UML & SysML modelling languages

eaUtils 1.19.10 has been released with the following enhancements:

• Enterprise Architect 16 support with the new QEA and QEAx files and the 64-bit application.
• Improved visible relations management feature with additional details and options.
• Additional built-in searches on connectors.

eaUtils 1.19.7 introduces the support of connectors in its enhanced version of Enterprise Architect Find in All Diagrams.

When defining a UML Profile within an MDG Technology, I had to search the diagrams where a selected connector was visible. Yet running the Find in All Diagrams on the source or target element did not provide precise enough information. Hence the idea to add the connectors supports on eaUtils Find in All Diagrams.

eaUtils new Compare Diagrams feature provides a different approach by running a comparison on the content from 2 diagrams, to identify differences in terms of elements and connectors visible in each diagram.  

eaUtils 1.19 is available to download with a new feature to manage the visible relations from your diagram. Based on the built-in Set Visible Relations in Enterprise Architect, it is an enhanced version to help with diagrams with several relations of different type and/or stereotype.

EA searches have also been added in eaUtils embedded MDG: search elements (e.g. classes, use cases, components, etc.) by GUID, Object ID, Stereotype, or Alias.

Click here for more information.

eaUtils 1.18.1 has been released with the following improvements:

• Image Asset support
  • When an element e.g. a class or boundary shows an image asset, eaUtils makes it possible to select the image asset element in the Browser. Available via a right click or the Alt+I keyboard shortcut.
  • Easily create a boundary on a diagram to show the selected image asset (EA 15 doesn't support Boundary elements).
• Overall improvement of the menu managements for a better usability.
• Improved messages, and a better display of error messages.

Download link : www.eautils.com/download.

eaUtils 1.17.2 has been released with the following enhancements:

• Keyboard shortcut option.
• Find in All Diagrams supports image assets and information flows.

Download link: www.eautils.com/download.

eaUtils 1.16 has been released with its first SysML feature used for Systems Engineering and MBSE.

Its "Synchronize parts stereotypes" feature updates SysML stereotypes within the internal block diagram according to the associated block's stereotype, and custom mapping rules. This is useful when using an MDG that contains a toolbox and blocks/parts stereotypes such as hw block, sw block, hw part, sw part, etc.

• The online help is available here.
• A demonstration of this feature is available online from a Youtube video.

Download link: www.eautils.com/download. 

eaUtils 1.15.5 has been released with an improved usability by enabling the navigation between eaUtils screens and settings:

• The selection(s) in the popup window e.g. Option, Direction... is saved before opening the Settings.
• When closing the settings, the selection is restored in the previous popup.
• The selected sorting option is saved when navigating between the tree package and the single package sorting popup windows (when the Process Tree Package is modified via the Settings).

A video related to this version is available from this blog's YouTube channel.

eaUtils is available to download from www.eautils.com/download.

Following the diagram breadcrumb and elements sorting improvements released in eaUtils 1.14, eaUtils 1.15 has been published this week:

• New feature: enhanced version of Sparx built-in Find in All Diagrams traceability feature to find the diagrams where a selected element (or an instance) is used.
  
  • eaUtils version provides additional information about the diagrams such as the parent package name and full path
• Simplified access to eaUtils features from a diagram (until now, eaUtils only took into account the selection from the project browser to identify the available features)
• Cloud connection support

Following the release of a portable version last November, eaUtils 1.14 free utilities add-in for Sparx Enterprise Architect has just been published:

• Limited until now to composite elements, eaUtils breadcrumb trail navigation feature has been extended to support hyperlinks, packages (opening the first diagram in the package), and navigation cells (available since EA13).
• eaUtils elements sorting has been enhanced with new options:
  • Order elements by object id, matching the order in which they've been created or imported in EA.
  • Upon a user request, sort sub-elements e.g. to process actions within an activity.

The increasing complexity of eaUtils requires a minimum level of testing before releasing a new build in order to reduce the risk of new or regression bugs. Introduced for the first time at the EA User Group London 2017, eaTests (www.eatests.com) automated testing solution for EA add-ins is integrated with eaUtils to maintain and run automated tests. The latest 1.14 updates have been included in the automated tests as discussed later in this article.

Note: eaTests is currently maintained for the sole use of eaUtils. Designed to work with other add-ins, as illustrated at the EAUG 2017 via hoTools Open Source EA add-in, please feel free to contact me on guillaume [at] umlchannel.com for more information on integrating your add-in with eaTests.

This article illustrates eaUtils 1.14 new features and the automated testing process run for this new version, before publishing it.

eaUtils 1.13.3 (build 1710-4) addin for Sparx Enterprise Architect has been released this month with the following enhancements:

• Reduced the number of menus:
  • sort elements in a package or element: moved each option (sort by alias, tagged values, stereotype, name) to a drop down list,
  • sort elements or generate aliases according to the elements in a diagram: moved "top to bottom" and "left to right" options to a drop down list.
• Improved the settings window.
• Close Windows with the ESC key.
• Improved navigation between eaUtils windows and the settings window.
• New Portable Installation edition when Windows admin rights are not granted.

eaUtils 1.13.3 is available to download from eaUtils.com.

Preparing my presentation at the upcoming EA User Group in London (19/05/2017), I published my first video about this subject on the new UMLChannel Youtube channel.

It provides a first glimpse on the automated test module for Sparx Enterprise Architect addins that I will discuss in detail at the EAUG London 2017. Click on the image below to open the Youtube video.

eaUtils 1.12 (build 1612-4) addin for Sparx Enterprise Architect has been released today (10/03/2017) with the following enhancements:

• Added a sort by modified or created date on diagrams within a package or composite element
• Generate Alias: added an option to generate the alias for elements matching a single, selected stereotype. This can be useful e.g. for Archimate diagrams. This may be coupled with the object type restriction.
• Improved locking control rules (element locks with or without security)
• New sorting option: Sort numbering sequences including prefixes (e.g. REQ-1.1, REQ-1.2, REQ-1.10, REQ-1.15, REQ-2.0, REQ-2.1...) (asked by pli)
• Package Tree Sorting popup window not closed when do ne to allow reviewing processed packages.

eaUtils sorting features update the elements tree position from a package or element. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect applies a default sorting order based on the name of the elements. However to achieve a better management and more efficient use of the elements from within the Enterprise Architect project browser, it can be useful to have alternative and enhanced sorting options e.g. based on the alias, stereotype, tagged value, or according to the layout in a diagram.

This article illustrates a new feature introduced in eaUtils 1.11: sort elements within a package tree, using one of the available options (alias, stereotype, name, tagged value). Further information on all eaUtils sorting features are available from eaUtils Help.

eaUtils 1.11 (build 1601-3) addin for Sparx Enterprise Architect has been released today (27/02/2016) with the following enhancements:

• New option to sort elements in a package tree: when enabled eaUtils lets you select the packages within the tree to process (see screenshot below).

• Custom Tagged Value support in eaUtils Sort By settings (when a different Tagged Value from the predefined eaUtils BrowserOrder needs to be used).
• Improved popup windows with including a summary of the current settings and a status box (see below).

• New Generate Alias option to increment the starting number.
• Improved Security Lock controls.
• Bug fixes: removed packages from the diagram sorting, renamed Trailing zeros with Leading zeros.
• Improved Breadcrumb: prevent creating a hyperlink on the diagram itself.

eaUtils demonstrates how Sparx EA API makes it possible to implement additional features via a custom addin - extension. If you have any need related with the implementation of an addin for Enterprise Architect, please feel free to contact me via email (guillaume[at]umlchannel.com).

eaUtils 1.11 is available to download from eaUtils.com.

This is the second review of the newly released eaUtils addin for Sparx Enterprise Architect, following the breadcrumb trail feature review. The covered eaUtils feature aims at generating alias values on elements in a diagram, according to their position from top to bottom, or from left to right. eaUtils also provides an option to clear the alias from all package elements displayed in a diagram.

eaUtils help section examples have been re-used here.

The first official release of eaUtils 1.10 addin for Sparx Enterprise Architect is available!

This free add-in provides a number of features to help in the daily use of Sparx Enterprise Architect. The current version includes features to sort elements from EA Project Browser, generate elements alias with reference values according to their order in a diagram, and generate a "breadcrumb trail navigation" on a diagram.

eaUtils demonstrates how Sparx EA API enables customisation or achieving new features via add-ins, scripts, MDG, and UML profiles.

If you have any need related to the implementation an add-in for Enterprise Architect, please feel free to contact me via email (guillaume[at]umlchannel.com). 

16/12/2015 - version 1.10 (release 1511-7)

• Sort elements from a selected package or composite element...
  • by Alias
  • by the Tagged Value “BrowserOrder”
  • by Stereotype
  • by Name
• Apply the default sorting order on a selected package or element
• Sorting feature settings: enable case sensitive and extract integer from string values
• Sort a package elements by the order displayed from top to bottom, or from left to right, on a diagram selected from the project browser (optional: ignore external elements)
• Generate elements alias values according to their order in a diagram (top to bottom, or left to right)
• Generate the breadcrumb trail on a diagram selected from the project browser
• Update eaUtils settings
• Check for update
• About eaUtils dialog window
• Open the online help section

eaUtils 1.10 is available to download from eaUtils.com.

Navigating between a large number of opened diagrams within a Sparx Enterprise Architect modelling project can be cumbersome. When a composite element such as an activity, use case, or BPMN2 subprocess is opened, going back to the initial diagram is not easily supported in Sparx EA. This issue is not only valid when one uses Sparx EA tool, but also when an HTML export is used via a web browser (e.g. Firefox, Chrome, IE).

A workaround involves creating a diagram hyperlink back to each associated or linking diagram; eaUtils addin provides a Breadcrumb Trail feature that automatically generates all possible hyperlinks within an active diagram.

In the example below, a BPMN2 process has been defined via a composite BPMN diagram:

This article illustrates the use of eaUtils Breadcrumb trail feature to generate a link back. Note: this feature makes even more sense when multiple hyperlinks are created, so the user doesn't have to look up for each linking diagrams.

I started several months ago a personal project with the aim to release a free to use addin for Sparx Enterprise Architect: eaUtils. This add-in is intended to gather features that have addressed a number of situations I came across over the past years in my daily use of Sparx EA.

Most eaUtils features come from scripts that were initially written in Enterprise Architect. Some of these scripts have been shared via articles published on this blog, and improved since in this add-in. eaUtils was launched with the aim to gather all scripts in a Sparx Enterprise Enterprise Architect add’in for maintenance, installation, and diffusion purposes.

eaUtils version 1.05 features (beta 3 - release 1511-5):

• Sort elements from a selected package or composite element...
  • by Alias
  • by the Tagged Value “BrowserOrder”
  • by Stereotype
  • by Name
• Apply the default sorting order on a selected package or element
• Sort a package elements by the order displayed from top to bottom, or from left to right, on a diagram selected from the project browser (optional: ignore external elements)
• Generate the breadcrumb trail on a diagram selected from the project browser
• Update eaUtils settings
• About eaUtils dialog window
• Open the online help section

eaUtils Beta 3 is available to download from eaUtils.com.