Sparx EA Help - Can you draw a straight line?

[JonathanSmithey]

Hi,

I'm new to Sparx EA and I'm liking what I'm seeing, but I'm struggling to do what I feel is a basic task.

I want to draw a straight line on a diagram that ISN'T connected to any elements.  I want to show some boundaries on a diagram, but the boundaries element or the swimlane function do not do what I need.  Can this be done?

I've gotten around this by using the "fork / join" element to show a vertical line, but wondered if there's a easier way to do this as this wouldn't work if I wanted to draw a non-connected diagonal line.

Any advice will be welcome

[qwerty]

EA is NOT Visio. You can mimic a straight line by a narrow boundary. Also (IIRC) some profiles have something like straight lines (was it hand drawn or presentation? Can't remember; check the MDGs).

q.

[philchudley]

The toolbox you want is [highlight]User Interface[/highlight]

This has [highlight]straight lines vertical or horizontal[/highlight]

As these are elements (with the usual properties) you can use connectors to/from and also realise requirements if you need to.

Cheers

Phil

[JonathanSmithey]

Thank you for your help.

I've now upgraded my version of EA and I do now have those elements in the User Interface toolbox (they don't exist in 7.2 which I was using).

Yes, I am aware that EA is not Visio but as you can annotate using plain test, I wondered if there was a function to also draw lines for the same purpose so that I could share the output diagrams with "business" users without having to re-draw them elsewhere.  They often require more user friendly pictures to make complex IT architecture seem simpler.

[qwerty]

I see the arguments for having better drawing utilities in EA. I however have two arguments against it: first the drawings shall be UML compliant and second each extra feature will increase the price of EA and/or make it more unstable. Depending from where you look either argument has its weight. YMMV

q.

[JonathanSmithey]

I see the arguments for having better drawing utilities in EA. I however have two arguments against it: first the drawings shall be UML compliant and second each extra feature will increase the price of EA and/or make it more unstable. Depending from where you look either argument has its weight. YMMV

q.

yes, I see your point  

[skiwi]

See further
v9 diagram requests (see Paolo's comment)
9.0 diagram enhancements
9.0 whiteboard diagrams