!) thoughts are:

• Write a custom tool that is launched from the Tools menu, which acts as the glue between EA and the config control tool (which would probably be CVS)
  
• The tool interacts with EA over the automation interface, in order to control import/export of packages during check-in/out process.  Could also switch on EA locking automatically if supported by the API (not sure off the top of my head).
  
• Import and export to CVS would be via XML files.
  

Haven't yet worked out how the local/central repository thing would work yet.  Perhaps the CVS repository simply acts as the master and users need to synchronise the entire model (or selected bits of it) on a regular basis.  Hmm.  Not sure.

Martin.