Sparx Systems Forum
Enterprise Architect => General Board => Topic started by: matthew.james on May 31, 2018, 04:09:47 pm
-
I was going to file a bug report on virtualised connector ends but then I see there has been a lot of activity already in the bugs forum (I'm looking at you Paolo...) - and I can't tell where they have all got to, ie what has been 'fixed', what is being 'fixed' and what won't be 'fixed'
So - the outcome I'd like is to show the same element on the diagram in two different places; specifically I'm creating a box in box style diagram (Capability Map) using Archimate 3 and I want to overlay other related elements (objectives, requirements etc) on that diagram. In many cases there is a one to many relationship between one and the other, ie I need to place the objective onto multiple capabilities.
The solutions available appear to be:
Virtualised Connector Ends
Problems I am experiencing:
- 'Reflected' duplicate element doesn't look like original: gets colour and some of shapesheet but not all of shapesheet (?)
- 'Reflected' duplicate element is different size and font to original and can't be re-sized or font size changed
- Can only have one duplicate per element (I have need to overlay one objective on multiple capabilities)
--> Does anybody know if any of these are fixed / being fixed? When ... ?
Instances
- Creates a completely different type of element which doesn't understand or appear to support the Archimate stereotypes so also looks completely different to the original
Visio
- Lots of duplication keeping the two modesl in synch
- Once I go there maybe I won't come back ...
-
Hi Matthew,
AFAIK, most of my issues have not been fixed.
If you want a model, then Visio won't give it to you. It will just give you diagrams. (but, I'm sure you know that).
You can only have one Virtualised Connector End per connector on a diagram (hence your comment about only one "duplicate").
If you are intending to use Visual Embedding for your diagram and you DON'T intend to show ANY relationships then there's a possible solution - thanks to EAUI! While through the manual UI, you can't add more than one diagram object for each element on the diagram, you CAN (or, at least you could) with automation. Consequently, you are seeing multiple views of the same thing!
Write a little script to pop them on...
HTH,
Paolo
-
Hi Paolo :)
Yes I'm well aware of the limitations of Visio - and have tried a few times to find that happy nirvana of a model behind the scenes with Visio like (or even Visio itself) for visualisations. There are some options out there but they have their own issues.
I've always liked the idea of Sparx (capability, price point, Aussie made) the challenge is balancing out how much the tool helps versus gets in the way. For the modelling I'm doing it's starting to lean towards too many limitations with the way Sparx has implemented Archimate ... if I have to repeat everything in Visio to get views that work for my stakeholders then the value of Sparx EA diminishes fast.
Write a little script to pop them on...
I was kind of hoping to just use a commercial product to do Archimate modelling without having to get under the covers and code, and I suspect that path leads to an ever growing eco-system of self coded 'enhancements' and work-arounds (you seem to have invested quite some time in doing that ...)
Having said that, is there somewhere you can point me for an example of the sort of script you're talking about to give e a head start ... ?
Thanks
Matt
-
[SNIP]
Write a little script to pop them on...
I was kind of hoping to just use a commercial product to do Archimate modelling without having to get under the covers and code, and I suspect that path leads to an ever growing eco-system of self coded 'enhancements' and work-arounds (you seem to have invested quite some time in doing that ...)
Having said that, is there somewhere you can point me for an example of the sort of script you're talking about to give e a head start ... ?
Thanks
Matt
As it happens, in this case, I can't (I only know it can be done because our diagrammer had a bug where it created them accidentally). But the Standard scripts or Geert's excellent script repository will help.
The key concepts you need are:
- Select the object on the diagram
- Run the script:
- Find the diagram object in the diagram objects collection of the current diagram
- Create a new diagram object, copying the data from the existing object, but change the location by adjusting the x&Y coordinates
- Udate the diagramobject
- Refresh the diagram objects collection
- I think that should do it or at least get you started
HTH,
Paolo
-
I have sometimes this same problem. Usually I do like matthew.james using "Virtualised connector ends"
But I preffer add 2, 3 this same object in sql table ( just like write Paolo F Cantoni, but manually)
Generally using 2-3 times this same object on the one diagram - are not good, but sometimes better do it that, than make new object with this same name- becasue we loss orginal connectors- or we have many duplicate connectors.