How to override UCInclude Shapescript?

[Paolo F Cantoni]

In https://sparxsystems.com/forums/smf/index.php/topic,48253.0.html, Sparxian Eve clarified how to add a Use Case Include relationship to our MDG toolbox (i.e. UML::UCInclude).  We'd now like to override the UCInclude shapescript.  So, we tried to create our own stereotype in our MDG by extending «metaclass» Include.  Thus «Stereotype» OurStereotype «extends» «metaclass» Include.
OurStereotype includes a shapescript definition in the _image attribute.
However, this doesn't work.  When we create the realtionship, it has the (extended) stereotype property OurMDG::OurStereotype, include.  t_connector.Stereotype=OurStereotype,  t_connector.Connector_Type=UseCase,  t_connector.Subtype=Includes  - so it looks like we'd expect, but the OurStereotype shapescript is NOT invoked! It appears the original UML::UCInclude shapescript is invoked.

Can some kind soul indicate what we're doing wrong?  So that our shapescript is invoked.

TIA,
Paolo

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Some more weirdness...  As I mentioned previously, when we create the relationship, it has the (extended) stereotype property "OurMDG::OurStereotype, include".  When we open the Stereotype compartment of the Properties window -  we see:
OurMDG::OurStereotype
include

(in the two expected cells) and the Type cell shows:
Use Case «include»
as expected.
However, when we open the stereotype cell, instead of seeing a dialog with
Perspective: User Technologies
Profile: OurMDG
Stereotypes: OurStereotypeApply to: Include (or even UCInclude)
We find NO stereotypes listed!
Only when we change the Profile from OurMDG to <none> do we find...

Perspective:  User Technologies
Profile: <none>
Stereotypes: OurMDG::OurStereotype Apply to: <empty>

When this happens, it's often because OurMDG::OurStereotype has been created in the local stereotype list and needs to be removed.  But this is NOT the case here!

[Edit: Also, since the designation of  Use Case «include» is UML::UCInclude;  t_xref.Description instead of holding:
@STEREO;Name=OurStereotype ;FQName=OurMDG::OurStereotype ;@ENDSTEREO;@STEREO;Name=UCInclude;FQName= UML::UCInclude;@ENDSTEREO;
Holds:
@STEREO;Name=OurStereotype ;FQName=OurMDG::OurStereotype ;@ENDSTEREO;@STEREO;Name=include;GUID={A61EC366-2FF9-40da-9AED-1CB578D3B45A};@ENDSTEREO;
i.e. it's created a local stereotype!]

It's beginning to smell like legacy hard coding that makes UCInclude inconsistent with the current MDG mechanisms.  Can anyone shed any light?

TIA,
Paolo

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Some further testing reinforces it is some kind of hard coding.  If we change the base connector type to just about anything other than UseCase  (we settled on Connector - after confirming several different values did work), then the override works correctly! 

Please rectify.
Reported,


Paolo

[Paolo F Cantoni]

I sent a support request to Sparx, and they replied:

"The answer appears to be to have a second Extension to a metaclass element "UseCase", which is the value that appears in the t_connector.Connector_Type field in the database."

To which I replied:
"Two points:
1) UseCase is an Element metaclass, not a Connector metaclass
2) How are we poor sods supposed to guess this is the solution?  Is the documentation going to be updated?"

Still, at least we got a working answer!

HTH,
Paolo

[qwerty]

Business as usual.

q.