Messages

1

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Transforming Relationship matrix into diagrams

« on: April 19, 2005, 01:51:24 pm »

Instead of a screen shot you could make a printout (freeware PDF printer) and then bind this to a documentatory class via the files property.

i could do that but the files are not stored in the project repository and i would have to add adittional configuration management for this file.
i would also loose any way to access that file from another terminal unless i place it in a shared file server or in a web server and add it as a web link.

2

Suggestions and Requests / Transforming Relationship matrix into diagrams

« on: April 19, 2005, 06:47:24 am »

We currently do this by taking a screenshot of the relationship matrix and changing the apperence of a customized object in an object diagram.
Why we do this? to get the matrix to show in the documentation.

It would be nice to include the relationship matrix somwhere in the documentation, maybe it can be done but i can't seem to find a better way to do it.

I'm not suggesting an extension to UML, just to the documentation extensions.

We find this diagrams very valuable especially in the use-cases - requirements matrix where you can show your client how the requirements they asked for are realised by the system's use-cases

3

Suggestions and Requests / Re: UML Singleton notation

« on: August 05, 2005, 02:57:42 pm »

Clases have a 'multiplicity' property, look in 'advance properties' by right clicking a class.

4

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Traceability for Glosary, Tasks and Issue item

« on: May 18, 2005, 05:59:58 am »

I wasn't aware it was already requested... seems to have been ignored though...

5

Suggestions and Requests / Traceability for Glosary, Tasks and Issue items

« on: May 16, 2005, 03:14:25 pm »

I would like to be able to trace glosary, tasks and issue items to the use-cases (or whatever) where there are used but they seem to be not an element like the rest of the objects in EA, but as simple text.
It would be also great to be able to attach files and urls to glossary, issues and tasks...
I know UML doesn't speak about the structure of this aspects, but i think it would be a real help in the management of the project....

6

Suggestions and Requests / Re: I had it with the UI

« on: May 02, 2005, 11:46:44 am »

Interestingly, Alexander, you've listed in one post, a number of the problems I've encountered and documented in other posts, over the last couple of weeks.

Possibly, the thing that makes it so irritating is that EA has some REALLY neat features that get impacted by the non-orthogonal UI.

You (and the Sparxians) may care to visit:
http://www.maplefish.com/todd/papers/Experiences.html
To see if that's what you'd like your user experience to be...

Paolo

As i said, EA is great, i have been using it (a lot) for nearly 6 months and i still find functions i haven't discovered before, but the UI is tiresome...
As you said, there are a lot of little inconsistenses spread in the forum about the UI, i only detailed two that where bugging me in that particular moment.

I read the first pages of the article and found it very interesting, thanks for the link, i will review it in deph when i find the time to do so. I found a phrase i really liked:

"As a designer, realize when users become frustrated with a program, it is because they know what they want to do, but cannot because the program has a 'secret language' that the user does not understand."

It would be nice to have a 'Best Practices' book for designning UI, anybody knows a good book/link about this?

7

Suggestions and Requests / I had it with the UI

« on: April 29, 2005, 06:13:21 am »

Would you please make the UI more consisten?
It really affect my nerves when trying to manipulate a relationship i first click it to ensure that i am able to select it but then when trying to make a route point in exactly the same spot by using the ctrl+click function i create an object (of the last kind i selected in the toolbox) because the UI thinks i am clicking the diagram instead of the relationship.
I have found a workaround this and i am publicing it because i can't believe other people don't experience the same problem:
Build a gigantic boundary in your diagram and send it to the back of it, then when you fail to select any relationship the boundary will be selected instead and it will not create the new object.

I have found several related problems, since relationships can't be 'sent to the back' and the UI of EA has the most disconcerting way of choosing wich element it selects when near another (zoom doesn't help either) i have found myself many times moving relationships so i can make enough room for the UI to see wich relationship i am trying to select.

I love EA, i really do, but at times like this i miss the Visio UI where i could perfectly anticipate how the program would react...

8

Suggestions and Requests / Re: EA Lite doesn't have MDG VS.NET View icon

« on: May 10, 2005, 06:42:35 am »

Just being curious here, but why would you want the MDG Link to appear in the Lite version?
It's supposed to be a read-only version for presenting the model, i don't think it would be very usefull to show the code generated from it... a component diagram would be more suitable for that purposse...
Code is not good presentation material, that is the whole point of making diagrams (besides the obvious help in the abstraction making process).
Perhaps it would be usefull to explain the functionality of MDG Link and how to work with it...

Anyways, the error displayed is a bad sign.

9

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Hyperlinked Model Elements

« on: May 04, 2005, 05:33:34 am »

I think this is closely related to the issue of having RTF text in element notes. This would allow hiperlinks, formatted text, objects inside the text, and so on...

10

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Hyperlinked Model Elements

« on: May 03, 2005, 12:48:03 pm »

I think he wants to create hiperlinks in the text section of elements, right?
Not the same effect as having a link to the element in the diagram...

11

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Changing Monitors

« on: May 02, 2005, 11:36:17 am »

I tried to register a few days before after seing the post in the UML section but i'm still waiting for my user registration...

"
Thank you!

You should receive your username and password via e-mail shortly, it may in
fact already be there.
Unfortunately, the usernames are created automatically based on your e-mail
address, I can't setup a username of your choice :-( I hope that is not too
much of a problem!
You can however chance the display name, i.e. the name other users can see.
When you log in, simply click on your name in the list of the members, and
edit the display name then.

Thanks!
"

Still waiting for the mentioned e-mail... i will try to register again in a few days

12

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Changing Monitors

« on: April 29, 2005, 06:06:03 am »

When using multiple monitors i have seen this function but usually in OS apps that allowe you to move programs to another monitor, not actually in the program itself but in an external utility.
My point, if you're using multiple monitors use the nvidia (for example) tool to move the EA app to the other monitor.

I would like to upload some screen shots of the process but not really sure if this forum allows uploads.

13

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Do not crash when DB connection lost

« on: April 20, 2005, 05:25:17 am »

If it would crash only when disconnecting the network cable it would be understandable, but even with a peak of network traffic it falls down horribly.

We are also using SQL2000 and having the same problems. I have determined it is a latency problem because when we moved the database to a SQL2000 server in our subnet (to discard a server problem) the problem dissapeared, and the database was running because when using enterprise manager client we could access it perfectly.

14

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Do not crash when DB connection lost

« on: April 19, 2005, 01:55:33 pm »

Second that, we also had a latency issue with a db in our datacenter and EA would actually crash while attempting to open the project.
No tweak in the connection timeout or any other options seemed to solve this.

15

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Diagram metadata

« on: April 19, 2005, 01:59:54 pm »

i would be happy with just a functional 'stereotype' property