EA support for UML profile filtering rules

[Florian Schneider]

From the UML Infrastructure Specification 2.4.1:

• p185: "The filtering rules determine which elements of the metamodel are visible when the profile is applied and which ones are hidden. Note that applying a profile does not change the underlying model in any way; it merely defines a view of the underlying model."
• p185-186:"The following rules are used to determine whether a model element is visible or hidden when a profile has been applied. Model elements are visible if they are instances of metaclasses that are: 1. referenced by an explicit MetaclassReference, or 2. contained (directly or transitively) in a package that is referenced by an explicit MetamodelReference; unless there are other elements of subpackages of that package that are explicitly referenced by a MetaclassReference, or 3. extended by a stereotype owned by the applied profile (even if the extended metaclass itself is not visible). All other model elements are hidden (not visible) when the profile is applied."

For a profile-based MDG technology, that would require a capability to import packages and dedicated elements from UML, which I did not find in EA v. 10.0.1004. An oversight? Full UML profile support would be a great feature!

Cheers,
Florian

[Eve]

Although it's not clear, I interpret as filtering the elements available for creation. It's using the mechanisms of ElementImport and PackageImport. These are generally are used to make their targets available for use.

An interpretation of hiding existing elements doesn't make sense (to me) because it requires the profile application to be added and removed to see elements already present. From an implementation view that would require removing stereotypes (and their values) on everything in the package. But even more importantly it would create a very confusing user experience.

Based on my opinion of what I think the specification is trying to say, I think that the Toolbox definitions for EA are satisfying the intention of what this is talking about. Enterprise Architect doesn't require a profile to be explicitly applied to a package. Instead you add a diagram that shows a toolbox for the profile you want.

[qwerty]

I'm so happy I'm not the only person that when reading Superstructures just asks: what?

 

q.

[Eve]

I had that section of the spec open for most of the day, in between everything else I was doing. At one point I had a reply written saying that it looks like we don't implement that.

It's nearly daily that I'm buried deep in some obscure part of the UML spec (or one of the others we support.)