Sparx Systems Forum
Enterprise Architect => General Board => Topic started by: A DC User on October 22, 2013, 01:37:40 am
-
Hi All,
I'm creating an activity diagram, and I want to insert an activity (i.e. a sub-activity). I'd like the icon in the parent diagram to open the activity diagram for the sub-activity. However, if I mark an action in the parent diagram as a CallBehavior to get the sub-activity trident indicator, that doesn't automatically link to the sub-activity or any related diagram, and if I drag the sub-activity diagram onto the parent diagram and create a hyperlink, a new and unwanted activity is create in the project browser. If I delete the new, superfluous, activity, the link disappears in my parents diagram.
Is there any way to get the linking behavior I'm looking for without the unneeded activity element?
Thanks!
-
You're after the Make Composite feature. Check the New Diagram/(Select) Composite context menu.
q.
-
Thanks, that's likely to be helpful. I remember seeing the Make Composite option when I used EA at another job, but my current installation only offers Advanced > Use Rectangle Notation and Tagged Values... when I right-click an action in a diagram. Is this something that needs to be enabled somewhere? I'm using the Corporate version at this point.
-
I think I have this figured out now. There is (as my EA 10 is current configured) no Advanced > Make Composite option. However, if you select an Activity element (not an Action) in either a diagram or the Project Browser and right click, you get the New Diagram > Select Composite Diagram option. If you select a diagram, then the Activity infinity symbol-like identifier appears in the lower right of the Activity's box, and when it is double-clicked, the selected diagram, rather than the Properties window, opens. Once it is selected, the New Diagram > Composite option appears and is selected, and unselecting it removes the diagram association and the Activity is no longer a composite.
It took some experimentation since it's not clearly covered in the help anywhere I could find, but it is in fact what I was looking for. Thanks.
-
In pre 10 the option was Advanced/Make Composite. Now it's moved to New Diagram/... Sparx likes to change the menu structures each major release. Funny now that removing the composition is located under New Diagram/... Now, that's intuitive :(
q.
-
Is it possible to make EA create another kind of diagram than the standard CompositeStructure (either directly or through MDG)?
I want to use another kind of diagrams, and it's tedious, in a large model, to create one yourself and then go through the Select composite menu.
-
Via MDG you can create your own kind of diagram. However, there are actually only two really different ones: sequence and non-sequence. The only different flavor is the associated toolbox. So, what do you actually mean by "another kind of diagram"?
q.
-
I meant that I want to create a composite diagram that is connected with another Toolbox, than the default.
In my MDG I have defined a CompositeStructure diagram with certain Toolboxes. When I then make a composite diagram I would like to pick my custom diagram straight away. Even more slick, to be able to in the MDG define that when creating a composite of a certain stereotype the corresponding composite diagram would be a certain custom type.
-
IIRC there is a way to create a composite diagram along with an element from a MDG. Unfortunately I currently do not remember how to achieve that. Maybe our MDG guru Phil Chudley has an idea?
The connection diagram/toolbox is however not bound to the composite state. The latter is some flag which links an element with a single diagram. So you can set any diagram you want to be an element's composite.
q.
-
I found it.
By adding _defaultDiagramType on the metaclass you can determine the diagramtype to use for composite, can also make them composite by default with the attribute _makeComposite :: true.
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/10/extending_uml_models/defining_child_diagram_types.html
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/10/extending_uml_models/creating_composite_elements.html
Not sure what they mean by: "... the attribute prefix is not a direct reference to the technology name" since the attribute value must be MDG::DiagramName
Rejoice, EA provides!
-
Not sure what they mean by: "... the attribute prefix is not a direct reference to the technology name" since the attribute value must be MDG::DiagramName
It's DiagramProfile::DiagramName. If you name your diagram profile the same as your technology, it isn't an issue.