Sparx Systems Forum
Enterprise Architect => General Board => Topic started by: markjl on April 30, 2020, 08:01:49 pm
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Hello.
I'm trying to create a flowchart diagram.
I add 2 processes to my diagram, but there doesn't seem to be a 'flow' relationship possible.
Trying to add a connector it says a connector is not UML compliant.
Other relationships possible are all dotted lines and not the solid arrowed connector used in the user guide.
Any tips please?
Thanks, Mark
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It works for me, are you using correct diagram?
guide: https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/15.1/guidebooks/tools_ba_flow_chart_diagram.html
(https://i.ibb.co/7N6tV6t/flow.png)
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Hi Mark,
And welcome to the forum. :)
Please note that we're mostly users here. While Sparx representatives monitor these forums and often respond, this is not an official support channel.
There are several different types of flow. If you're working with an activity diagram, you're probably after a control flow (which indicates the order of the activities).
In 15.1 there is a bug which sometimes causes the control flow you request to be interpreted by the tool as an object flow instead. In some of those cases an object flow is not legal in places where a control flow is, and that will trigger the "connector not UML compliant" error.
This might be what you've experienced. (Processes are implemented as extensions of activities.)
There is no workaround for this bug, and no scheduled release date for any fix. But it has been confirmed and will be corrected at some point in the future.
HTH,
/Uffe
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You can try shutting off the UML compliance check on diagrams by going to Start/Preferences/Preferences/Diagram/Links and unchecking the "Strict Connector Syntax" checkbox. Once that box is unchecked you may be able to make the connection.
- Bruce
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Hello.
I'm trying to create a flowchart diagram.
I add 2 processes to my diagram, but there doesn't seem to be a 'flow' relationship possible.
Trying to add a connector it says a connector is not UML compliant.
Other relationships possible are all dotted lines and not the solid arrowed connector used in the user guide.
Any tips please?
Thanks, Mark
Sparx is a UML tool. If you are not going to draw UML diagrams, I recommend Powerpoint....
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Sparx is a UML tool. If you are not going to draw UML diagrams, I recommend Powerpoint....
Sparx is a company and EA is an UML tool ;-) But basically yes, the OP should look at Visio and Powerpoint.
q.
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Sparx is a UML tool. If you are not going to draw UML diagrams, I recommend Powerpoint....
Sparx is a company and EA is an UML tool ;-) But basically yes, the OP should look at Visio and Powerpoint.
q.
Touché
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Sparx is a UML tool. If you are not going to draw UML diagrams, I recommend Powerpoint....
Sparx is a company and EA is an UML tool ;-) But basically yes, the OP should look at Visio and Powerpoint.
q.
I don't necessarily agree. EA is also a pretty good (basic) Requirements tool, BPMN modelling tool, ArchiMate modelling tool, XSD modelling and generation tool, database modelling and generation tool, and probably much more.
I don't have experience with the flowchart MDG specifically, but if it is as good as BPMN or ArchiMate then I would say that EA is as good a tool as any to model flowcharts.
For me the big difference is that EA is a Modelling tool and not a Diagram tool. Visio is a real diagram tool and as such is much better that than EA. It sucks as a modelling tool though.
So ask yourself the question do I need a (couple of) diagram(s) or do I need a model? And then choose the appropriate tool.
Geert
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Sparx is a UML tool. If you are not going to draw UML diagrams, I recommend Powerpoint....
Sparx is a company and EA is an UML tool ;-) But basically yes, the OP should look at Visio and Powerpoint.
q.
I don't necessarily agree. EA is also a pretty good (basic) Requirements tool, BPMN modelling tool, ArchiMate modelling tool, XSD modelling and generation tool, database modelling and generation tool, and probably much more.
I don't have experience with the flowchart MDG specifically, but if it is as good as BPMN or ArchiMate then I would say that EA is as good a tool as any to model flowcharts.
For me the big difference is that EA is a Modelling tool and not a Diagram tool. Visio is a real diagram tool and as such is much better that than EA. It sucks as a modelling tool though.
So ask yourself the question do I need a (couple of) diagram(s) or do I need a model? And then choose the appropriate tool.
Geert
Wot 'e sed!
Paolo
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My point is that something seems to have changed.
You could previously use a control flow between 2 activities, this does not seem possible now.
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My point is that something seems to have changed.
You could previously use a control flow between 2 activities, this does not seem possible now.
Yes, they finally fixed that bug that allowed control flows between activities.
You can always turn the strict connector syntax off, if you don't want EA to restrict you to only valid connectors.
Geert
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Thanks, I see
So I was using activities like a flowchart, saying that activities followed sequentially in time.
UML then does not care about the [sequential] order in time?
Flows between processes are information flows ...?
I thought a rough analysis might identify the processes and their sequence without necessarily knowing the information flow. You might say, these are the processes and then in a second pass identify the detail.
Also I found, yes that once you turn the strictness of as above, you can do full 'connector' arrows, perfect.
In response to other comments above, yes I find EA very helpful from the model point of view, as a repository to reuse and avoid repetition of objects.
But I'm not [yet] a purist, I like to mindmap solutions and, no longer in engineering do not need strict technical models. Fascinated however about getting into it further ...