Element Creatr User Guide Element Creatr fr Enterprise Architect Element Creatr fr Enterprise Architect... 1 Disclaimer... 2 Dependencies... 2 Overview... 2 Limitatins... 3 Installatin... 4 Verifying the installatin... 4 Creating Requirements thrugh the extensin interface... 7 Supprt and cntact infrmatin... 10 Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 1 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Disclaimer Element Creatr User Guide The guidelines cntained in this dcument are based n release 9.1.910 f Enterprise Architect. Versin 1.0.x f the Element Creatr add-in can be successfully deplyed with EA versin 9.1.x. This deplyment, as well as the guidelines included herein, may r may nt be applicable t any earlier r later versin f the tl as released by the vendr, Sparx Systems. The 32-bit add-in has been successfully tested n Micrsft Windws XP (SP3) and n a 64-bit Windws 7 system. If any prblems are encuntered with the installatin r peratin f this sftware please cntact us thrugh any f the channels listed at the bttm f this dcument. Dependencies The add-in depends n the fllwing cmpnents being installed n the system: Interp.EA.dll (part f the standard Sparx installatin files). Micrsft.Net Framewrk 4.0 (if missing, the installer will detect this and ffer t autmatically dwnlad and install the Framewrk). Overview The 1.0.x versin f the Element Creatr extensin prvides the ability t define new Requirements thrugh a visual interface built-in t Enterprise Architect. This interface is nn mdal s all ther EA interfaces can be used while the extensin is active. The cntext fr creating Requirements can be: A single Package. A Package hierarchy (the Requirement can then be added t any Package belnging t that hierarchy). The element name can be pasted in, entered manually, r extracted ut f the Requirement s ntes. Optinally a name prefix can be specified fr cnsistency (e.g. The System shall ). Requirement type, status, pririty and alias fields can be quickly assigned. The selected values are retained in between creatins. A ntes field is prvided t easily capture the dcumentatin fr the Requirement. The dcumentatin can be added: Manually. Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 2 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Element Creatr User Guide By cpying and pasting ut f Micrsft Wrd/RTF dcuments (r any ther text management applicatin). By dragging text frm any applicatin that allws it and drpping it nt the ntes field! All pasted r drpped text is autmatically cnverted t RTF frmat. Text frmatting (e.g. bld, underline, italic, text clr) is maintained. Nte that Enterprise Architect nly supprts a limited set f text frmatting ptins fr cmpatibility reasns. Any selected text in the ntes can be swiftly appended t the name field. Selected text can als be used as a search cntext t query the Repsitry fr similarly wrded Requirements. This feature helps t reduce duplicates. All similarly wrded Requirements are presented in a list which can be used t quickly lcate them in the Prject Brwser, and/r edit their prperties. Optinally external references can be added by: Drpping files. Drpping URL links. Als ptinally, an RTF file can be drpped fr autmatic uplading as a Linked Dcument. Finally, after creatin, the Requirement is autmatically selected in the Prject Brwser t facilitate the entry f any additinal infrmatin (e.g. tagged values). Limitatins The set f Requirement types presented by the extensin interface is limited t thse types defined in the General Types settings f the tl. Additinal Requirement types defined by MDG Technlgies r UML Prfiles are nt included. The autmatin API call that cnverts standard RTF t the mre limited versin supprted by EA des nt prperly recgnized sme f the text frmatting. Fr example: Different fnt sizes in the text are ignred. Bulleted and numbered paragraphs are nt recgnized as such. If this is an issue, please let the vendr (Sparx Systems) knw. As a wrk arund yu can manually cpy and paste these text segments int the EA ntes field after creatin f the Requirement (i.e. as f versin 9.1.x f EA the API implementatin cde des nt wrk the same way as the cde handling manual paste). Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 3 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Installatin Element Creatr User Guide Exit any running instances f Enterprise Architect, then launch the setup.exe prgram prvided by Cephas Cnsulting and fllw the n-screen instructins. The installatin will attempt t update the Windws registry, s the User needs t ensure that s/he has sufficient privileges t run the setup prgram. The recmmended install path is t place the DLL and any supprting files in an Addins flder in the Sparx Systems installatin directry (e.g. C:\Prgram Files\Sparx Systems\Addins). Nte that lder versins f the sftware are autmatically remved and replaced. Shuld the installatin fail fr any reasn ther than insufficient User privileges, please take apprpriate screenshts and email the data t the supprt address listed at the bttm f this dcument. Verifying the installatin Bring up Enterprise Architect and verify that there is an Element Creatr menu item under the Extensins menu: Other add-ins may be present as well, depending n yur EA versin and cnfiguratin. The cntent f the Element Creatr sub-menu may vary depending n the selected cntext in EA (Package, element, diagram,...). Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 4 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Element Creatr User Guide Shuld the menu entry nt be present, select the Manage Add-Ins menu ptin: And cnfirm that the Element Creatr add-in is laded and enabled: If an errr status is shwn this typically means that either: The DLL installatin prcess failed and EA cannt lcate its reference, either in the Windws registry r in the file system. The installatin did succeed but the DLL file was later mved r deleted. If the Element Creatr entry itself is nt fund then the add-in installatin did nt cmplete successfully. Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 5 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Element Creatr User Guide First try the repair ptin when re-installing r, if that des nt reslve the prblem, uninstall the current versin manually and re-install frm scratch. At a minimum the fllwing files shuld have been installed in the selected installatin directry: Cephas_Sftware_EULA.pdf Element Creatr.pdf EA.TLB Interp.EA.dll ElementCreatr.dll Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 6 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Element Creatr User Guide Creating Requirements thrugh the extensin interface Currently the nly cntext that can be used as a basis fr Requirement creatin is a Package selected in the Prject Brwser: If the selected View/Package cntains child Packages an ptin will be presented later (at Requirement creatin time) t select the specific parent Package frm the hierarchy. Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 7 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Element Creatr User Guide The fllwing extensin interface, residing inside the diagram frame f the tl, is then presented: 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 7 9 10 14 11 12 13 User actins: Actin Descriptin 1. Paste the name f the Requirement, enter it manually, r set it frm a text selectin in the ntes bx (see Actin 6 belw). Only plain text is supprted in the name field. Nte that if EA has been cnfigured (in Settings Aut Names and Cunters) t autmatically assign a number t the Requirement name then the name field will be disabled. 2. Optinally define a cnsistent name prefix (e.g. The System shall ) fr the new Requirements and click the Add Prefix buttn t insert it int the name field. 3. Select the Requirement s type, status and pririty values frm the drpdwns presented. The up and dwn arrw keys can be used t rtate thrugh the values. Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 8 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Element Creatr User Guide 4. Optinally enter an alias fr the Requirement. Nte that if EA has been cnfigured (in Settings Aut Names and Cunters) t autmatically assign a number t the Requirement alias then this field will be disabled. 5. Manually enter the dcumentatin fr the Requirement, r cpy and paste it frm an external surce (including EA), r simply drag the text frm any surce that allws it and drp it nt the Ntes bx. Plain text, r any text that can be cnverted t RTF is accepted. The text will be drpped at the current insert pint. Use the Clear, Und and Red buttns as needed. It is assumed that prper text frmatting will have ccurred in the surce dcument, but Set Fnt and Set Clr buttns are prvided fr additinal frmatting needs. 6. Click this buttn t append the text segment selected in the Ntes bx t the name field. 7. Click this buttn t search the repsitry fr Requirements in which the text segment selected in the Ntes bx can be fund. The addin uses the standard EA Requirements search definitin fr this purpse. Any Requirements matching the search criteria are added t the Similar elements list bx (see Actin 8). 8. Single click any Requirement presented in the list t lcate it in the Prject Brwser, r duble click it t pen its standard EA prperty sheet. 9. Optinally drag and drp any external files that need t be assciated with the Requirement int this list bx. Additinally paste r drp any URL hyperlink (i.e. any text string starting with www r http ). These links will be added t the Requirement upn creatin. 10. Optinally drp an RTF file t be upladed as a Linked Dcument f the Requirement. 11. If the cntext Package cntains child Packages, the entire hierarchy will be presented in this drpdwn. Yu can use the arrw keys t quickly rtate thrugh the list and select the Package int which the next creatin shuld ccur. 12. Click this buttn t create the new Requirement. If the name field is nt disabled (see Actin 1) then a value must be assigned t it befre the buttn is enabled. 13. Reset can be used t quickly clear ut the current name, ntes, similar elements, external links and linked dcument fields f the interface. Nte that ther values such as Requirement type, status and pririty are retained in between creatins. 14. Watch this status bar fr any User feedback messages! T exit the interface, simply clse it like any ther EA diagram. Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 9 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011
Supprt and cntact infrmatin Element Creatr User Guide Use the cntact infrmatin belw fr any installatin r runtime issues with the add-in. Feature requests r suggestins fr imprvement are als welcme! Frank Truyen Email: frank.truyen@cephas.cc Phne : 714-573-7112. Cephas Cnsulting Crp. 10 f 10 Nvember 17, 2011