Messages

1

General Board / SysML: Classify Flow Property with Enumeration

« on: March 22, 2019, 12:41:24 am »

Apparently EA 14 only allows Flow Properties to be classified with Class, Data Type and Signal and Stereotypes block and ValueType. What is the reasoning to disallow Enumeration types? Is there a way to extend the standard SysML profile to allow Flow Properties of specific Enumeratio types?

It appears that I could define a signal with a Enumeration member and use the Signal as classifier of the Flow Property. However, when there is only one member this appears somewhat cumbersome. Even more so when Value Types can be used directly on Flow Properties.

2

General Board / Re: Quick access pre-configured Relationship Matrix

« on: March 19, 2019, 07:15:47 pm »

Addendum: I just found out about the EAMatrixSpecification which represents the relationship matrix as a project browser item. Thats even better than a link for my current use case.

3

General Board / Re: Quick access pre-configured Relationship Matrix

« on: March 16, 2019, 01:49:18 am »

My bad. I've found it. Thanks for the hint!

4

General Board / Quick access pre-configured Relationship Matrix

« on: March 15, 2019, 10:33:54 pm »

I've recently discovered the power of the Relationship Matrix and wonder whether there is some way to quickly open a predefined matrix (e.g. a profile?) for example via diagram element or hyperlink.

Having a specific matrix represented as an element in the model browser would be even better, but it appears EA does not handle matrices like that.

Is there something like this?

5

General Board / SysML: Best practices regarding Activities and Actions

« on: March 15, 2019, 04:37:29 am »

According to my understanding so far the interaction between Activities are expressed by placing Actions classified by Activities (Activity instantiations?) on Activity Diagrams and connecting these with object and control flows. EA seems to support this approach; when I drag an Activity into an Activity Diagram the default is to instantiate a Call Activity Action classified with the dragged Activity. When the Activity Diagram is the Composite Structure Diagram of a parent Activity the created Action is nested into the parent. When I drop into a standalone Acitvity Diagram the Actions are created in the parent package.

Tracing between activities, actions and activity diagrams is straight forward: Activites list all their instatiations as "is classifier of <Actions>" and individual Actions are likewise linked to their classifying Activities via "instance of <Activity>" and their parent Activity Diagram via "owned by <Diagram/Package>" in the Traceability window.

However, suppose a certain activity is used in several contexts, that is appears in multiple Activity Diagrams: should there be multiple Call Activity Actions classified with the Activity scattered over multiple diagrams or should I keep the Actions in a separate package tree - essentially one instance per acitivity - and pull those into Diagrams as required?

6

General Board / Re: SysML Activity: how to show ownership relation between elements in a BDD

« on: March 15, 2019, 02:30:25 am »

I still wonder, why EA does not show all relations that are present (!) in the model when I drag items into a BDD. What rules govern, which relations are actually shown? I mean, there is a "owned by" relation in SysML and the Model Browser shows that one item "owns" the other. Why isn't that reflected in the Diagram?

Another thing I already noticed is that when adding a composition association between the Activity and the Classifier Activities of owned Actions in an BDD, EA automatically creates a new property classified with the "owned" Activity. Thus I then have one property and one action both classified with the same "child" Activity in the browser. Even stranger, the composition relation (and link on the diagram) remains there even when I then delete thes automatically created property, at least in EA 14.1. When I select "synchronize structural elements" for the parent, the properties are re-created.

This in turn gives what appears as a Activity BDD, similar to the examples of EA itself ("One Level Activity Hierarchy" SysML Model Pattern) and/or examples in various books and internet resources. However, as far as I understood this might more an "accidental feature" rather than a truly supported pattern.

All in all the inability to show exisiting relations between elements on a diagram is somewhat disturbing.

7

General Board / SysML Activity: how to show ownership relation between elements in a BDD

« on: March 14, 2019, 09:34:07 pm »

As the title suggests: suppose I have an Activity (or any other element for that matter) that "owns" a number of Actions (nested under the activity and also shown in Traceability window). How can I show this relationship in a BDD.

When I drag both the Activity and the owned actions into a BDD as linked items no arrows are shown between them.

8

General Board / SysML: Stereotypes in UML Types Dialog

« on: March 14, 2019, 12:17:56 am »

I am looking to remove all non SysML elements from a freshly created EA Model to avoid inadvertent mixing of different MDG elements.

I already have disabled all MDG Technologies other than "Basic UML Technology" and "SysML 1.5". However, a whole lot of Stereotypes remain in the UML Types Dialog which appear to be unrelated to SysML, for instance "cd-rom", "combobox", etc. Where do these come from and is it safe to delete them?

In case my approach is misguided, what is the recommended method to create a "clean" database in EA 14?

Best regards
Arne

9

General Board / SysML Activity: Add Composite Structure Diagram creates non-SysML Activity

« on: March 13, 2019, 09:52:08 pm »

As the title suggests,

with EA 14.1 and the SysML 1.5 DMG enabled, when I select "Add Composite Structure Diagram" on an Activity, the newly created nested Activity Diagram is not a SysML1.4::Activity but a regular one. For instance no SysML conformant frame is shown. I can delete the diagram an add a proper one manually, though. Is my project or EA misconfigured, or is the "Add Composite Strcuture Diagram" feature simply bugged.

Regards
Arne

10

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / SysML 1.4/1.5: Activity Hierarchy Diagram View

« on: March 13, 2019, 07:40:53 pm »

Hi all,

how is the Activity Hierarchy View of the SysML toolbox supposed to be used?

Best regards
Arne

11

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Execute script from shortcut/ribbon button/context menu

« on: March 13, 2019, 07:24:14 pm »

Perfect! Many thanks for the pointer!

12

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Execute script from shortcut/ribbon button/context menu

« on: March 13, 2019, 03:46:29 am »

Hi all,

I've developed a small JScript that I would like to executed via either a keyboard shortcut, ribbon button or context menu. Any hints on how to achieve that?

Best regards
Arne

13

General Board / EA 14.1 SysML: place parent in child/owned BDD

« on: March 07, 2019, 06:35:00 pm »

Hi all,

in prior versions it was possible to have a child BDD owned by a block or activity and drop the parent block/activity into said BDD. Now this seems no longer possible. Apparently, the new SysML frames prevent this since the following is still possible:

1. Creade a BDD at package level
2. Pull in the later-to-be-parent element and any other desired elements
3. Hide frame of BDD
4. Drag the BDD into the parent element, making it a child (owned-by).
5. Leave the Frame disabled

Is there a less cumbersome way to revert to the previous behavour?