Omnipresent relationships

[glads]

Hi people,

There is a behaviour in EA (we are in 6.5 version) that is interesting in some cases but is VERY problematic in others.  :-/

We have a repository of diagrams with many relationships between elements in all projects. It is because we are recording the whole enterprise system and integration architecture model. It's not just a system modeling project.

When we create a new link between thow components (for exemple), this new link appears automatically in ALL diagrams where these same two elements appears. Because integration between systems are showed under many visions, we don't want to see all integrations in all diagrams.

Is there any form of turning this off?

Thank you.
Gladstone.

[«Midnight»]

I don't know of one.

But I have not looked for this for some time, so wait and see if anyone chimes in to contradict me.

While you wait, try this: On one of your diagrams where you see the link - preferably one where you want to preserve the link - right-click the link and from the context menu choose Visibility | Hide Connector in Other Diagrams. You'll get a dialog that allows you to adjust the visibility of that connector in each diagram.

Note that this only works for links that are already displayed on diagrams, it will not provide a setting for future diagrams you might draw.

David

[glads]

Hey David, I think that what you said is almost ideal for my case.  

The difference if there was a configuration item for this is only the automatization. The method you suggested is very useful for us.

And it's a very simple solution at all. I'm ashamed I could not see this before!    

Thank you very much,
Gladstone.

[«Midnight»]

Hey yourself Gladstone,

Last I looked (build 827) the user guide was 1635 pages. How anyone is supposed to know all of it is beyond me.

David

[thomas.kilian]

Unfortunately when you create a new diagram, the connector is not hidden. You have to start from the beginning. Would be smarter if I could tell EA to show a connector ONLY in one specific diagram.

[Thomas Mercer-Hursh]

It seems like this would fit your need at the moment, but it would concern me that the connector would not show up in a new diagram because it might then be overlooked.

If there is a pattern to what you want to see or don't want to see, have you considered applying stereotypes to the connectors and then writing a piece of automation to hide or make visible all connectors of specific stereotypes.  This has been our own approach to having a lot of connectors and only wanting to see some of them on any given diagram.

If anything here, I wouldn't consider this a bug, but rather an opportunity for the functionality I describe above to be added to standard product.