Creating New Property Group

[Gokcen Guner]

Hello, I'm not much familiar with EA terminology so the topic name may be misleading, sorry for that.
I'm using EA 10 build 1008 and drawing BPMN2.0 diagrams. Double clicking an element opens a popup and there is a BPMN2.0 section over the left (between Advanced and Tagged Values).
What I want to do is adding another node to here, let's say X. I may have different groups of properties under X. It depends on the type of activity.

Is this possible via add-in or something?

[qwerty]

These are actually tagged values belonging to the BPMN technology. If you want to see more inside you need to modify the MDG. That however is owned by Sparx and you need to check the copyrights. What you could do alternatively is to create your own MDG extending BPMN. That would allow to create own tagged values.

q.

[rothnic]

Here is a good walkthrough for creating the MDG: http://www.sparxsystems.com/resources/demos/profile-helpers/profile-helpers.htm

[Gokcen Guner]

@qwerty: Thank you. In fact I don't want to change BPMN technology. It doesn't matter if I have another technology named XYZ at the same level with BMPN. I don't know which one is easier or more preferable but both is OK for me. Do you have any resources that show how to implement this?

@rothnic: Thank you for web site but as I understood it explains how to generate UML extensions but I need extensions for BPMN elements, am I rigth?

[KP]

Create your own profile with a stereotype that extends UML Activity and then apply that stereotype to a BPMN Activity (which also extends UML Activity). The Activity element's properties dialog will have a page for BPMN2.0 tagged values and a page for tagged values from your profile (if your stereotype defines any).

[Gokcen Guner]

Create your own profile with a stereotype that extends UML Activity and then apply that stereotype to a BPMN Activity (which also extends UML Activity). The Activity element's properties dialog will have a page for BPMN2.0 tagged values and a page for tagged values from your profile (if your stereotype defines any).

Hi KP, thak you for your response. I'm not sure I understood you correctly. I've read through http://www.sparxsystems.com/downloads/resources/booklets/extending_uml.pdf but couldn't get it work.

[qwerty]

Sounds a bit silly, but you need to try harder :-/ MDG creation is not very forgiving. Saving one XML to the wrong place on export, a buggy MDS or some simple typo (even wrong case) will result in a not working MDG. EA lets you stand alone in the rain with any such error. It doesn't even give you a hint where something might have went wrong. So my tip: sleep one night, have a good breakfast and go through the example exactly step by step.

q.

[Gokcen Guner]

Thank you qwerty. I'll try it later then  

[Gokcen Guner]

I'll explain what I tried so far:

• Create a package named MyPackage. Inside this package I created a UML Structural Package Diagram named MyPackageDiagram.
• I've dragged Profile from Toolbox (More Tools | Profile) and named this as MyProfile. This creates a <<profile>> package with same name (MyProfile).
• Inside this I created UML Structural Class diagram named MyClassDiagram.
• I've dragged Metaclass from Profile Toolbox. I've selected Stereotypes from 4 tabs of the popup screen. If it is not clear I'll send a screenshot. There is a combobox here which is including ~20 stereotypes. One of them is BPMN2.0 and I've selected it.
• After selection it lists BPMN2.0 elements in the list below the combobox. I've selected Activity and clicked OK.
• It creates a box named "BPMN2.0::Activity" and its type is 'Class' and stereotype is 'stereotype'.
• I saved the MyProfile package as UML Profile.
• I imported the xml to Resources->UML Profiles but it didn't work.

Another scenario is the one at http://www.sparxsystems.com/downloads/resources/booklets/enterprise_architect_sdk.pdf
I've followed everything step by step but I don't get a working extension.

In this case, importing the 'saved-package-as-UML-profile' xml shows the stereotype in Resources->UML Profiles but I couldn't apply it to a BPMN activity using neither ctrl+drag nor shift+drag.

I'll be glad to hear my mistake here.

[qwerty]

You're creating a shortcut I have long time not used and would not recommend it. Instead of creating a MDG you simply import a profile. Try to run the MDG creation wizard with Tools/Generate MDG and then import that MDG.

q.

[rothnic]

@rothnic: Thank you for web site but as I understood it explains how to generate UML extensions but I need extensions for BPMN elements, am I rigth?

The process is the same, just slightly more complicated. I have used the process in the video for SysML. The primary difference is that you will have to use the correct notation, as you referenced "BPMN2.0::Activity" for the stereotype that you are extending.

I didn't see the video when I first did it and instead used the guide in the help file of EA to get through it. See section 14 of "Create Toolbox Profiles using the Profile Helpers": http://i.imgur.com/7pJLW8W.png



It is specifically about SysML which should apply well to your application.

• I'd recommend using Model Wizard dialog, select MDG Technology Builder from the Technology list and tick the Basic Template checkbox in the Name list.
• Then create the <<profile>> and <<toolbox profile>> to meet your needs.
• Export both of them as a uml profile.
• Then use Tools=>Generate MDG Technology File, which will then point to the two profiles you created.
• Then import the MDG Technology
• At that point you would have a specialized toolbox you can load up within any diagram to insert your custom elements, or apply the stereotype manually.

[KP]

• I've dragged Metaclass from Profile Toolbox. I've selected Stereotypes from 4 tabs of the popup screen. If it is not clear I'll send a screenshot. There is a combobox here which is including ~20 stereotypes. One of them is BPMN2.0 and I've selected it.
• After selection it lists BPMN2.0 elements in the list below the combobox. I've selected Activity and clicked OK.
• It creates a box named "BPMN2.0::Activity" and its type is 'Class' and stereotype is 'stereotype'.

What you have done is create a stereotype that extends BPMN Activity; my suggestion was to create a stereotype that extends UML Activity. In the Extend Metaclass dialog, under the "Core Elements" tab choose Activity and you should be OK.

[RoyC]

Another problem here is that you are working on the very latest build of Release 10 (1008) but referring to a document that was written for a much, much earlier release of EA (http://www.sparxsystems.com/downloads/resources/booklets/extending_uml.pdf).

Please do as rothnic did: "... instead used the guide in the help file of EA to get through it.". The Help in the installer of your build of EA always supports that build.

[Ian Mitchell]

I'm also following the same track, though in my case I'd really like to extend the Sparx BPMN implementation, to just add a 'Measures' group of tagged values to all BPMN Activities. Measures are not defined by BPMN, so are quite correctly not in the Sparx implementation, but I recommend to all my customers that they capture them.

If we had access to the 'source' of the Sparx BPMN MDG, this would be trivial, but I'm faced with having to dive into the depths of the raw MDG XML file, which I have done before, but as Querty says, this is hard. Its also makes it difficult for my customers to add additional TVs later.
Does anyone have any instructions as to how to edit the Sparx MDG to add such a new TaggedValue group?
Or even better, perhaps our friends at Sparx could make the MDG source file available :-) That would be REALLY helpful!