Sparx Systems Forum
Enterprise Architect => Suggestions and Requests => Topic started by: ebeb on July 20, 2009, 07:10:20 pm
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Hi,
as I already stated in the forum, I'm not a big fan of the EA RTF template editor. Why? see here:
1.) It simply doesn't fit to the very neat look&feel of EA. The RTF editor looks like 10years old and maybe it is. But, if it would work, I'd be OK with it.
2.) It is buggy and unpredictable. You have to be very carefull what you do.
- Undo is not supported all time. After adding a new section, Undo is disabled/Undo record is cleared.
- After formatting a field using styles, the field gets corrupted and won't work until you delete it and reinsert.
- Word style won't be used correctly, especially the number style of headings. Sometimes it will be displayed correctly in the editor, but not in the RTF output.
- Using vector lines leads to expanded tables
- Table border widths is not displayed correctly in RTF print preview/PDF output.
- The whole workflow with inserting sections using a list and then inserting field using right click is not very intuitive. You can edit the sections text and corrupt it easily by doing so and the field are not editable.
- Modifying the header & footer is really cumbersome. If want to edit, you have to display the header first (why is that not default?) and then click on Edit Header/Footer. Image you want to modify, and see how it looks on the final generated document and then go back to the template editor, you have to do it all over again because it can't remeber your view settings.
I don't have the 100% solution for these issues, but I don't have to. I can only say that this editor is highly uncomfortable and needs some make-up as well as under-the-hood-tuning.
I'd rather edit some XML as a teplate if the result is predictable than using the WYSIWYG editor that messes around with styles, sections and fields.
Jan
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Candid but accurate presentation of the facts, I'd say.
+1
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I've got a feeling that the cost of fixing this is prohibitive.
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I agree the RTF editor and implementation causes usability and presentaion issues.
I find it difficult to create documentation with the layout and professionalism I require.
I'd like to see something like OpenOffice.org integrated to provide the RTF editing and formatting functionality.
Issues currently causing me grief are
- lack of clarity about "normal.rtf" and ability to edit it within EA
- formatting of tables, particularly relating to auto fit to "contents" and to "window"
- page formatting
- implementation of styles (the key to any professional documentation)
- no toggle/view codes
- general incompatibility with the paradigm of use by word and open office
I have tried setting the formatting options in Word 2003 and importing, but the options are lost or not implemented when the RTF document is generated.
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I think if Sparx were to create a video presentation that showed how to use the rtf editor - I'd be able to catch on.
Just need a 10 minute or so demo of how to do it. Then I would probably be able to catch on.
But trying to interpret the documentation is ... difficult.
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Whilst I agree that the RTF editor is somewhat unituitive it can be made to work and produce professional results. Let me outline some tips and tricks that I have found.
1) If you try to create one RTF template will all the details, all the formatting and headers and footers, you are on a hiding to nothing and banging your head against a brick wall.
2) My approach is to use the RTF editor to produce just the data. For example, I can create a RTF template that outputs (per package) details of all elements, (the name, author, notes etc) and if desired linked requirements
3) I create a "family" of such RTF templates, each addressing a portion of the overall documentation. So I have a template for diagrams, a template for elements, a template for linked requirements etc.
4) These RTF templates can have filters attached to "fine tune" the output
5) I then use "model documents" to target these RTF templates at specific package (or packages)
6) This results in a number of RTF documents
7) Now, over to Word. Create a outline documentation document including all formatting, headings, headers footers, standard text etc.
8) At the appropriate sections within the Word document, insert as a file link the appropriate RTF file
9) A single RTF file can be used more than once in a Word document if necessary
10) If the model changes, regenerate the appropriate RTF(s) and then update the links in Word
Yes, a long winded process, but it works and in my opionion, a more productive way to use time than struggling with an editor than cannot do the job.
Incidently, the info from Sparx (white papers, user guide, on-line) seems to imply that the method I have outlined above is the way to use RTF documentation generation
I have conducted a number of training courses using the method above with great success
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Hey Phil,
thanks for your reply. I never thought it this way. I tried to get "everything" into the template editor rather then using its output in word. This is a very good idea because you can use the same Word-Templates which always look the same. I new managed to get the RTF templates to look exactly like our company templates.
But one question:
How are the styles linked? Did you create special RTF templates have at least equally named style template or is that not important? E.g headings or table border and patterns? Do they automatically apply when importing?
I hope I made myself clear about want I am thinking of...:) maybe you could outline these issues!
Thanks
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Thanks for your comments, I am actually just off to delivery a DocGen training course for EA.
I will post some tips and tricks regarding styles and tables
There is some anomoly between the RTF styles Heading1 etc and Word Heading1 (at least in Word 2007)
If I have chosen Heading2 in RTF, then it appears as Heading3 in word and uses the settings in Word rather than in RTF. I will conduct some more tests and post the results.
This should be towards the end of the week
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There is some anomoly between the RTF styles Heading1 etc and Word Heading1
This is not the only anomaly the RTF editor has 8-)
Ok, nevermind...
I'd appreciate getting some more infos :)
Thanks!
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Phil
I'd certainly appreciate some tips and tricks around styles and tables.
Especially making tables fit to width of page and adjust column width automatically (ie using the built in Word features).
The important thing to me is that I want to format a document once, and then be able to update the content and regenerate it many times without having to manually fiddle with the formatting or reapplying styles each time.
Additionally there should be round trip fidelity of documents from Word to RTF editor to Word, even if the RTF editor does not understand some tags it should pass then through.
I hope the folks at Sparx understand this and are working on it.
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Thanks for your comments, I am actually just off to delivery a DocGen training course for EA.
I will post some tips and tricks regarding styles and tables
There is some anomoly between the RTF styles Heading1 etc and Word Heading1 (at least in Word 2007)
If I have chosen Heading2 in RTF, then it appears as Heading3 in word and uses the settings in Word rather than in RTF. I will conduct some more tests and post the results.
This should be towards the end of the week
Phil - your tips on using the RTF editor are greatly appreciated. Why don't you fly out to Australia and do a seminar here?
:D
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I would love to fly out to Oz and share my knowledge? Just send me the ticket :D
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I now understand that, via Sparx support
"The RTF editor is a third party addin - so there is limitations on the scope of change that can made this (like table formatting)."
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I now understand that, via Sparx support
"The RTF editor is a third party addin - so there is limitations on the scope of change that can made this (like table formatting)."
Interesting...
Ok, then find a fourth party to provide a better plugin! ::)
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I agree, I have had a lot of problems with this and creating company templates are just time consuming if you want to enforce them in EA RTF.