change diagram properties in a whole project

[rabra]

Hallo,

is it possible to change the properties of all diagrams in a project?
(E.g. if suddenly I see that my name is wrongly written?)

[«Midnight»]

Unfortunately the answer is Maybe.

You might be able to retroactively change things if both the following are true: the entry allows you to select from a list, and you did not enter free-form text into the entry.

The author of a diagram is a perfect example. There is a drop-down list provided. It gives you a list of People you have set up using the Settings | People | Project Author(s) dialog (which is scoped to each project). If you selected one of these entries, it is possible that you can make the change you want. To do so you must make the change in the Settings | People dialog or you will not get the results you want.

EA provides two defaults that will break this model. You can provide a default model author using the Author field on the main Tools | Options page. Whatever you enter in this field will be used as a default for new projects. You can also enter a value for each diagram on the diagram properties dialog, again in the Author field. Each of these fields is a combo box. It will allow you to select from a drop-down of all Model Authors you set up in the Settings dialog. But it will also allow you to type anything (including a typo as you have seen) in free-form text.

If you did type text into the field, you're stuck with it. Now you've got to go back and change everything.

HTH, David

PS: Here's how to resolve this in future for new models. You can export the Model Authors set as reference data, and then import that into a new model. This works fine, but it does require some effort, and it can give you results you don't want if you've tweaked the settings in both projects.

You can also set up your model authors in a basic project template. Then you can create new projects from the EA start page using Copy a Base Project in the Manage Projects group box. [This solution works well if you've got a standard place to put templates, and if you need different starting projects for different purposes.]

Finally, you can edit the EABase.EAP project in your EA installation directory - after making a backup copy of course - and create your author list there. All new projects - except those from a template such as the one above of course - will be copied from EABase, inheriting its reference data. [This works best if you almost always start with the same configuration.]

[rabra]

Many thanx for the answer - in most cases it in fact is so that I have edited the field in the dialog properties and can only change anything directly there.

But I have tried out your proposition of creating names in the Settings | People dialog and changing them in the tools | options by only using the dropdown.

I now understood you so that I have to change the names in the Settings | People dialog.

But here I can only create or delete a person, not choose or change one.
(Your proposition for future models I did not yet try out...)

Rabra

[revdev]

The XML export and import feature works well.  You could export the package(s) to XML, change the spelling with a text editor, then import the updated XML.

[rabra]

Thanx, the XML - thing is rather easy and practicable.

[«Midnight»]

Excellent idea.

Just remember not to strip GUIDs on import, so that you've changed your originals. This is most important if you are in a shared environment.

David

[EDIT: Then remember, if you changed the strip GUIDs option, to do a 'throwaway' import and reset the strip GUIDs option, in case EA remembers and you trash a future duplication operation.]