drag from relationship view to diagrams

[bwl21]

being involved in a reverse engineering project, we have to draw a lot of diagrams from the model. I really would like to selekct a bunch of lines in the releationship view and drag them to the diagram. It would save a lot of time. At least being able to drag on by one.

-bernhard

[Eve]

Maybe this will help.

Right click on a class in a diagram and select Add | Insert Related Elements.  There's further information about this available from the help on that dialog.

[bwl21]

Hi Simon

no, it does not help. First of all it adds all relationship and not only selected ones.

second, the default way to create aggregations is such that the souce is the whole. Therefore the direction is the opposite. This means that selecting o-> shows the associations while <-O shows the aggregations. This is really a mess.

EA6 has an option to reverse this behavor with respect to aggregations. But it does not seem to work.

To make it more evil, the function right click on relationshiop "Add to diagram" no longer works in EA6. As soon as I move the mouse, the mouse pointer changes back to the arrow and nothing happens.

-bernhard

[Eve]

Just an idea since it sounded like you were doing something like that.

Regarding aggregations, I've taken this from the help file.

Draw Aggregations Reversed - By default, aggregate and composite connectors are drawn in EA from Source to Target. In some modelling tools they are drawn in the opposite direction. When this option is set, EA will mimic those other tools. (nb All tools will have the parent as the target and the child as the source of the connector, that is a requirement of UML; only the direction of dragging the mouse to draw the connector is changed).

My interpretation is that the direction being opposite is specified by UML.  EA's option just helps people who are used to other tools that draw the aggregation the other way.

Sorry, I don't know what "Add to diagram" option you're refering to.  Could you tell me where it is?

[thomaskilian]

Sorry, I don't know what "Add to diagram" option you're refering to.  Could you tell me where it is?

Right click on a relation in the Relations window. There's a popup "Add to diagram". It works for me but obviously not for  bernhard

[Eve]

I still don't see an add to diagram there, I do see a "Place Target Element on Diagram", which requires clicking on the diagram to place the target.

[bwl21]

yes, that's it, and when I call this menu, I get an icon on the mouse pointer. But as soon as I move the mouse, the icon disappears and I cannot add the element to the diagram.

bernhard

[bwl21]

Just an idea since it sounded like you were doing something like that.

Regarding aggregations, I've taken this from the help file.

My interpretation is that the direction being opposite is specified by UML.  EA's option just helps people who are used to other tools that draw the aggregation the other way.

Sorry, I don't know what "Add to diagram" option you're refering to.  Could you tell me where it is?

I do not see any difference in the behavior, however this option is. As far as I understand, the UML superstructure does not really specify, how an aggregation should be made. I want to drag from the "whole" to the "child" as I want to establish a property of the "whole". Therefore the diamond must be at the source side. I achieve this, by opening the aggregation property, set source to "composite" and target to "none". I would like to have this as default behavior.

[thomaskilian]

Try Tools/Options/Objects/Draw Aggr. Reversed

Additionally search this forum for this topic.

[bwl21]

Try Tools/Options/Objects/Draw Aggr. Reversed

Additionally search this forum for this topic.

I tried this, but it has not the desired effect. What I want is:

1. all properties of a class use the composite class as source. This has the advantage:
 * Relationship view shows the role (which is then denoted at the target)
 * Insert related Elements can be done such that all properties are inserted in to a graphic at once.  As it is now, only associations, can be inserted. If I want aggregations to be in the diagram I also get the classes where the classin question is aggregated to.

2. when I drag an aggregation, the mouse movement should go from "whole" to "part" <-> Source to target

The option you mention, allow to drag from whole to part but still establishes the aggregation with target as comoposition.

-b

[thomaskilian]

I know what you mean, but this has been discussed here in broad some time ago. Sorry for not having the time to search for the related thread(s). Maybe someone else can? The conclusion was that this is not going to be changed for several reasons.

[bwl21]

I know what you mean, but this has been discussed here in broad some time ago. Sorry for not having the time to search for the related thread(s). Maybe someone else can? The conclusion was that this is not going to be changed for several reasons.

I've heard about that. But it does not make it easier ...

-Bernahrd

[sargasso]

Sorry for not having the time to search for the related thread(s).

Me neither, but as one of the antagonists in the original threads, my arguments were generally that
1) EA actually draws them the way its stated in the UML spec and other tools were wrong. (maybe this has changed in new UML, I dunno)
2) I've got lots and lots (and lots) of models that are drawn that way round - I dont want a new release of EA suddenly interpreting the world the other way up.
3) IIRC - because I said so.  (Just to annoy Paolo).


bruce

[Paolo F Cantoni]

3) IIRC - because I said so.  (Just to annoy Paolo).

I've just come back from two weeks holiday... So it'll take a lot to annoy me... :-)

I gave on the EA composition connector a long time ago (aside from it's questionable definition, it was full of bugs at the time - I think I gave some examples in the forum).
I just create Associations and adorn them appropriately... (As per the UML specification - bruce)

Cheerz,
Paolo