Messages

16

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Show all feature requests

« on: July 15, 2019, 11:09:06 pm »

We also very much agree with all of this!

What is so complicated / hard for Sparx to release a single "quality improvement release" that addresses a few things like

• Inconsistent interface layout i.e scroll bars located in positions NEVER before seen in Windows Apps (Browser window-> tiny scroll bar in top right !! WTF!?)
• buttons located on right side, sometimes on bottom, sometimes on left side of dialogs
• set common properties across all selected elements
• consistent colour selector as found across Windows apps, not some custom palette
• resizable dialogs so users can see all information presented in the dialog
• improved rendering performance (use WPF, SlimDX for .NET or consider screen buffering techniques)
• consistent use of whitespace across the entire product

I would like to add:

• update GUI to same standards as VisualParadigm; it would save time and reduce a lot of clicking
• (Remove the captcha from this forum for registered users  )

17

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Feature comparison

« on: July 15, 2019, 11:00:31 pm »

Hi,

Although this is a very old topic, I would like to respond to it.
Recently we also tried Visual Paradigm and Enterprise Architect. The GUI from EA still misses a lot of features that VP offers out of the box.

We will go with EA because the reverse engineering (php) is so much better then VP. EA is also better in linking elements and subdiagrams (but I did not look much into this in VP, for I could not find it easily enough).
And in EA you can extend with scripting.
Pricing of EA is still better although the monthly price for VP looks also very nice.

But we found it a difficult dilemma which one to choose.
I think if EA would update the GUI, many VP users would change to EA.

The GUI is so important because it saves or costs time to edit the diagrams. Not only time, but EA also demands much more unnecessary clicking, which gives more change to RSI....

I am a programmer, working at home in small company... making about at least 10hours of at least 6 days at the computer.... And I guess many of the programming-users of EA are like this  So any click less, is helpfull.

So please!!! please!! EA make the GUI better please!

Greetz, flexjoly

18

Bugs and Issues / EA15 Lock in Toolbar not working (correctly)

« on: July 03, 2019, 06:21:02 pm »

Hi,

The lock-button in the toolbar only works when 1 element is selected. When you selected multiple elements the lock-button is disabled.

I searched in the customize dialog (commands or keyboard) but could not find another button or command for locking elements.
Also I could not find the nice new '(un)group' command in the customize dialog to add to the toolbar.

Greetz, flexjoly

19

General Board / Re: Properties dialog not shown on new message connector in sequence diagram

« on: June 27, 2019, 01:00:02 am »

Hi Geert,

Thanks for your quick reply. That does explain a lot!

But then adding a message is not so quick and user-friendly anymore:
- draw connector
- select connector (because it is NOT selected by default after adding)
- move mouse to property window and click
- start typing etc
- click on save button (else it is not saved into the diagram)
This is a lot of repeated handling for a simple connector.

It would be much better if:
- connector is selected by default
- the property window is focussed, so you just can start typing
- click enter to save the changes

Greetz, flexjoly

20

General Board / Re: How to add part/port to a class-lifeline in a sequence diagram

« on: June 27, 2019, 12:35:39 am »

Hi,

ok, so far I only see 'port' available for a class-element.

Maybe it is not how it should be done.

Greetz, flexjoly

21

General Board / Properties dialog not shown on new message connector in sequence diagram

« on: June 27, 2019, 12:31:09 am »

Hi,

In this video: https://sparxsystems.com/resources/demos/sequence/Sequence_diagram.htm when a message connector is added/drawn the properties dialog opens directly so you can enter the message-description.

In v14.1 and even in v15RC this dialog does not popup when adding a new message/connector.
After a new connector, the target-lifeline is selected and the property-window shows the properties of this lifeline in stead of the new connector.

So I need to select the new connector so I can add the message-description in the property window. F2 does not work on this connector type. Context menu > properties won't show anything.
The option 'edit connector on new' is checked. I even tried to uncheck, close diagram, check option again and open diagram.
I searched everywhere, tried to reset EA to defaults etc. But I cannot get it to work as shown in the video.
I tried with auto-numbering off, but that also does not help.

What am I doing wrong? I hope someone can help me out here. It is pretty annoying, also because a new connector is deselected.

Thanks in advance, flexJoly

22

General Board / How to add part/port to a class-lifeline in a sequence diagram

« on: June 25, 2019, 08:38:15 am »

Hi,

According to this guide: https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/14.0/model_domains/inline_sequence_elements.html

it should be possible to add parts and ports etc.
But when going to the feature-window. No part/ports or interactionpoints exists and I cannot find a way to add one.

Sometimes I can add a port, but I would like to add some parts. Or even better show a method as a part. (maybe that is not the best uml)

How can you add a part to a lifeline?

Greetz, flexjoly

23

General Board / Re: How to group elements?

« on: June 08, 2019, 02:50:12 am »

Hi Roy,

Thanks for your reply.
Indeed when selecting multiple elements, almost the same things as with one element. And that is perfect.

Persistent grouping in v15 > that would great!

It is just so you don't need to select all the elements over and over again when editing. And that you can treat them as 'one' element, that you can move, resize, allign etc. like any other element.
Also it works like a soft lock. For you cannot change one of the grouped elements by accident anymore, and getting it unaligned fromthe other elements.

Greetz, flexjoly

24

General Board / Re: Diagram alignment helper lines

« on: June 05, 2019, 01:05:53 am »

After some years I am trying EA again. Last month I tried VP (vis.paradigm).
Although I think EA is much better dan VP, the aligning is far less. Indeed the helper-line is not always shown. And it is not aligning every element on everything.
For example I like an action pin to center with the action.... no smart placement for this....

Also you need to click ctrl-q to get an extra point in a connector.... In VP just click , hold and move the connector. Straigten the connector or Double click on a connection-point and it will disappear. >> Update: just found out: it can be done with ctrl-click also 

Some other nice features simular to this, that VP has: grouping elements and a magnetic-sweeper (which shortens the distance between elements)

I hope EA will make the aligning and layout helpers better!

Greetz, flexJoly

25

General Board / Re: How to group elements?

« on: June 05, 2019, 12:56:31 am »

ah 

That is a pitty! I tried VP last month... I like EA much more, but on aligning/grouping elements etc. VP is much better.

Would a feature request for 'grouping' (and better automatic aligning and magnetic-sweeper) make any chance?

Thanks for your fast replies.
Greetz, flexJoly

26

General Board / How to group elements?

« on: June 04, 2019, 09:00:50 pm »

Hi,

I feel stupid asking this question, but I have searched everywhere and cannot find how to group elements in a diagram.

At the moment I am working with some partitions in an activity diagram. I would like to group them. And for example resize them as a group, without needing to select each of them everytime.

Is this possible?

Greetz, flexJoly

27

Bugs and Issues / php7 methods with returnType not imported in classes

« on: June 04, 2019, 08:55:31 pm »

Hi,

I have many function/methods with a returntype specified, as is possible in php7.

Code: [Select]

class test{
  protected function myTest():bool{
    // some coding
  }
}
But these methods are not imported by reverse engineering. Anything else seems to work nicely from php7.
I found the code-templates and the grammar framework. Changing the operation-template does not help. I tried finding the php-grammar file, but I guess the internal grammar-files cannot be changed in the grammar-framework.

Can the returntype be added for EA class diagrams?

Thanks in advance!
flexJoly