Sparx Systems Forum

Enterprise Architect => Uml Process => Topic started by: bluebird on August 20, 2015, 08:20:22 pm

Title: Ordering Complex Types
Post by: bluebird on August 20, 2015, 08:20:22 pm

So  currently reverse engineering an XML schema in EA and we are now looking at generating the XSD and trying to validate against an example xml file.

However, the xsd schema file generated from EA, output some of the complex types in a different order than the original schema. Is there a way that this can be controlled in EA?

Note: We are aware of how to order elements within a complex type - that  isn't the issue.

Many thanks  

Title: Re: Ordering Complex Types
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on August 21, 2015, 09:49:26 am

Quote

So  currently reverse engineering an XML schema in EA and we are now looking at generating the XSD and trying to validate against an example xml file.

However, the xsd schema file generated from EA, output some of the complex types in a different order than the original schema. Is there a way that this can be controlled in EA?

Note: We are aware of how to order elements within a complex type - that  isn't the issue.

Many thanks  

Ah bluebird...

THE simplest (and perhaps most effective) reverse engineering technology test...  ForwardEngineer(ReverseEngineer(input))=Exactly(input).

That's how nearly a decade ago we were able to prove that the export/import function was seriously flawed  >:( (and showed over about 5 releases that the problem changed, but didn't get better...  :o).  When you're designing safety critical systems (EN 50128), near-enough ISN'T good enough....

That having been said, the input must be valid and ordered correctly.  ;)

Paolo

Title: Re: Ordering Complex Types
Post by: qwerty on August 21, 2015, 07:17:28 pm

FWIW: Due to the semantic differences between XSD and UML and the limitations imposed we decided to write our own import/export. This way it was possible to react the way we needed it. It was not too difficult and implementing some constraint checking with meaningful messages paid off the long term.

q.

Title: Re: Ordering Complex Types
Post by: Paolo F Cantoni on August 22, 2015, 11:27:23 pm

Quote

FWIW: Due to the semantic differences between XSD and UML and the limitations imposed we decided to write our own import/export. This way it was possible to react the way we needed it. It was not too difficult and implementing some constraint checking with meaningful messages paid off the long term.

q.

I've done the same, a couple of times in the past.

Paolo

Title: Re: Ordering Complex Types
Post by: bluebird on August 24, 2015, 07:50:53 pm

Ok thanks for your replies. From what you say it seems like a Plan B outside of EA will be required.