Sparx Systems Forum

Enterprise Architect => General Board => Topic started by: Robert Parker on September 25, 2013, 06:10:22 pm

Title: defining element colors with templates
Post by: Robert Parker on September 25, 2013, 06:10:22 pm

I am having difficultly using a Project Template Package to define the default colors of elements. I am trying so alter the default colors of elements from the Archimate2 toolset in EA10. Does the method described in http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/9.0/modeling_basics/using_element_templates.html work for non-UML stereotypes?

I create a template package and then a diagram containing my element types and the colors I want to them to appear, then select the package using "Settings|Project Template Package...".

I close then re-open EA10, create a new diagram of the same type as the diagram in the template package, add a new element of the same type as the element in the template diagram but the color of the new element is the usual EA color rather than the color I set in the template.

Can the EA Template method be used for non-UML element colors? (the linked page above just seems to talk about UML elements). What am I missing?  

thanks
Robert

Title: Re: defining element colors with templates
Post by: RoyC on September 26, 2013, 09:05:17 am

I think the problem is that the Archimate elements are UML elements that have been extended by stereotypes and, as it says in the Help topic you refer to:

'You can modify the appearance of elements (and connectors) of a specific type using stereotypes, which take precedence over templates'.

If there is a stereotype in the element, EA does not apply the template element definition.

Title: Re: defining element colors with templates
Post by: KP on September 26, 2013, 11:06:59 am

Roy, I think that sentence in the help refers to the fact that you can hard-code the colours of an element using a stereotype shape script, and that will take precedence over the default colours. Archimate elements don't have their colours hard-coded though, so the template package should work correctly with Archimate elements. I have tested with build 1009 and it works.

Title: Re: defining element colors with templates
Post by: RoyC on September 26, 2013, 11:50:30 am

I defer to KP on this. We did have an 'impact hierarchy' of what settings override or are over-ridden by others, but I can't find it at the moment.

Title: Re: defining element colors with templates
Post by: Robert Parker on September 28, 2013, 04:34:25 am

Quote

...
What am I missing?

To answer my own question; you need to add elements using the Toolbox not the Project Browser (with thanks to Simon at sparx support).

Hope this helps someone.