link automatically visible

[gilles2]

Hi all,

I am trying to customize Enterprise Architect so that it behaves as i want to and i am questionning myself about what is possible and what is not.

1. Is there a way to block entreprise architect from showing existing links between elements when dragging and dropping those elements (as simple link) on a newly created diagram?

2. And is there a way, when creating a new relation between two elements to prevent EA from adding this new  link on all diagrams where both elements are visible ?

Thanks,
Cheers,
Gilles

[Eve]

No and No. (Well, at least not without writing an add-in responding to EA_OnPostNewDiagramObject and EA_OnPostNewConnector to explicitly hide relationships)

[gilles2]

Thank you  for your answer Simon.

But one last more question :
How does EA behave if your eap file is under  version controlled with following scenario :

- You checkout package A
- In package A, on a diagram, you add a link between two elements
- both elements are also visible on a diagram in package B which has not been checked out (so not writable)

--> in that case, the diagram located in package B cannot be updated to show the  newly created link.

Can you confirm this ?
If yes, we can have two kinds of behaviour from EA ?

Thanks
Gilles

[Geert Bellekens]

Gilles,

The diagram doesn't have to be writeable to add the links.
So yes, the links will be added to the diagram, even if it isn't checked out.

Geert

[gilles2]

Well,

I check my idea by myself and i am quite confused with the result.
The diagram which is not writable is refreshed and displays the newly created link (on a writable diagram).


A diagram can be changed  automatically by EA in a non checked out package ? I know that the link is stored in the package of the source element of a relation but what is displayed in a diagram is stored in the package containing the diagram  ? isn't it ? So the modification of my diagram is not sent to the version control system ?

And what is more strange, if i try to do it manually : menu > diagram > visible relations is disabled for diagrams in non check out package.

So i try something else : creating a link between two elements in a diagram non checked out ( considering that both elements linked are located in checked out packages) : not possible


So am i misunderstanding something ?

Thanks,
Gilles

[Geert Bellekens]

Gilles,

The thing is that in fact, the diagram itself is not changed when a link between two elements has been added.
EA will, on the fly, inspect all relations between the elements shown on the diagram, and show the appropriate relations.
Yes, you can only add the relations on a writable diagram.
I'm not sure about the specification of a diagram in ea's xmi, but it might indeed be possible that there is no trace of the relations when exporting the diagram. (which means that for your VCS there is no difference).

Geert

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Gilles,

The thing is that in fact, the diagram itself is not changed when a link between two elements has been added.
...

EA doesn't think so, but the rest of us in the real world do...

"It used to look one way, now it looks different", ergo it MUST have changed...

J.R Abrial has been right all along...

(It's Friday...  )

Paolo

[gilles2]

EA doesn't think so, but the rest of us in the real world do...

Paolo,

to be more precise, EA doesn't think so, but it does not allow you to work as it works, i mean you cannot modify visible relations on a diagram that is located in a non writable package. ;-)

Gilles

[skiwi]

2. And is there a way, when creating a new relation between two elements to prevent EA from adding this new  link on all diagrams where both elements are visible?

But you can then undisplay the link on all other diagrams afterwards.
From link context menu choose "Visibility | Hide Connector in other diagrams.

IMHO it would be useful to have, on a diagram properties basis both of these as options