Sparx Systems Forum

Enterprise Architect => Suggestions and Requests => Topic started by: dmf on February 12, 2008, 02:34:27 pm

Title: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: dmf on February 12, 2008, 02:34:27 pm
I know this has been raised elsewhere, but could I re-emphasise the request.  It is great with the Corporate licence to be able to link documents to any element, but they are effectively hidden from view unless you are aware of them.  This is a major complaint of engineers at our workplace who I am trying to convert to EA.

Can we please have some way in the project browser of readily identifying elements with linked documents?!
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on February 12, 2008, 05:13:09 pm
Quote
Can we please have some way in the project browser of readily identifying elements with linked documents?!
Good idea!

But why stop with Linked documents?

Also on diagrams...

If the compartment is displayable, there should be an indication that there are undisplayed compartments.  We could discuss the best way to do this, but the principle should be consistently (that word again) applied...

My AU$0.05
Paolo
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: thomaskilian on February 13, 2008, 02:31:02 am
... and a few other elements not showing in the browser. Notes, Frames, and a few more I forgot (as I don't see them).
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: «Midnight» on February 13, 2008, 03:09:33 am
...boundaries...
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: Frank Horn on February 13, 2008, 05:35:15 am
... state machines, concurrent state regions ...
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: dmf on March 26, 2008, 12:54:22 pm
It's disappointing build 827 does not contain the originally requested linked document identification feature.  It is extremely powerful being able to associate editable tables, formatted equations, etc. with model elements and generating reports containing this data.  Not being aware of their existence in the model significantly diminishes the usability of this feature.
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: «Midnight» on March 26, 2008, 09:55:25 pm
I can see it now. Perhaps we're running out of room for indicators in the Project Browser. No problem, we'll put the indicator in a linked document...

 :P
Who knows, maybe next year.
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: ChrisD on April 03, 2008, 06:37:12 pm
Just come across this topic - as I am linking use case documents (internal template) to the use case elements in EA.

Looking through the EA help there is an icon that appears for linked documents - but this does not appear in reality.

Please, Please, Please can we have linked document icons on the elements - Otherwise how do we know they are there?
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: Geert Bellekens on April 03, 2008, 09:41:51 pm
Where do I vote?
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: Eve on April 04, 2008, 08:31:16 am
Chris, where in the help is a linked document icon?  I see an icon for Document Artifacts, but not for linked documents in general (such as your use case elements with a linked document).

Sorry, no official comment on the feature request.

Discaimer: The following is my own personal opinion and should not be taken in any way to reflect Sparx Systems.

I would like to see optional display of a wide range of indicators on diagrams as Paolo suggested.  Where they are drawn onto shape scripts by default, but can be overridden.

I have trouble envisaging more indicators consistently applied in the project browser.  Given that packages can have linked documents, where would you put an indicator for a user locked, version controlled, MDG package?  Add to that picture all the other things that I've seen requests for visibility in the project browser and all I would be able to see would be a mess.
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: Geert Bellekens on April 04, 2008, 02:41:07 pm
I agree with Simon on the indicator thing. That would probably only make it messy. But surely adding the linked document in the browser as a separate object should be possible?
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: dmf on April 04, 2008, 02:56:39 pm
Maybe a separate linked document window, similar to the Notes window, that shows the document when the element is selected, if one is attached.  This would avoid the current need to search for a linked document with each element via the context menu.

I don't like the idea of a separate object, as you can effect this currently by using a convention of creating  a <<linked document>> artifact sub-element where necessary.
Title: Re: Linked Documents in Project Browser
Post by: Ronaldo Juliatto on October 30, 2008, 12:35:06 am
Well, the workaround I have found for this was to write a macro for Word that generates a report on the elements that have a linked document attached to it.
This macro makes use of GetLinkedDocument() method, and checks the size of the returned string, for all the elements in a traversed tree.
However, I sure would like to see something as an indicator in the Project Browser. Maybe something similar to the "Namespace root" indication.