Messages

1

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Gap analysis matrix - improvements or replacement options?

« on: November 03, 2022, 10:27:06 pm »

Thanks, Geert!
(why do so many of my forum posts seem to start that way?  )
That looks like a really interesting extension to the whole of EA and will take a detailed look through later.  Just by skim reading the landing page, it might fit to some longer term aspirations for how we use EA.

However, I think that it might be a little 'heavy' for what I am trying to use the matrix for, in the short term.

It is not so much a full TOGAF implementation of gap analysis matrix, it is more making it a more useful matrix driven by data inside EA.

Thanks again...

Matt

2

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Gap analysis matrix - improvements or replacement options?

« on: November 03, 2022, 09:35:45 pm »

Hi all,
The Gap Analysis Matrix, looks like it should be a very powerful tool and has some very clever features built in.  Ironically, it also seems to have some gaps in its own functionality, which is why I am posting this question here.

One of the first gaps seems to be around simple formatting of the contents of the cells.  This matrix allows a really useful way to show tabular data, fed from the model which can then be analysed.  It would be great if you could add something like a colour to the background to indicate something like 'priority'.
 
Because this would be something powerful to our end users, I am working on how I could do something like that as an add-in/script/view.  However, before I go too far down that path, I was wondering if someone else had already solved such a thing and am I just duplicating work?  It is likely quicker and easier to deploy an existing add-in (although not that easy due to the way we are running our EA setup).

I have already got scripts etc extracting the data so that I can do stuff with it, but want to present it in a better, easy way.

Any nudges or suggestions would be gratefully received.  Alternatively, if you think it might be useful, that would be good to hear too

3

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Document Generation - Links on diagram only

« on: August 02, 2022, 06:37:09 pm »

Many thanks for this, Geert!
You are an absolute Hero!
This works exactly as hoped/expected...
(Sorry for the delay responding but have been on vacation and actually left computer off for a while!)
All best,
Matt

4

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Document Generation - Links on diagram only

« on: July 15, 2022, 12:26:46 am »

Thanks again, Geert!
The first issue turned out to be that it was not picking up #DIAGRAMID#, which was down to the template not being in the right place (as I didn't think, from the Help, that templates could apply to diagrams)... Once I hard coded the value to experiment with I was able to start to generate some information...
I then ended up with duplicates, this was due to leaving some of the sections on that we effectively being generated by my fragment... and because I'd put it in the Element section it was running the fragment for each element - which caused a lot of duplication!

The only issue is now that the notes, which are in RTF in the model come out as HTML in the report.  This is not a showstopper, as they were only really experimentally RTF, so I can live with that not working...

Thanks for the nudges in the right direction, I hope that I can take it from here...

5

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Document Generation - Links on diagram only

« on: July 14, 2022, 11:42:07 pm »

I believe that my laptop will end up out of the window soon!
The query gives me what I want and what I expect...
But I can't get anything to show up in the template...
:#

6

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Document Generation - Links on diagram only

« on: July 14, 2022, 10:31:13 pm »

Thanks, Geert,
time to dig into SQL fragments and documents and see what I can do...
The SQL doesn't worry me, it's trying to make sense of the document generator that's causing all the 'fun' at the moment...
 
All best...

7

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: Reset diagram object back to default backgroundColor

« on: July 14, 2022, 09:31:21 pm »

I am also experimenting with the Archimate functionality in EA v16 (64 bit) and I am also seeing the white background for -1 instead of the expected colour.
In my case, I am doing some experimentation with 'capabilities'.  Their default colour is orange.
I wanted to dynamically colour them through scripts, which is fine...
When I wanted to reset them, using -1, they show up as white.
I could modify the script to explicitly set them to orange, but then I would need to do that based on each stereotype, which becomes a pain, quickly...

Sounding a bit like a bug...

8

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Document Generation - Links on diagram only

« on: July 14, 2022, 09:17:27 pm »

Hello all,
it has been a long time since I was deep in EA land but I am back now and remembering how much fun it is and how good the community around it is...

I am trying to make sense of the document generator and I am wanting to do something that I think should be fairly simple and was wondering if some kind soul could point me in the right direction please.

I have a simple deployment diagram.  I have a bunch of nodes that are connected together with InformationFlow relationships.  On other diagrams there are lots of links from the Nodes to other things.

I would like to document the Node details and ONLY either the links that are visible on the current diagram, or even better only the InformationFlow relationships that are visible on the current diagram.

In the Section tool I can find that there is a diagram box [] and that from there I can get to connectors... but I then don't get to anything interesting as there is SourceColumns and TargetColumns.

Does this mean that I need to use some sort of fragment to detail the links that I want, please?
Ideally I want to add the details to a table showing something as simple as Source.Name and Target.Name...

I have tried looking through the documentation, and the forum to see if there was any obvious clues before asking but didn't manage to find anything that went far enough...

Very many thanks, in advance for any assistance provided...

9

Suggestions and Requests / Re: "copy diagram" feature

« on: April 11, 2008, 09:50:43 pm »

Martin,

what are you trying to achieve with the copy diagram function?

For TA we needed the ability to copy elements to new diagrams so have added this feature.  You can select the elements you want either from the diagram or from the datagrid and select the multi-element move/copy feature.

It maintains all the links, allows you to select just the elements you want and much more...  basically it just adds the elements to the diagram and this can be anywhere in the project tree...

There will be a demo of this posted to the tutorials part of the TA site http://solutionsreality.com/products/timearchitect/tutorials.aspx over the weekend...

Best regards,

Matt

10

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Diagram - Show element list enhancements

« on: March 20, 2008, 11:23:34 am »

David,

do you need this functionality now - or only recommending for the future?

If you need it now, can I suggest that you have a look at the free 30 day evaluation copy of Time Architect http://www.timearchitect.net The datagrid in TA gives you these features complete with multiple (and complex) filters as required.

You can then select the elements from the datagrid and copy them to a new diagram, no matter where they came from in the model.

Not quite the same a filtering the elements on the diagram itself - but achieves the same goal!

Hope that helps.

Best regards,

Matt

11

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Element List improvements

« on: December 21, 2007, 04:06:30 am »

Hi folks,

Please take a look at this post here...
http://
http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=general;action=display;num=1158186650

and http://www.timearchitect.net

The new version that we have released as a 'sneak peak' includes functionality to bring tagged values into the grid as columns - check it out, you may find it does what you are looking for.

With all of the filtering and sorting functionality in the datagrid, you can really work through the tags in a way not currently offered directly in EA!

In addition, this build also adds functionality to allow editing of multiple EA elements at the same time.  For example, you can change the stereotype, status, version and more for many elements all at the same time.  Simply open up the TA datagrid, select your elements and right click > Properties.  Elements can be continuous or you can select only the elements required by holding down the CTRL key when you click on a row.

With full filtering and sorting functions - it is really easy to change only the elements you want - but all at the same time!

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

12

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Relation matrix improvements

« on: December 21, 2007, 03:59:54 am »

Hi folks,

I think you will find that the new version of Time Architect (v2.0) that is available as a sneak peak from:

http://www.timearchitect.net

The datagrid allows filtering, sorting and groupby functionality on a whole bunch of EA values including stereotype...

You can also edit multiple elements at the same time!

With the filtering functionality you could very easily specify that you only want to see functional requirements and you can then click through from the grid to access the required requirements!  

It also adds lots of other functionality too - take a look around the website for full details...  Don't be put off by the fact that it is promoted as a Project Management tool!  That is just one of its strengths!

I think that you should find that this does exactly what you are looking for!

The fully functional evaluation version lasts 20 days so this should give you a chance to fully try it!  It is still at the special introductory price of $100 - so give it a try...

13

Suggestions and Requests / Re: RTF report for a single diagram

« on: December 21, 2007, 03:53:32 am »

Massimo,

can I suggest that you take a look at Time Architect?

http://solutionsreality.com/products/timearchitect/home.aspx

We have just released the sneak peak of version 2.0 that includes element move functionality.

With this you can select elements from anywhere in your model (via the grid interface) and move those elements to a different package/diagram or you can just copy the elements straight to a diagram.

You could then use the EA functionality to either document just that package, or for the diagram only.  This method also allows you to actually pick the elements on a diagram that you want to document.

It also adds lots of other functionality to - take a look around the website for full details...

I think that you should find that this does exactly what you are looking for!

The fully functional evaluation version lasts 20 days so this should give you a chance to fully try it!  It is still at the special introductory price of $100 - so give it a try...

14

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Font Sizes in Screen Windows

« on: December 17, 2004, 04:54:35 am »

Sounds exactly what we need!

Mind you, with the last 2 posts of yours that I have read (this one and add-in for requirements documentation) you have almost killed the add-in we have been generating for the past few months - a detailed reporting tool that lays out Functional Specs from the system.  And a requirement reporting system!!!

But keep up the excellent work as always!

Matt

15

Suggestions and Requests / Font Sizes in Screen Windows

« on: December 16, 2004, 08:23:49 am »

Hi folks, I raised this originally in the discussion forum to see if there was a way to do this:
http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=general;action=display;num=1101894940

And the suggestion was that I raised it as a request.

Is there any chance in the future that we will be able to specify a text size /font for items such as the notes panel or editor so that it is easier to read.  I know that we can cut it out and paste it into Wordpad or Word, but it would be really nice to be able to do this 'in-line' especially as the model gets large and you spend a lot of time in EA!

Cheers.

Matt