Author Topic: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value  (Read 3226 times)

Mauricio Moya (Arquesoft)

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Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« on: February 14, 2023, 02:42:26 am »
Suppose you create a custom MDG with profiles and "customized" elements (stereotypes) with some special tag values that appears in the Properties window in the "Element" section (not in "Tags" section).

In this case, the tag values you define in your stereotype seems to be extended properties for the element, as they are visible in the main page of the Properties windows (below "General" section of the properties).

So, if you change any of the General properties (Name, Alias, Keywords, status, version...) the Modified date of the element is updated. But if you change any of you customized properties (tag values from the MDG), the Modified date of the element is not updated.

Do you consider it as a bug? or a feature? Don't you think it's more logical to update the date when you change a tag value? (even any tag value)

qwerty

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2023, 03:35:48 am »
IIRC someone else also noticed that in the past. Some time ago that must have been. So send a feature request (one more to count?). I think it's inconsistent, but somewhere in the Sparx Bible you might find "and G. spoke: Tags are naught".

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Mauricio Moya (Arquesoft)

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2023, 09:22:47 am »
I have just added it as a feature request (maybe listed at the end of the backlog, with priority 0)

qwerty

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2023, 09:29:34 am »
I would not be surprised if they had also negative priorities in their list. Provided they have a list at all :-/

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Paolo F Cantoni

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2023, 11:39:35 am »
IIRC someone else also noticed that in the past. Some time ago that must have been. So send a feature request (one more to count?). I think it's inconsistent, but somewhere in the Sparx Bible you might find "and G. spoke: Tags are naught".

q.
As usual, it probably comes down to a conceptual question.  "All tags are created equal, but some are more equal than others"!  Are Tags conceptually part of the item or something related to it?  If part, then they should be no different than updating a column in t_object.  If not a part, then they are "sui generis".


It seems to me that whatever the answer above is, those tags that are treated as formal properties of the item (via the MDG) are "Features by another name" and so warrant updating t_object if they change.  Indeed, they are treated differently by EA (from simple Tags) since they have "magic" guids that allow them to appear in the properties window instead of the Tags window.


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... Therefore, aim for consistency; in the expectation of achieving correctness....
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Mauricio Moya (Arquesoft)

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2023, 01:12:30 am »
In fact, my real need is that all tagged values, regardless of their nature (created from an MDG or manually), when modified, update the modification date.

qwerty

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2023, 01:35:55 am »
You always can write an add-in that does the job. Given that tag modification will be caught by some event. Currently not so sure about that.

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Mauricio Moya (Arquesoft)

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #7 on: February 17, 2023, 03:18:10 am »
You always can write an add-in that does the job. Given that tag modification will be caught by some event. Currently not so sure about that.

q.
I thinks it is a good idea! Maybe a Model Addin. I will try it!

Richard Freggi

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2023, 11:36:32 pm »
Tagged values and elements are different things.  If I change a tag value I'm not changing the element.  Name, Alias, Keywords, status, version are properties of the element, while name, text, modified date etc. are properties of the tag. 

Tags are related to elements but are not properties of the element.  Tags have properties of their own.

If element modified date was changed when I modify a tag it would be inconsistent with the UML metamodel.

qwerty

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2023, 12:07:25 am »
UML does not know Tagged Values. That's an EA invention (or history). UML has Stereotype Properties. Properties themself are associated with Classifier. You can not argue with the UML specs here.

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Eve

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #10 on: February 21, 2023, 08:05:53 am »
UML does not know Tagged Values. That's an EA invention (or history). UML has Stereotype Properties. Properties themself are associated with Classifier. You can not argue with the UML specs here.
Tagged values were the sole extension mechanism pre UML 2. They effectively morphed into stereotype properties. So you're partially right. Being called that is because of history.

However, the sole way to add additional properties to a UML element is stereotype properties. They are owned by an instance of the stereotype that has a reference to the element it's applied to. So the stereotype properties are not owned by the element. Even if you're referring to the contents of the Tags window. The only place they can fit in to UML is stereotype properties. If you look at an EA export it's still in a stereotype.

Code: [Select]
<xmi:XMI xmlns:xmi="http://www.omg.org/spec/XMI/20131001" xmlns:uml="http://www.omg.org/spec/UML/20161101" xmlns:umldi="http://www.omg.org/spec/UML/20161101/UMLDI" xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/UML/20161101/UMLDC" xmlns:thecustomprofile="http://www.sparxsystems.com/profiles/thecustomprofile/1.0">
<xmi:Documentation exporter="Enterprise Architect" exporterVersion="6.5" exporterID="1625"/>
<uml:Model xmi:type="uml:Model" name="EA_Model">
<packagedElement xmi:type="uml:Package" xmi:id="EAPK_1400E415_BFA0_4209_829F_88BD16346AF7" name="Package1">
<packagedElement xmi:type="uml:Class" xmi:id="EAID_90B701B3_F0D0_4ead_A457_698E75804288" name="Class2"/>
</packagedElement>
<profileApplication xmi:type="uml:ProfileApplication" xmi:id="profileap_thecustomprofile">
<appliedProfile xmi:type="uml:Profile" href="http://www.sparxsystems.com/profiles/thecustomprofile/1.0#thecustomprofile"/>
</profileApplication>
</uml:Model>
<thecustomprofile:wrong base_Class="EAID_90B701B3_F0D0_4ead_A457_698E75804288" wrong="This is a 'Tag'"/>
</xmi:XMI>
So, yes. You absolutely can argue for the current behavior using UML.

I chose not to argue it myself, but I couldn't resist defending that point of view.

qwerty

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Re: Modified date of elements doesn't change when modified tag value
« Reply #11 on: February 21, 2023, 09:41:26 am »
I couldn't resist defending that point of view.
I'm not surprised.

q.