RTF: composite elements and ordering

[Anders B]

Hi all,

I've run into a problem concerning element ordering when generating RTF reports. My area of modelling is BPMN, but it probably applies to other modelling as well.

Situation: RTF report from BPMN models with composite elements, containing diagrams and elements.
Needed behaviour: recursion into child elements, but display all elements on top level first, then child elements.

This problem is a bit tricky to explain; I'll try with an example:
the top-diagram has two elements A and B. A is composite and has a diagram and an element C as children, like this:

top-diagram
  |---A
  |   |--child diagram
  |      |--C
  |---B

Now when I make an RTF report, the top diagram is shown, and an element list starting with element A. I'd like element B to be shown directly after this, but instead the child diagram and element C appear. The order is thus ACB instead of ABC (which even the young Michael Jackson [R.I.P.] knew was better :-) )

The only way I've found to avoid this is to put the child diagram in a separate package. This would, however, introduce many new packages in my model where they aren't needed - the structure is clear without them. I also got the suggestion to render diagrams and elements in separate reports, but I don't see how that'd solve the ordering problem - in most cases it'd also make it harder finding a specific element from a diagram. Any ideas on how to solve this?

[Eve]

Only that I don't think you can get the ordering you want without restructuring.  If C is a child of A, you will only get to it from processing A, which would need to be finished before processing B.

[Anders B]

Hi Simon,

thanks for your swift reply. Do I get you right that you don't think a separate report for elements could solve the ordering problem? Originating from a search on element, cleverly ordered by something like package and then element depth?

It appears to me that this is a standard problem BPMN Reporting with EA; do you agree? As such, I'm a bit surprised I couldn't find anything on the topic in the forum.

The restructuring solution enforces a package structure only motivated by the report generation. In my case this introduces unnecessary complexity to the standards I'm developing, which are to be used by other modellers on my current project, this is why I'd like to avoid it.

This is how I picture the restructuring:
- add a package for every  sub-process with its own diagramm
- move the sub-process - or only its contents - into the sub-package
Having the sub-process element as well in the sub-package resembles reusable processes, which don't pertain to one particular diagram. With listing of linked elements turned on, the notes of the linked sub-process would be shown in every diagram listing where it's linked, and the diagram only where its package is. I'll try this out and report here on the outcome; since it's currently the only, albeit somewhat clumsy solution.

[Eve]

I didn't mention a separate report, although it could potentially work.  Before I go any further, I don't do a lot with EA's report generator, so I'm not the ultimate authority here.

If I was in the situation where I had to have the order you're specifying and I had to have the structure you have.

I would look at doing something like what is done in the reporting example at http://www.sparxsystems.com/resources/developers/autint_vb.html.