Messages

16

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Can we get to a specific repository item from outside EA (particularly EA-Lite)?

« on: October 18, 2018, 11:12:15 am »

Quite some time ago someone in the community wrote something that implemented a protocol handler to do that, but there's nothing in EA itself.

Generally, I'd be recommending WebEA for that purpose now,

Doesn't WebEA require a separate licence?

One thing I like about the shortcut file is that you can open an entire ecosystem for a particular view of the repository.

Can something similar be done with WebEA?

Also, as I understand it, if all you want to do is view (as opposed to reviewing) the viewpoints in the repository, EA-Lite provides the richest experience.  We want to provide users with the richest read-only experience (like your first free heroin shot) to get them hooked on the repository to become a full user.

Paolo

17

Bugs and Issues / Re: How to "Publish Diagram as Pattern"?

« on: October 18, 2018, 10:38:30 am »

[SNIP]

The Sparxians need to be stuck into a large corporate for a couple of weeks to learn the difficulties of working in large managed IT environments.  It's not all thongs, budgie smugglers and Fosters.

You might well think that...  I couldn't possibly say that.

BTW: Fosters is essentially an export brand.  Just about nobody drinks Fosters in Oz.
Also, our 2nd Budgie Smuggling PM is now long gone, although he doesn't seem to realise it.

Paolo

18

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Can we get to a specific repository item from outside EA (particularly EA-Lite)?

« on: October 17, 2018, 04:28:19 pm »

If we generate an HTML report, we are able to get to specific diagrams from outside the browser by the documented means.

However, we can't do this with EA (whether Full or Lite).  Can anyone confirm that?

We'd like to provide users with the richer EA-Lite experience rather than simple HTML.  But we'd like to be able to provide an external reference (similar to the HTML mechanism).

I guess we could distribute shortcut files, but that seems a bit clumsy and will "pepper" the storage with transient files.

Thoughts?

TIA,
Paolo

19

Bugs and Issues / Re: How to "Publish Diagram as Pattern"?

« on: October 17, 2018, 04:06:27 pm »

The REAL issue is none of these.

As I have tried to explain on other forums - when you have a consist (for example a particular set of files for the User Guide).  You have an evolving artifact.  When you have multiple instances of the artifact (such as the online versus local User Guide) the consist variant MUST be provided (somewhere) so that the user can check what they are looking at.

Typically, the consist variant identifier is made up of the version and timepoint of generation.  However, in the case of say a game, where there was no software rebuild but only a change in some data files, a specific consist identifier may be added.  See the Steam | Library | <Game file> | Properties | Local Files | Current content BuildID

Is there such a beast within the Help File | User Guide mechanism?

That way, we could compare and contrast.  And indeed, the Local Help file Mechanism could even cross-check for updates!

Paolo

20

Bugs and Issues / Re: How to "Publish Diagram as Pattern"?

« on: October 16, 2018, 11:45:49 am »

I can't find anywhere in the Help files that refer to the ribbon path that you quote, Paolo. All references are to the correct path that Geert quotes, and the 'Modified Date' field on the text element is at least 6 months ago.  Where did you see the incorrect ribbon path?

User Guide... Publish a Pattern

Note: this is the local copy of the Help file/User Guide (from the v14.1 download area).

Paolo

21

Suggestions and Requests / Re: New connectors doesn't show in a diagram

« on: October 16, 2018, 10:50:59 am »

Hi rekelyei1,
We have done this but it is not trivial.
Firstly, your Connector_IDs need to be monotonically increasing (depending on your configuration they may not be).
Consequently, a new connector will have a Connector_ID larger than the current highest Connector_ID on the diagram.
If you can record the highest Connector_ID at a point in time, you can write a script to hide any connector with a Connector_ID greater than the recorded Connector_ID.

We, therefore, "Freeze" a diagram by recording the highest available Connector_ID in the Title Block (Diagram Notes Element) as a Tag.
We regularly (or on demand) run a script to remove the spurious connectors.  If the diagram actually needs to change, the modeller changes the diagram then "Re-Freezes" the diagram.

It's not perfect, but it works well enough to be a popular function on our human maintained (as opposed to automagically maintained) diagrams.

HTH,
Paolo

22

General Board / Re: How to enable the "Find Command..." widget

« on: October 15, 2018, 06:53:04 pm »

Yes, just below Print to PDF on my machine

See printscreen:


Geert

Oh!   We are in Post-Consistency!   For some strange reason, I was expecting a "Find Command..." widget, not a Search box!

Still, at least it's always present, whether there's a widget on the ribbon or not.

Thanks again,
Paolo

23

General Board / Re: How to enable the "Find Command..." widget

« on: October 15, 2018, 06:17:10 pm »

For the visual styles that don't support the Find Command in the top bar.
If you click the top left EA Icon-Menu, the last option is the same Find Command.

Geert

Switched to VS 2013  - no widget and NO command on the EA Icon-Menu.  Last option is "Print to PDF".

Am I looking in the right place?

Paolo

24

Bugs and Issues / Re: How to "Publish Diagram as Pattern"?

« on: October 15, 2018, 06:09:25 pm »

Specialize | Technologies | Publish | Publish Diagram as Pattern

Geert

Thanks!

@RoyC, help file needs revision.

Paolo

25

General Board / Re: How to enable the "Find Command..." widget

« on: October 15, 2018, 05:16:58 pm »

Hello Paolo,

try: Start, Visual Style, Microsoft Office 2016

Best Regards,

Helmut

Thanks Helmut, but is there no other way? 

Supposing my users don't want the rest of the style and just want to get their widget back?

What is it?  A toolbar?

Paolo

26

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Back reference to creating/merging Pattern

« on: October 15, 2018, 04:01:33 pm »

It would appear there is no mechanism for recording which pattern (if any) an item was created or merged from.  We need to record (almost like the «trace» in Time Aware Modelling) so we can correctly manage the evolution of patterns.

I guess we'd have to "roll our own".  However, even this presents a problem.  There is no GUID available to uniquely identify the pattern - even though the name might change.

Any suggestions as to what "best practice" might be?

TIA,
Paolo

27

Bugs and Issues / How to "Publish Diagram as Pattern"?

« on: October 15, 2018, 03:50:20 pm »

Publish > Technology > Publish > Publish Diagram as Pattern

Isn't an available path under b1427.  In order to publish the "Publish Diagram as Pattern", I have to enter the term Publish in the "Find Command..." widget to be able to access the functionality.

Is this functionality available via the Ribbon in v14.1?  If so where?

Paolo

28

Bugs and Issues / Diagram Notes added to Pattern

« on: October 15, 2018, 03:44:49 pm »

When you create a pattern using Publish Diagram as Pattern, if you have a Diagram Notes Text element, even though it is unselected, it is included in the pattern.
There is NO mechanism to selectively exclude these kinds of "administrative" elements from the pattern.

Reported,
Paolo

29

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Auto Names in Patterns - what does it do?

« on: October 15, 2018, 03:06:22 pm »

We're starting to experiment (yet again) with EA Patterns (I know, we're masochists...).  I was hoping that the Patterns functionality would allow us to automatically replace dependent names as the pattern was created.  For example, for a simple intersector pattern, if we have the two endpoints Left & Right, we'd like the intersector to default to Left-Right.  We can change Left and Right, but we have to manually change Left-Right.

Can anyone confirm that this can't be done?  (without additional automation)

If so, then what does the [  ] Use Auto Names checkbox do?  Using Help with Use Auto Names as the search parameter, reveals only one hit to say that the option will be disabled.  There's nothing that says what it actually does.  Can a kind soul please enlighten me?

TIA,
Paolo

30

General Board / How to enable the "Find Command..." widget

« on: October 15, 2018, 02:40:41 pm »

On one of our machines, we've lost the "Find Command..." widget at the top right of the Ribbon.  How can we get it back, please?

Paolo