Cloning Components and Ports and changing their types and stereotypes

[Modesto Vega]

I am working with a repository where we used components, UML components, to represent applications, and ports to represent (well defined) interactions between applications. ArchiMate 3.2 provides a much richer conceptual taxonomy, and, as result, we are toying with the possibility of cloning existing content and create a new version.

In an ideal world, we would like to clone components as new version an change their types and stereotypes to ArchiMate Application Components, and ports to ArchiMate Application Interactions.

Can the later be done?

I would also appreciate any thoughts on how wise or unwise this may be.

[philchudley]

I believe the major challenge will be that in UML a port is an owned child element whereas in AcrhiMate the ApplicationInteraction is a separate element associated with an ArchiMate ApplicationComponent element.

A scripted solution maybe possible, creating relationships (trace?) between the UML elements and their respective ArchiMate elements, in a similar manner to that used by Time Aware Modelling. This could create the elements and their traceability, but creating the ArchiMate version of the diagram,  , The script could "clone" the diagram, then iterate the elements on the diagram performing the transformations as necessary, but this still raises the issue of nested ports in UML, versus separate related elements in ArchiMate. It maybe be easier to script the element changes, then create the ArchiMate diagrams manually.

Best of luck

Phil

[Modesto Vega]

Thank you Melisa and Phil.

By the way, the quote below is exactly the reason why I asked the question. Part of me wishes that Sparx Systems had implemented or will re-implement parent-child relationships in a more flexible way. But I totally get why it was implemented the way it is.

I believe the major challenge will be that in UML a port is an owned child element whereas in AcrhiMate the ApplicationInteraction is a separate element associated with an ArchiMate ApplicationComponent element.