SysML Activity diagrams

[Dave.B]

I'm using EA 7.4.846 with the SysML plug-in and I'm trying to build an activity diagram model of my system. However the tool is driving me mad!

Apart from the fact that I can't take my BDD model as a basis, it just doesn't seem to make constructing an activity model a pleasant experience, especially when compared with how the tool works for creating IBD's. Both are after all types of compositions.

But the biggest problem is that the tool does not act as a CASE tool and will allow me to build a malformed model. For example, the pins on an action must correspond with the parameters on the action's activity specification. Yet, EA does not show the activity parameters as being available for the type of the associated action's pins.

Here's a quote from "A Practical Guide to SysML" by Sanford Friedenthal, Alan Moore, Rick Steiner. ISBN 978-0-12-374379-4. The underlining is mine:

§8.4.2 Composing Activities Using Call Behavior Actions
A significant type of action is a call behavior action, which invokes a behavior when it executes. The call behavior action owns a set of pins that must match, in number and type, the parameters of the invoked behavior. The called behavior is assumed to be an activity in this chapter, although it can be other types of SysML behavior.
A call behavior action has a pin for each parameter of the called behavior and the characteristics of those pins must match the multiplicity and type of their corresponding parameters on the invoked behavior.

What are your experiences of SysML modelling with EA?

[Geert Bellekens]

Actually, I think that there is a way to get you going a bit.
First you'll need to take over the parameters of the Activity your calling.
You can do that by clicking the 'synchonise" button in the "Call" tab.
When you then drag the parameters (multiselect) from the project browser onto the Action on a diagram it creates pins for each dragged parameter.
(I just discovered that by accident trying to do something else)

Geert

[Dave.B]

Geert,
Thanks for the tip, there's no way that I would have figured that one out!

Regards
Dave B.

[Nizam Mohamed]

A "Call Behavior Action" can contain pins(arguments) which can be mapped to the parameters of the associated behavior by
a. Using synchronize, as Geert has mentioned, which will automate the process and create a one-on-one binding bw pins and parameters.
b. or manually Using the "Call" tab of the action (Call behavior action)

please refer to
http://www.sparxsystems.com/uml_tool_guide/modeling_with_uml/behavior_calls_invocations.html

for more information on this..