Messages

1

General Board / Re: How to export a diagram to draw.io?

« on: March 16, 2025, 07:54:36 am »

I asked Copilot

"I need to export BPMN diagrams from Sparx Enterprise Architect to drawio BPMN format and then re-import them. Can you suggest any AI tools that can help with that problem?"

and it gave this answer

Exporting BPMN diagrams from EA is usually done by saving out an XML file in a proprietary or semi-standard format. The challenge is then to transform that into a draw.io–compatible BPMN XML. Although there isn’t a single "one-click" AI tool to perform this end-to-end conversion, combining the strengths of these AI tools can help you:

Draft and iterate transformation code: Use Copilot, Codex/ChatGPT, or Tabnine to generate and refine your conversion scripts.

Debug and Optimize: Leverage CodeGuru and DeepCode to ensure your code is efficient and robust.

Visualize and validate XML structures: Utilize XMLSpy and BPMN.io to compare input/output, making sure all BPMN elements are correctly mapped.

Innovate with custom pipelines: If off-the-shelf tools don’t fully cover your needs, consider developing a custom AI conversion model using frameworks like TensorFlow.

This layered approach should empower you to build a reliable export–transform–import pipeline between Sparx Enterprise Architect and draw.io..

Would you like a deeper dive into one of these tools or even a sample transformation workflow diagram to illustrate how these components might interact?

I love how AI tools can do all this research in minutes.

2

General Board / Re: How to export a diagram to draw.io?

« on: March 16, 2025, 07:42:50 am »

At present I don't believe that is possible unless someone writes plug-in to sparx thats exports and even imports for two way sync. Whilst you can save as SVG and import into drawio it won't be the same as creating BPMN diagrams in drawio so the user experience will be awful trying to move text, lines and shapes around from the svg import as they won't be the BPMN shapes and connectors.

Whilst Prolaborate allows some integration between Sparx EA and confluence which happens to use drawio I don't think the diagrams are anything other than graphics exported as an image. Thus not allowing editing with drawio.

A while ago we had the same problem with business using visio to draw BPMN process and that was partially solved by Visio importer for Sparx EA. However, that wasn't two way synch so continued updating in Visio just created more diagrams and objects in sparx ea when re-importing rather than updating.

One possible option that you may wish to investigate is the use of AI to translate BPMN exported from Sparx EA to drawio format. One of my colleagues was experimenting with Claude to do some similar translation from xml using xslt to mermaid format.

So unless someone creates an exporter from Sparx EA to draw IO you may have to resort to manually re-creating the diagrams in drawio. If you wanted to re-import them into back into Sparx EA you could save them as visio then import into Sparx EA using visio importer.

Hope that helps.

3

General Board / Re: Converting the Model File to HTML Report

« on: January 21, 2025, 05:37:21 pm »

I can generate both HTML and docx from my local models (*.qea files) fine with both V16.1 and V17 so it must be something to do with your model.
Try disabling security on your local model that should clear any limitations you have. You'll need admin privileges and the security key to do that. If you don't have them talk to the person who administers the model.

4

Bugs and Issues / Re: Sparx EA V17 - Printing issues with some elements not showing text.

« on: January 15, 2025, 05:48:05 pm »

I've now raised this a bug with Sparx Systems.

5

Bugs and Issues / Re: Sparx EA V17 - Printing issues with some elements not showing text.

« on: January 15, 2025, 05:15:39 pm »

One thing I discovered is that the issue of element text not being printed appears to be connected to whether or not the diagram has been set to the diagram setting "Scale to 1 Page". If this is not set it appears to print okay. Weird right?

6

Bugs and Issues / Sparx EA V17 - Printing issues with some elements not showing text.

« on: January 15, 2025, 01:09:26 pm »

Just moved over to V17 build 1704. Everything seemed fine until I tried to print a diagram where some elements but not all on the diagram didn't print the text for the element. Its worth saying I didn't have this problem with V16.1. The print issue is a bit of a weird bug as its not consistent. I have some other diagrams with the same elements on that print okay. I've event tried copy and pasting the problematic elements from the diagram that printed fine to the problematic diagram and still those elements don't print the text.
Has anyone else experience this problem?
Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing it?
I'm using ArchiMate BTW.

7

General Board / Re: Model Integration for Microsoft Office

« on: January 10, 2025, 12:38:56 pm »

I've used it on both V16.1 and V17 seems to work ok. The only gotcha is to make sure you use the same 32/64bit for all the components like Sparx EA, MS Office 365 and the MDG Office Integration.

8

General Board / Re: Merry Holidays to all!

« on: January 09, 2025, 07:46:30 am »

Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy new year.

9

General Board / Re: Script Library Templates

« on: December 21, 2024, 09:58:52 am »

Sounds like you've looked at changing the scripts where Sparx is installed to update the local scripts. For example look at the following location for JavaScripts and assuming its where you've installed sparx enterprise architect.
C:\Program Files\Sparx Systems\EA\Scripts\JavaScript.
However you need admin privileges to do that so assuming thats what you mean when you say you don't have access to them because of IT policy and as you don't have Admin Priviledges.
The other alternative is the create an MDG similar to EAScriptLib and put that file in a location that you can reference from the MDG settings dialog. You can use this technique to share script libraries across models.

10

General Board / Re: Viewing connector stereotypes in traceability pane

« on: December 17, 2024, 01:52:12 pm »

As far as I can recall the only way to see the list of relationships of an element with stereotypes is to open the element properties dialog and look at the list of links/ connectors.

11

General Board / Re: V16.1 (1629) and V17 (1704) Released on the same day/ What's going on?

« on: December 12, 2024, 05:57:59 pm »

I concur with Geert.
Some may call it a "No brainer".

12

General Board / Re: V16.1 (1629) and V17 (1704) Released on the same day/ What's going on?

« on: November 16, 2024, 05:09:26 am »

Well that's a first

13

General Board / Re: ITIL process definition

« on: October 31, 2024, 03:19:59 pm »

2006 since that was posted so its more like a fossil than long in the tooth.
I've got some ITIL processes I can dig up for you for the price of a coffee if you are still in Welly.
What modelling notation do you need it in?

14

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: UML Types in MDG --> use in project

« on: October 31, 2024, 03:13:01 pm »

I've included UML Types in an MDG however, it was to ensure that tagged values were typed on the defined stereotypes. For example a couple of date Tagged Values on a stereotype like Installed Date [Date], Retired Date [Date] on an Application [Stereotype].
Not sure if just defining the UML Types alone and putting them in an MDG works actually. I can't see them in my model which uses the MDG I created either but they work for the tagged values.
You might want to try another way such as an export/import of reference data found under Settings tab>Transfer>Export Reference Data...

15

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / MDG to Extend ArchiMate

« on: September 24, 2024, 05:31:51 am »

Since 2008 we developed and updated our own ArchiMate MDG which defined stereotypes with shape scripts and tagged values, connectors, diagrams and toolboxes etc. When Sparx Enterprise Architect started to support ArchiMate some time later we changed our ArchiMate MDG to redefine ArchiMate elements so we could utilise the shape scripts. Our objective now is to just add tagged values the ArchiMate elements however, we are hitting a few sticking points and seeking advice from the forum members.

• We figured out if we redefine ArchiMate element we need to use the same stereotype name. For example OurArchiMate::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent -- Redefine--> ArchiMate3::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent. However, we can't figure out how we ensure that OurArchiMate::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent is create with the tagged values from the ArchiMate diagram and toolbox. Looks like we have to create our own diagram type and associated toolbox. Is that correct or is there another way where we can utilise the ArchiMate3 diagrams and toolboxes already supplied to create our redefined ArchiMate elements with Sparx EA ArchiMate3 MDG?
  
• For usability purposes as we have a few elements with a number of tagged values we would like to group the tagged values using _tagGroups, _tagGroupings and _tagGroupStates however putting those attributes under the archimate element being redefined doesn't appear to work. For example adding those attributes to ArchiMate3::ArchiMate_ApplicationComponent. We did find that if we also extended Component meta class and add those _tagGroup, _tagGroupings and _tagGroupStates we do manage to group the tagged values in Sparx EA. Is that the correct way to do it?