Display link constraint

[Dave.B]

Is it possible to get EA to display an association link's constraints, as entered in the link's "constraints" properties tab? I note that if a constraint is added to a role-end that this is displayed as part of the role's cardinality.

Thanks
Dave B.

[Dave.B]

I think that something weird was going on the other day, because I have just spotted that my link constraints are being shown now. A closer inspection of the link's label visibility control dialog reveals that they are the "middle bottom" label.

Dave B.

[Eve]

There is an issue in the current build with loading the constraints for a connector that hasn't got diagram specific information.  Moving the connector, saving the diagram and reloading should get the constraints back.

I suspect that this is what happened to you, and it should be fixed in the next build.

[Dave.B]

OK, I can confirm the Build 830 fixes the basic problem, but I have found another...

It seems that it is not possible to display a constraint on a dependency. Is this an EA "limitation" or my misuse of UML?

Regards
Dave B.

[«Midnight»]

Dave,

I cannot find anything relating to this on constraints or dependencies in the UML 2.1.2 superstructure. There appears to be no limiting statement, even indirectly, to suggest this should not be possible. So my take is that you should be able to constrain a dependency.

Note however, that the constraint is displayed as a note (with some allowance for notational style differences) with some form of attachment or 'relationship' to a link (such as a dependency). Thus the constraint might not be 'owned' by the link and displayed as one of the labels of the link.

I just have not tried this. Can you do the 'attach note or constraint' with the dependency, the way you would with some other link?

If not, I think you should report this as a bug (directly to Sparx that is).

David

[Dave.B]

David,
I am not using the attach note/constraint method, but directly enter the constraint into the association's "constraints" property tab. It then appears (or should appear) as the lower middle label surrounded by curly brackets. There was a bug prior to build 830 that causes the lower middle label to not get refreshed after the constraint was added, but this has now been fixed for solid line associations, but seemingly not for the dashed line dependencies.

Many Thanks
Dave B.

[«Midnight»]

I see what you mean now. Sounds like a bug in the bug fix. I think you should log the defect in the hope that it is a minor tweak that will make the cut for build 831.

David

[Dave.B]

Here's what Sparx Support have to say:

There is no UML reason why a dependency's constraints shouldn't be displayed. I think it's simply a feature that we haven't implemented yet.

I have logged a feature request in your name, and I hope it gets authorized because I think it's an important feature. I have also requested that the same be implemented for all other connector types that can't currently display their constraints.

So I'm busy adding my constraints and will have to wait for an EA release in the near future to be able to display them.

Regards
Dave B.

[«Midnight»]

Thanks for doing the leg work here Dave. At least it is on their radar.

David