Topics

16

Suggestions and Requests / Suggestion: Merge on XMI import

« on: November 13, 2006, 05:55:19 pm »

This would avoid duplicating elements already moved or relocated in the target (being imported into) model.

Suggest on the XMI import page, some options are added to allow merging by object type, stereotype and whether case in-sensitive merges are performed.

David.

17

Suggestions and Requests / Request: Quick link to support stereotypes

« on: November 28, 2006, 02:33:44 pm »

For example - when using quick link to create a dependency (or any other type of relationship for that matter), use a cascaded menu item to select the stereotype.

The user could still simply click on the dependency menu item as per now to create a simple dependency (without a stereotype), or display a sub-menu with the valid list of dependency stereotypes (and click on that).

Saves having to edit link properties after creating a relationship to set the stereotype.

Cheers,
David.

18

Suggestions and Requests / Suggestion: Layer support in diagrams

« on: November 30, 2006, 05:32:55 pm »

Be able to create layers and assign which layers an element or connector appears on.

This would save having to create multiple diagrams then aligning element positions to be the same on each.

Suggest a user is able to define per diagram layers (arbitrary names / numbers) and you can right click a connector / element and checkbox which layers it will appear in.

Then a right click option on the diagram to toggle layer visibility.

Not sure how this would work on web publishing.  Suggest "show all elements / connectors" would be the default.

What do you think?

Cheers,
David.

19

Suggestions and Requests / Request: Merge on XSD import

« on: December 03, 2006, 02:52:15 pm »

Maybe I'm missing a checkbox.... but why doesn't EA allow a merge on schema import into the same package?

We often correct / finalise a schema outside of EA - but want to bring it back into EA to visualise.  Problem is EA creates new elements.

Please please please allow a merge on import...

Thanks,
David.

20

Suggestions and Requests / Request: Property window for relationships

« on: November 29, 2006, 11:44:20 am »

I love the EA UI and the dockable editor windows - such as tagged values, property, notes etc...

Can you please extend this to relationship properties?

Currently - when I click an element - I can edit the properties in the property editor.  This window becomes disabled when I click a relationship.

Suggest you either have a "relationship property" window you can dock - or better still, dynamically swap the property editor window (if open by the user) between element / relationship properties depending on what has been selected in a diagram.

This would save mouse clicking and modal windows to have to edit relationship properties.

Better better still... also be able to display source / target tabs from the relationship property editor window as dockable windows (maybe a new sort of composite window with all the most common things you need to tweak about relationship properties in one pane).

Cheers,
David.

21

Suggestions and Requests / Request: Import profile on saving

« on: November 28, 2006, 03:04:31 pm »

Can a checkbox please be added to the "Save as UML profile box" called "Import profile" which will automatically import the profile you save into the current EA project.

This will save the manual import step I always seem to do after creating a new stereotype.

Even better - bypass the save stage and simply have an "Import this profile as resource" menu item which will generate an in memory profile and import into the current project, bypassing the need to save as an interim XML doc.

Cheers,
DAvid.

22

Suggestions and Requests / Notes (and other text) fields to support RTF

« on: November 27, 2006, 12:31:41 pm »

I want to minimise the post editing on RTF documents produced from EA.  I often have to add for example bullet points.

It would be nice if the "Notes" fields (and any other text type field) could support rich text.  This means I could put bullet points, tables etc.. into the notes to minimise the edits on produced RTFs.

Thanks,
David.

23

Suggestions and Requests / Speeding up large project load

« on: November 23, 2006, 06:07:45 pm »

EA seems to load everything in your model (ie. project browser) when you open a project.  The "max hierarchy depth view" and "open hierarchy view to" settings in Tools -> options don't seem to make a difference.

Can Sparx optimise the loading of EA so it either obeys the above settings, or can be configured via a toggle to load the project tree on demand (suggest down to 2 levels would suffice) vs load all (default = current behaviour).

With 8000+ objects - it's now getting a bit painful to open.

Cheers,
David.

24

Suggestions and Requests / Suggestion: Drag and drop between EA instances

« on: November 13, 2006, 05:48:39 pm »

Instead of having to do an XMI export /import - be able to drag anything from the project browser in one instance of EA to another project in another EA instance.

This would save me time when merging in models where people have created them disparately or I have worked disconnected and want to re-sync with the main model.

Cheers,
David.

25

Suggestions and Requests / Native Visio diagram import

« on: April 27, 2006, 04:31:40 pm »

This one key feature would be vital for my organisation - as it would allow us to re-use / convert all our Visio diagrams.

I haven't found any evidence that Microsoft will improve their XMI interoperability with Visio in 2007.

A native Visio (vsd) import facility (like those offered by Avolution's Abacus or Troux' Metis) would be excellent.

Cheers,
David.

26

Suggestions and Requests / Move connector between elements

« on: July 31, 2006, 02:03:13 pm »

Say you have an activity diagram with activities A, B with a control path from A -> B.  You want to add activity C and have the following path A -> C -> B

It would be nice to be able to:
1. Grab the connector between A -> B at the B (target end)
2. Drag it across to C
thus deleting the connection from A -> B and "re-using" it to make A -> C

The above should also work for like minded relationship and elements types. (ie. associations between classes etc...)

Saves having to delete and re-add new connectors.

Cheers,
David.

27

Suggestions and Requests / EA performance concerns - with WAN users

« on: June 28, 2006, 08:14:28 pm »

Hi there,

I work in a geographically dispersed team (Aus / NZ).  We want to use one central SQL server repository to avoid the hassle of synchronising multiple repositories.

I have a diagram with about 118 elements on it and it takes only 2.5 seconds to load since I am LAN attached to the SQL Server.

I did a SQL profiler trace to see what EA was sending the SQL server to load the diagram.  It sent about 118 of the following SQL statements:

select * from t_taggedvalue where BaseClass in ('application')

(where 'application' happens to be a stereotype on many of the elements in the diagram).

The above statement returns nothing.  I'm guessing it is calling this unnecessarily once for each of the same stereotyped item - rather than just once for the diagram.

I am concerned my WAN attached users will have a huge performance hit since this "chatty" traffic will take a long time with link latency - making the product unusable with a single repository.

Any suggestions?  Preferably - can Sparx please performance tune the use of SQL on the product?

Thanks,
David.

28

Suggestions and Requests / Website: List your own logged requests / bugs

« on: June 25, 2006, 04:35:56 pm »

Is there a way I can view my logged requests / bugs?

The above functionality would be really useful so I can track which ones I've logged and also be able to see any responses by Sparx.

Restricted to your registered login of course.

Thanks,
David.

29

Suggestions and Requests / Provide "Usage..." menu for packages

« on: June 15, 2006, 08:54:49 pm »

For components, you can right click in the project view and select "Usage..." to see what diagrams contain the component.

Can Sparx please extend this to Packages and any other element you can place on a diagram?

Thanks,
David.

30

Suggestions and Requests / Draw connectors outside and between diagram frames

« on: June 15, 2006, 03:20:33 pm »

I'd like to do an overall systems diagram for our environment.

I've compiled "mini" overviews within each application area as separate diagrams.

I'd like to put these as diagram frames into one big "momma" diagram and have EA draw links between them and to any external / extra elements I put on the diagram.  Of course, such functionality should be user "toggable" (ie. Tools -> Options -> Diagrams -> Behaviour).

Cheers,
David.