Activity Diagram

[ayman]

Sparx version 11:
according to help description for Structured Node "To display the Activity diagram represented by a Structured Activity Node element, double-click on the element"
Help URL: http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/9.2/standard_uml_models/subactivity.html
but while trying to implement double click open the properties of structured node !!!!
so how can we do that?

[Helmut Ortmann]

Hi,

1. Click on the structured activity
2. ALT+G (goto element in browser)
3. Here you find the nested diagrams to open

Helmut

[ayman]

Hi,
it's not the issue if you have checked the mentioned URL you will figure out that the structured node contains composite icon, so how we can do that?

[qwerty]

Depends on the version. I'm on V11 now, but on 9.2 it should have been somewhere under Advanced/Make Composite. It will then either take the top most diagram in the element and assign that to be the composite one. Or it will create a new one. If you wanted to change it you needed to remove composition the same way, place the alternate diagram on top and redo composition.

q.

[ayman]

me too in V 11
yes u are right it is exist in the old versions
but is that an update in 11 ?

[qwerty]

You referred to 9.2 above in the link, so I thought you're on that version. Well, the function has changed. It's now found under New Child Diagram/Composite. Also you can select an arbitrary composite diagram for an element right there. IIRC it had changed from 9.3 to 10.

q.

[ayman]

no i'm on version 11 but what makes the confusion is the online help as it seems it's for old version 9.2
but this means that structure activity node is not a composite element anymore with Version 11?

[qwerty]

A structured activity is just a normal one that is made composite. The toolbox offers a shortcut but you can always convert both into each other.

Regarding the help you should in general refer to the local help which is always up to date. The online help is okay for those which want to learn about EA without having purchased it. Honestly I don't know exactly which policy Sparx follows with the online help, so that was just a good guess.

q.

[ayman]

according to v 11 you can't convert Structured Activity Node to Composite one.
there is no child diagram option in the proprieties window or any other option.
BTW if u tried the local help u will find the same information as online one   it seems they didn't update the help!!!!  

[qwerty]

Oh. I had just looked on the image in the help which is what I explained above. But actually the structured activity from the toolbox is a different element (e.g. the LoopNode show a stereotype additionally). I'll have a closer look later.

q.


P.S. Those elements are ConditionalNode, Activity and LoopNode. I haven't verified this but likely you can create them via AddNew(name, <oneofthem>)

[RoyC]

The Help isn't quite accurate. I'm looking into it.

[KP]

A StructuredActivityNode is not a kind of Activity, it's a kind of Action. Actions can't have composite diagrams in EA (since EA 9.2.921) because they are atomic. Ditto, LoopNode and ConditionalNode are also kinds of Action. If you want to make a StructuredActivityNode composite, then I suspect that what you really want is a composite Activity.

[RoyC]

I have updated the Help - changes will be visible at the next major release of EA. Basically, don't think of a Conditional Node, Loop Node, Sequential Node or Structured Node as a composite element with a child diagram - they aren't.

A SEQUENTIAL NODE element currently is flagged as a Composite element, but if you start to work with it as a Composite, it automatically transforms into a simple composite Activity element.