BPMN Add In - How To Get Started???

[GraemeR]

Hi Guys,

I have a trial version of EA 6.1 build 789 and I have down loaded the latest BPMN add on and installed it.

However I 'don't have a clue"   wrt to accessing this add in and activating it from EA.

Could someone please provide some 'step by step' description of how to get the BPMN add in going.

Thanks.

Cheers Graeme

[«Midnight»]

Hi Graeme,

I've answered this not too long ago, but don't have the URL or the time to look just now.

Search the forum for messages by me in the last 75 days or so with BPMN and Load in the content. That will get you started.

David

[GraemeR]

Thanks David,

I found this,

"Just reset your menu. From the main menu choose Tools/Customize and select the Menu tab. The reset button is right there.

Then import the BPMN (or whatever) MDG technology file as usual. [I think you are OK if you have already imported before you reset the menu, but I did it in this order.]

One note; the "New Diagram" context menu item will not appear until you click the "Load" bar at least once. This gets the add-in working for a particular project, and also creates the BPMN panels in the toolbox. If you do this by accident the "UnLoad" menu bar (which will now replace the "Load" bar) will clean things up nicely. "

Which I have done, but nothing has changed.

After installation of the BPMN I now have on my C: drive a folder C:\Program Files\Sparx Systems\MDG Link\BPMN with the following files in it.

BPMNAddIn.dll
ea.ico
EA_BPMN.chm
mdg.ico
readme.txt

I'm sorry - I'm just not getting it.

Note that the BPMN was installed by the "admin" account - not my user account - could there be a permissions issue?

Thanks.

Graeme

[«Midnight»]

Graeme,

I don't know about the priviledge situation. It could be a case of the .dll file not being registered. Check the Sparx BPMN site for any documentation regarding this, but I don't remember anything.

The folder looks correct. Mine is the same with the exception of the readme.txt file (which my installation may have pre-dated).

Do you have an Add-ins item on your EA main menu. If so, what's beneath it?

David

[GraemeR]

Hi David,

I don't have "Add ins" on the main menu.

Cheers Graeme

[«Midnight»]

This has me stumped. Are you sure you reset the main menu? I tried it myself and my Add-ins menu item stayed where it should be.

I also tried renaming the MDG Link directory. Next time I loaded EA it complained immediately about not finding the add-in. After restoring the directory name all was well.

My MDG Link directory is a sibling of the EA directory from which I run EA itself. Am I correct in assuming that you have EA in the default drive and directory?

The last possibility I can think of is that the DLL is not registered. This could be a result of having the installation done by your admin. Hopefully the Sparx folks can shed some light on this one.

More later,
David

[GraemeR]

Hi David,

Reset the menu from Tools->Customise->Menu tab->Reset button.

Renaming the MDG Link directory had no effect.

Installation has been into the standard locations.

I'm going to get my local admin guy to do these actions from his account on this machine. See if that sets it up.

Thanks.

Cheers Graeme

[SF_lt]

Actually, I have the same problem on several computers too . Funny thing is, that Add-ins menu doesn't appear - installation went ok and using account with a administrator privileges.

Have tried to reset menus with the reset all - without luck, using registered 789 EA build.
By all means, Sparx should invest more time into clearier BPMN addin installation - now I'm forced to use MagicDraw for BPMN diagrams

[«Midnight»]

This is turning into a real hair-puller.

I downloaded and installed the BPMN add-in the same day as it appeared, so it has been quite a while. I had several problems, all of which turned out to be 'finger trouble' and eventually cleared up.

The problem is that it has been long enough that I simply cannot remember whether I had the problem with the Add-in menu not appearing. I believe I did, which is why I originally asked Graeme about this; I just cannot be sure. [I remember seeing something about this in the EA documentation for Add-in installation but cannot quite remember if I found it after having the problem, or simply remembered it when I first answered Graeme. I did, however, wonder about the Add-in menu before looking it up this time...]

I've been trying to figure out just what I did when I first installed BPMN. I remember making some progress - beyond where either of you are at this point - but still not getting it running. At that point I needed to reset my main menu, but you both appear to be too early in the game.

You cound report this as a bug. Whether it is in the documentation or the code the effect is the same; you followed the directions and the software did not work. I suspect Sparx will come back with a quick, workable answer.

If so, please remember to publish it in this thread. In the meantime if I figure out what I did the first time I'll publish an update here as well.

David

[GraemeR]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your help, I'm going to issue a bug to Sparx and see if they can shed some light.

Whatever the result - I'll come back to this thread and update it once I've got some more information.

Cheers Graeme

[sargasso]

Where's the BPMN add-in?  
b

[«Midnight»]

Go to the Registered Users' MDG Technologies page Bruce:
http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/resources/mdg_tech/

[sargasso]

Doh!    I must have looked at that page about 10 times.
b

[GraemeR]

I have now worked this out.  

What is needed is the following steps after installing the BPMN software.

1. Open your EA model and select any diagram.
2. Right click the diagram, the "Add-In" option should be available in the drop down list.
3. Select the "BPMN Technology"->"Load" option.

Then continue with the menu reset. eg "Tools"->"Customize..."->"Menu"->"Reset" to add "Add-Ins" to the top level tool bar.

Cheers Graeme

[«Midnight»]

Thanks, that's it!

If you don't reset your menu you won't get the right-click ability. But, once you have reached that point the Add-ins menu appears. Since I'd already done this once I did have the Add-ins menu and could not duplicate the problem.

After turning the BPMN add-in on and off a few times it became second nature to use the right-click trick, and I forgot that it was once missing.

Sorry I missed this the first time through. I should have been able to save you considerable hair-pulling.

David