EA <--> VS 2005 integration

[Thomas M.]

Hi all,
we are currently evaluating the tool we want to use in the future for a model driven aproach to coding.
We have now concentrated on two system: MicroTools ObjectiF and EA Corporate + MDG.
I'll try to formulate what one of our developers has stumbled into today:
As far as VS integration is concerned EA+MDG seems to be far less integrated than ObjectiF. You have to define a VS project first, you cannot generate a project from the model.
There is also now easy switching between model and code as in ObjectiF (one click to and from model or code). Furthermore when creating C# code some methods are multiplied. When creating code from a multiple selection of classes, you do not have the option to specify the target language. It still creates .cs files, but you'll find C++ code in those files including lots of INCLUDE statements!
When deleting a class in the model, this is not detected when synchronizing with code in VS.
It could well be that we have not yet caught the essentials of EA, but if the above is the way it works, that would be rather uncool.

Thanks for any hint or experiences with the EA-VS roundtripping!
- Thomas
PS: not that important but the diagrams do not seem to use anti aliasing. Is this configurable?

[alesliehughes]

Hi Tomas,

The next version of MDG Integrate (2.1), we have added an option to allow Synchronzing with code automatically, this applies to Saving and Adding files of a linked project.  

Combine this new option with EA Live Gen, and you have syncing no matter where you edit.

Currently we do not detect when a Class is remove from the model, so the VS project is not updated.

Furthermore when creating C# code some methods are multiplied. When creating code from a multiple selection of classes, you do not have the option to specify the target language. It still creates .cs files, but you'll find C++ code in those files including lots of INCLUDE statements!  

I dont quite understand this. Can you give details of when this issue occurs?

Alistair

[bmioch]

thmuhr

Could you please provide the following details:

The version of Enterprise Architect you're using.
The version of MDG Integration for VS 2005 you are using.
Steps to re-produce the issue.

However, this is just a user forum. For priority support, you should use the support form here:http://sparxsystems.com/support/bug_report.html

[Thomas M.]

Thanks for the responses. Here is more detail:
EA: current version 6.5.799 in corporate trial mode
MDG Link for VS .NET 2.4.0

First, we have not been able to reproduce the mystery code doubling, it might have something to do with the way StarUML generated XMI was imported.

Here is a procedure to create another inconsistency regarding associations:
Create a new EA project.
Create two new classes Class1 and Class2 in EA's diagram class model
Add Class2 as an aggregation to Class1
Connect the EA project with a VS project.
Do a Forward Synch from EA. Both classes are now visible in VS. A line "public Class2 m_Class2" was correctly added in Class1.
In EA do a backward synch to get the code into the model.  The generated attribute correctly appears in the model.
So far so good .....
Delete the aggregation klink and remove the attribute from the project browser(EA).
Synch forward.
In VS line 'public Class2 m_Class2' is not removed.
In EA do another backward synch.
The reference comes back into the model again, this time as an association, not an aggregation.

Not exactly what we would expect ...

Thanks!
- Thomas

[Eve]

This behaviour is that EA doesn't delete anything from your code by default.

Try opening the options dialog and setting the following option.

Attribute/Operations page, 'On forward synch, prompt to delete code features not in model'.