Adding tagged values to BPMN subset

[Filip Hendrickx]

Hi all.

I'm in the process of creating an MDG technology, containing a subset of the BPMN 2.0 technology and some UML elements. I do this by creating a toolboxpage metaclass, extended by a stereotype that contains only those elements that I want. These elements are defined as attributes on the stereotype.

See http://users.telenet.be/filip.hendrickx/SparxEA/Subset2.eap for an example eap file.

In a separate profile package, I then want to add my own tagged values. Adding attributes to e.g. a stereotype that extends a standard UML metaclass like class works fine. However, this doesn't work for BPMN elements.

It doesn't work for the UML::Artifact either. I can solve this by changing its name in the toolbox to MyTech::Artifact(UML::Artifact), so I guess the problem with the BPMN elements is also related to using correct names, but I can't figure it out.

As an aside: is it possible to define my own tagged values once and add them to multiple elements (stereotypes) through e.g. extension or another mechanism, without having to define them on each element?

Many thanks!

Filip.

[Geert Bellekens]

Filip,

You can't extend BPMN as that is already an extension to UML.
You can only extend EA's native types. UML and some EA specific elements such as requirements.

If you want to create a profile on top of BPMN you'll have to recreate it completely.

I believe there are ways to reverse engineer the BPMN profile, but I don't know how.

Geert

[Aaron B]

This page might be of help:
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/10/extending_uml_models/non_uml_metatypes.html

[qwerty]

http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1370543749/1#1

q.

[Filip Hendrickx]

Thanks for your replies.

I had already tried extending BPMN2.0 stereotypes, with no luck. After a few more experiments with this approach, it seams

• to keep the original BPMN tagged values, but in a flat list, sections are removed;
• to only keep them under the BPMN2.0 title when working via MDG, not direct profile import via resources (which is fine);
• that I can indeed add my own tagged values;
• that specific behavior, like automatically making a business process composite, or adding an icon that depends on the tasktype of an activity (manual, user, ...), is gone. I could probably add this myself via shape scripts, but that kind of defeats the purpose of reusing BPMN.
• that a profile created like this doesn't work well together with a toolbox defined through toolbox pages: when adding a BPMN element to a toolboxpage, I can't add tagged values to it via a profile (which is why I didn't get it working before: I seem to be unable to link the toolbox items with their profile definition).

Are these observations correct, or am I still missing something?

Best regards,

Filip.

[tomC]

I am using EA 13.5 and having the same issue trying to extend the BPMN 2.0 elements so I can add my own tagged values.   I used the Profile Helpers but without success.   Does anyone know if this is even possible without having to create my own Stereotypes on the base UML?  Thanks, Tom

[Geert Bellekens]

Hi Tom,

I think this page in the manual describes the process: http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/13.5/modeling_tools/non-uml_metatypes.html

AFAIK this should work as described.

Geert

[Nabil]

There is a feature called template package but the problem is you cannot use it for extending BPMN stereotype. Only option to create a profile extending BPMN ELEMENTS