Messages

1

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: MDG technology: reverse engineer from XML

« on: June 13, 2025, 09:13:29 pm »

Hello (if anybody is still interested)

Yes, it is possible to RE from the MDG XML into EA.

I've sometimes misplaced the ea model that I used to design my MDG and then generate into the XML.
I had the XML because that is what EA imports at startup. I like to put these on a web server directory because deployment of a new version is easier.
And I had lost all the images that where used in shape scripts and alternate images, so I needed to write a tool to recover all of this.

At a rough guess I'm about 80% done. I'm thinking of making it a Add-in. Would this be useful to anyone else?

Regards,
K

Hi Kevin, I know this is a pretty old topic, but did you ever finish or publish your Add-in for this? I think people would find it helpful.

2

General Board / Re: Apply custom stereotype to Class and Connector with different Tagged Values

« on: June 06, 2025, 02:45:24 am »

No, that doesn't work.

But why would you want to do that. If your two stereotype does not even have the same properties, in what sense are they the same then?
Why can't you simply make two stereotypes with different names? ("MechanicalElemnet" and "MechanicalConnector")?
You can make an abstract stereotype "Mechanical" and have both generalize that abstract stereotype if you do have common properties or relations.

Geert

Thanks. I thought as much, and I've gone for a second stereotype with a different name.

As for why I'd want to do this: I, long ago along with a lot of the software world, moved away from putting the "type of the thing in the name of the thing" when it can otherwise be inferred from context - e.g. in code, I don't say

Code: [Select]

int intValue = 1;but instead

Code: [Select]

int value = 1;and it's the same here - it just feels clumsy.

I traced this back to the SysML 1.5 (and 1.7) specification but it doesn't say anything on the matter. It gives an example of applying the same stereotype to different metaclasses and applying the same properties (which is what EA does), but doesn't seem to explicitly include or exclude using the same-named stereotype on different metaclasses.

3

General Board / Apply custom stereotype to Class and Connector with different Tagged Values

« on: June 06, 2025, 01:12:32 am »

I'm pretty sure EA doesn't support this, but thought I'd ask the talented people on here.

I have created custom stereotypes in an MDG profile. I would like to use the same name for a stereotype I can apply to either a Class or a Connector; let's call it «mechanical». When applied to a Class, I would like it to apply a Tagged Value called CAD File ID, but I don't want to apply the Tagged Value when used on a Connector.

In my profile, if I create a single Stereotype which extends both Class and Connector, then then tagged values I define on the stereotype get added when I apply it to a Class or a Connector. If I try to define a second Stereotype with the same name, the first extending Class and the second extending Connector, then only one of these ends up in the exported MDG profile and I can't apply it on both Classes and Connectors (depending which one ends up in the profile).

Is there a way to conditionally define which tagged values get applied based on the extended metaclass? I think my only alternatives are to give the Connector stereotype a different name, or just live with the additional Tagged Value on the connector (and leave the value empty).

4

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Undocumented command: Repository.Execute

« on: May 28, 2025, 02:55:11 am »

Well, Repository.Execute(sql) is still in the API 15 years later (v17)... make of that what you will.

5

General Board / Re: Importing Sparx Models (Repositories) into Prolaborate

« on: April 25, 2025, 08:29:23 pm »

It sounds like maybe the people setting up your Prolaborate instance have created a new, empty repository instead of linking your existing one.

If they can't just link your existing repo, you can use the Project Transfer options in EA to copy an entire repository, which will delete the one you're importing into. See https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/17.0/model_exchange/projecttransfer_nativexml.html

• Export your existing model - open the "Sparx" repo, and export using Native XML format to a local folder. Let's call this repo A.
• Make a backup (just in case)! Open the "Prolaborate" repo, and export using Native XML format to a different local folder.
• Import repo A into your "Prolaborate" repo.

6

Bugs and Issues / Re: EA v 17 xml import links missing

« on: February 28, 2025, 10:25:50 pm »

Does it need to be XMI? The Native XML (round-trip) format works fine. It essentially exports it as database tables.

7

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: C# + Scheduled Task= Error

« on: November 18, 2016, 10:21:52 pm »

I don't think this is an EA problem - this sounds like the user account running the Scheduled Task (possibly SYSTEM) does not have access to the file you're specifying.

What credentials are you running the Scheduled Task under? You could do one of the following:
1) (recommended) Create a new local user on the PC, and give it full access to the folder. Changed the scheduled task to "run as" this user (saving the password).
2) Just use your credentials in the "Run as...". This means storing your password with the task, which you probably don't want to do if it's a network account.

8

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Parallel script execution

« on: November 18, 2016, 10:15:19 pm »

A couple of thoughts:
* Have you considered using a Dependency rather than a tagged value to represent the relationship? This would involve a single look-up, instead of having to search for each element.
* I've had quite a lot of success using C# Interop for Automation (http://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/13.0/automation/setup.html). This would allow you to control the number of threads/processes, and hence do things in parallel. This involves the same object model, but a separate executable which connects to a single running instance of EA.

9

General Board / Re: Communicating State Machines

« on: November 18, 2016, 10:00:45 pm »

How do you define an Activity which sends a signal?

I tried adding an Activity which comprised:
ActivityInitial -> Send -> ActivityFinal
but I can't see a way to link the Send to the "Signal".

10

General Board / Re: Communicating State Machines

« on: November 16, 2016, 03:50:01 am »

Hi,

1. I'd also like to be able to specify sending a signal (or trigger) to another state machine as an effect. At the moment, we just use a textual convention "send(dest, MY_TRIGGER)", but this is very fragile. If the trigger name changes, the model is broken.

2. On another note, I don't think using the current state of another state machine in a guard is a good idea since conceptually it can change at any point (such as after you've checked the guard, but before you perform the action/effect). I would instead recommend keeping a local state variable to indicate the state that machine was in the last time you heard from it, and use that in your guard. Or better yet, a local state variable indicating the real thing you're interested in (such as "is_connected", or some such).

R.

11

General Board / How to sort internal transitions in state machine diagram?

« on: November 16, 2016, 03:38:49 am »

I have a state with multiple internal transitions. On the state machine diagram, the transitions appear within the same compartment as the internal activities (see http://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/13.0/model_domains/internal_transition.html).

I would like to be able to manually change the order the transitions are displayed in. It doesn't look like the "Move Element Up" or "Move Element Down" commands work.

How can I control this? I'm happy to use the automation interface if there's a property I can change on the Connector or DiagramLink.

I am using Corporate edition, v12.1 1230, on Windows 7.