Generating a UML Profile incompatible with TOGAF

[Steven Tuften]

Being a newbie to EA , I followed the instructions to the letter in the Help File that described how to create a UML Profile.

After countless wasted hours I found that Saving a UML Profile isn't compatible with the TOGAF Add-In.

Every time I saved a UML Profile it would fail to generate the "AppliesTo" tags in the xml file.

Eventually I noticed that there is both an AppliesTo and Extends defined in the ACM Relationship section of the Toolbox for the TOGAF MDG plug-in which appear to affect the UML Profile xml file generation capability of EA.

I turned off the TOGAF Add-in, removed the existing extension relationships I created between the stereotypes and the Metaclasses and re-created them. I noticed the extends relationships now appeared as <<extends>> instead of <<Extends>> suggesting that the TOGAF MDG Add-in re-defines this relationship which is applied when you use the Profile Relationships in the Toolbox.

Now when I save the UML Profiles, the AppliesTo tags nicely appears in the xml and the UML Profile is able to be imported into EA.

I have since restarted EA with the TOGAF Add-In enabled and not experienced the same problem again.

Suggestions to SparxSystems :
1) Update the either the TOGAF Add-In or the Profile components to resolve the potential conflict between the <<Extends>> and <<extends>> relationships.
2) Provide a structured example in the form of a tutorial on the EA Support pages.

After I disabled the TOGAF Add-In.... (note the sections in yellow did not generate with TOGAF Add-In enabled....
UML Profile XML file

Code: [Select]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1252"?>
<UMLProfile profiletype="uml2">
      <Documentation id="BD7E4F67-B" name="Solution" version="1.0" notes="Modelling profile for depiction of high level technical solutions within business domains.&#xA;"/>
      <Content>
            <Stereotypes>
                  <Stereotype name="Solution" metatype="Solution" notes="A solution is a set of off the shelf and bespoke components deployed across one or more systems in order to support a specific set of business functions.&#xA;" cx="90" cy="70" bgcolor="16777215" fontcolor="0" bordercolor="0" borderwidth="2" hideicon="0">
                        <Image type="EAShapeScript 1.0" xmlns:dt="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:datatypes" dt:dt="bin.base64">UEsDBBQAAAAIALJ4JTwmkX6gEwEAAGoCAAAHABEAc3RyLmRhdFVUDQAHRVVDS0VVQ0tFVUNL
hZJBS8NAEIXftYL/YamXCAGr4EGkd3vyUBE8rk2aVqIJ3UiR0v/uN7upWg3IMJnZ7LyZNzMb
tJJXq1JOr3hrvWmnU51ohNcoxPsCb6upOm30TuxtHxG04LZGn/mWAxFrLcmc6Y6YoAe+Faex
ZlRrOS1AlOQfK0ef8AP2HDG8qTuSnS4Qp3vY1frAK6joYef6Wh2MrZsGTi94VsHFLgLWo4lF
Fes6PcYOjPPfaq6v9pvttGc6hBjCz4k2FgduS7jWiCNjg23o4f9cIWY5YL+Rma50jeS61A1+
rgnzSxs4zrD/muoIXJqNZ5JV3F4GzrCWZ/LDWq6ET8gWrL2Tjqnb7Nv4foq41zP+e6ZV4tke
E4s9+glQSwECFwsUAAAACACyeCU8JpF+oBMBAABqAgAABwAJAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAAAAAAc3Ry
LmRhdFVUBQAHRVVDS1BLBQYAAAAAAQABAD4AAABJAQAAAAA=</Image>
[highlight]                        <AppliesTo>
                              <Apply type="Component">
                                    <Property name="isIndirectlyInstantiated" value="true"/>
                              </Apply>
                        </AppliesTo>[/highlight]
                        <TaggedValues>
                              <Tag name="Impacted" type="enumeration" description="" unit="" values="Yes,No" default="No"/>
                        </TaggedValues>
                  </Stereotype>
                  <Stereotype name="SolutionDomain" metatype="SolutionDomain" notes="A collection of solutions that support a particular class of business problem or support a particular business function.&#xA;" cx="90" cy="70" bgcolor="-1" fontcolor="-1" bordercolor="-1" borderwidth="-1" hideicon="0">
                        <Image type="EAShapeScript 1.0" xmlns:dt="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:datatypes" dt:dt="bin.base64">UEsDBBQAAAAIAMR4JTxgA89yEgEAAGgCAAAHABEAc3RyLmRhdFVUDQAHelVDS3pVQ0t6VUNL
hZJBS8NAEIXftUL/w1IvKRSsgiBI7+3JgyJ4XJs0rcQmdCMipf/db3ZTtRqQYTKz2Xkzb2Y2
aC2vRoWcXvE22mqvoc40wKsV4n2O966ZWu30RuxtFxG05LZCn/kWPREbrcicaU5M0APfktNI
C6o1nJYgCvKPNEGf8AN2jBje1J3IXheI0x3sKn3g5VT0sHNdrRbG1k0Npxc8q+BiFwHr0cSi
jHWdHmMHxvlvNddV+8121jHtQ/Th74k2FkduK7hWiCNjja3p4f9cIWY5Yr+Rma50jUx0iXeD
nTK/tIHTDIevqQ7Apdl4JlnG7WXgDGt5pj+s5Ur4hGzA2jtpmbrNvonvJ497Pee/Z1oFnu0x
sTjoE1BLAQIXCxQAAAAIAMR4JTxgA89yEgEAAGgCAAAHAAkAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAAAAABzdHIu
ZGF0VVQFAAd6VUNLUEsFBgAAAAABAAEAPgAAAEgBAAAAAA==</Image>
[highlight]                        <AppliesTo>
                              <Apply type="Component">
                                    <Property name="isIndirectlyInstantiated" value="true"/>
                              </Apply>
                        </AppliesTo>[/highlight]
                        <TaggedValues>
                              <Tag name="Impacted" type="enumeration" description="" unit="" values="Yes,No" default="No"/>
                        </TaggedValues>
                  </Stereotype>
            </Stereotypes>
            <TaggedValueTypes/>
      </Content>
</UMLProfile>

Cheers
Steve

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Hi Steven,

Thanks for that!   I'm sure it will save others (including me) "countless wasted hours".

Can you please (if you haven't already) submit a formal bug report using the links at the bottom of the page as the Sparxians need a formal report to even think about actioning something.

You can reference this topic so that the Sparxians can follow any on-going discussion.

I use the TOGAF add-in but switch it in and out as needed - I must have been lucky and done my MDG profile setting up when it wasn't running.  It would have been even tougher for me since I'd be unable to reproduce the symptoms reliably (depending on the TOGAF state)!

Thanks again,
Paolo