Allocating activity partitions to existing actors

[John_WSP]

I'm using EA 15 and would like to allocate actors to activity partitions on the Activity Diagram.  Is there a way to do this so that the allocation becomes part of the model (i.e. it would be possible to list the activities for which a specific actor is responsible)?  I've searched the forum and documentation without being able to find a clear steer on this - any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

[Paolo F Cantoni]

I'm using EA 15 and would like to allocate actors to activity partitions on the Activity Diagram.  Is there a way to do this so that the allocation becomes part of the model (i.e. it would be possible to list the activities for which a specific actor is responsible)?  I've searched the forum and documentation without being able to find a clear steer on this - any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

If you see the partition as a rendering of the Actor (that is, the partition IS the actor, not a separate thing related to the actor), then you can create a shapescript to do that.  Next, if you see visual embedding of activities within the partition as establishing a relationship to the actor, then you have all the information you need to write a script to react to the visual embedding and create the relationship (or run an off-line check to locate new visual embedding instances).

HTH,
Paolo

[Geert Bellekens]

Should be fairly easy.
You can set an instance classifier to an activity partition via Right Click | Advanced | Instance Classifier and select the Actor as classifier.

If you then start to create your Activity Diagram, the Actions will automatically be owned by the Activity Partition you place them on.

So from the Action you can find the Activity partition using it's parentID.
From the Activity Partition you can find it's classifier id using the field Classifier

Geert

[John_WSP]

Thanks for your insight Paolo - in this case, I don't see the partition as a rendering of the actor - it simply defines a collection of activities that the actor has responsibility for.

[Geert Bellekens]

Thanks for your insight Paolo - in this case, I don't see the partition as a rendering of the actor - it simply defines a collection of activities that the actor has responsibility for.

I hope you mean Actions and not Activities. There are no Activities on an Activity Diagram. Activities the owners of Activity diagrams, but don't appear in them. This is equivalent to StateMachines (Activities) and States (Actions)

Geert

[John_WSP]

Geert - having researched he distinction between action and activity, I now understand the pint you just made.  EA calls the blocks on the Activity diagram "Activity.." - I take it that this is incorrect?

[John_WSP]

The curtain opens - I see that EA offers both Action and Activity objects.

Cheers
...JohnH

[Geert Bellekens]

The curtain opens - I see that EA offers both Action and Activity objects.

Cheers
...JohnH

Yes, it's one of the most common UML mistakes, partly because the UML specs don't make that distinction very clear to begin with.

Geert