8.0 diagram enhancements

[skiwi]

Thanks Roy, it is my intention to do so.
When I have done this I will post to this thread in the hope that others will support it with their own feature request on the same subject.
In the meantime I am awaiting more constructive feedback and suggestions or discussion, in the hope that we can put together a well rounded (orthogonal) proposal that we, as users (paying customers) can promote to Sparx as worthy of a serious release effort (imagine a release devoted to enhancements in diagramming!)

So please keep posting  8-)

[Paolo F Cantoni]

This is a left field suggestion...  

At the moment, you can't add any attributive information to Diagrams, Diagram Links and Diagram Objects (similar to custom properties or tagged values).  One or more new row types could be added to t_xref to allow such information to be collected and assigned.

Obviously, one would need access via the AI.

I don't have any specific ideas where in the UI these might be held.

Paolo

[skiwi]

See Select multiple edges

Also http://eautils.codeplex.com/

[skiwi]

See Change look and feel of legend

[skiwi]

See Name an Activity but keep the name from showing up

[Thelonius]

Some of us are listening, as KP has demonstrated. However, once you have aired and refined your wishlist, you will have to submit it to Sparx Support as a feature request (or several, thereof) in order for them to log and sanction the requests.

Roy - that may be the case - but in past when I (and others, from what I read on this forum) have lodged bug reports or feature requests - it seems that these simply go into a black hole. Sparx doesn't even send an automated response saying "thanks - got it". This, plus the total silence from Sparx on the roadmap or product strategy for EA - has led me to form the impression (right or wrong) - that Sparx may not be developing a roadmap or product strategy. As I watch the perfectly valid suggestions coming from the user base - I don't hear anything encouraging or substantive coming back from Sparx. A few diligent Sparxians are monitoring the forum and contributing excellent suggestions for how to use the tool and implement workarounds, but that's not sufficient to keep me recommending Sparx to my customers or TOGAF 9 students.

I'll put it bluntly to you, Roy, and to whomever is in charge of the Sparx EA product:

Sparx has got to lift it's game. Especially when it comes to communicating to it's customers.

I'm moving on to Orbus iServer with my company. I'll continue to use Sparx as a personal UML / Archimate tool. I regret having to say that I think iServer is going to significantly erode a highly profitable (and loyal) segment of Sparx's market that Sparx has been relying on for so many years.

I hope I'm wrong.

[skiwi]

I have posted a feature request as follows, under the subject
"Diagram enhancements feature request"

with details

There are a number of improvements suggested for diagrams and diagramming in EA by the community.

This feature requests a consolidated and major improvement to EA's ability to draw and layout and customise diagrams.

Please see http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1277094607.

Your support by lodging a similar feature request would be much appreciated.

[RoyC]

@Thelonius - I have passed on your comments to the Marketing team.  I think that you have expressed some interesting and valuable thoughts. In future, though (because we rarely send on posts from the forum) can you send such comments directly to Sparx yourself? By all means, record such comments here, but note that you also sent them to us.

May I also say to Skiwi that we appreciate his patient and extensive efforts to gather specific suggestions for improvement in a specific area of functionality. Good job, Simon!

[skiwi]

Reopen closed tab
List of tabs, switch between them (back function)

- closely enough related I think

near enough in EA 10

[skiwi]

The ability to resize an entity, eg a note so that it is just the right width and height for the text it contains.

Perhaps by double clicking on the border, also with a context menu option.



not in EA 11

[skiwi]

Update and substantially increase the clip art.
Allow clip art (eg arrows) to be rotated

not in 9.1
new clip art in EA 12.

[skiwi]

Allow the text in an object (especially a boundary) to have the position specified in both horizontal and vertical planes. Viz
Vertical

• Top
• Middle
• Bottom

Horizontal

• Left
• Centre
• Right

not in 9.1
not in EA 11
not in EA 12

[skiwi]

Allow the text in an object (especially a boundary) to have the position specified in both horizontal and vertical planes. Viz
Vertical

• Top
• Middle
• Bottom

Horizontal

• Left
• Centre
• Right

Also to support left justification and right justification (in addition to the existing centred justification)

not in EA 11 do I have to beg

[skiwi]

The ability to resize an entity, eg a note so that it is just the right width and height for the text it contains.

Perhaps by double clicking on the border, also with a context menu option.

Looks like the keyboard shortcut Alt-Z (auto-size selected elements) will do this, but it would be good to have a context menu item as well.

Alt-z not in EA 11

[Eve]

Looks like the keyboard shortcut Alt-Z (auto-size selected elements) will do this, but it would be good to have a context menu item as well.

It is in the context menu if you have multiple selected objects.

I'll also point out that it isn't magic, there will still be times where you won't like the results.  (Mostly where you would like the target size to be wider.)