Diagram Viewpoints

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Diagram Viewpoints

The viewpoints feature ensures that components and connections which are added to a diagram must have a type association previously defined before they can be added to a diagram. This feature allows for the restriction of the types of diagrams that can be drawn by restricting the shapes & connectors that are associated with Components and Connections existing within your architecture.

Enabling or Disabling Enforcing diagram viewpoints

The ability to enforce diagram viewpoints is automatically enabled by default. To disable/enable this feature click on Tools | Options... | the Diagram tab, and deselect/select the Enforce Diagram Viewpoints check box accordingly.

Note

If you don’t see the ‘Enforce Diagram Viewpoints’ option on the Diagram tab then you don’t have Configurer access and the option is on by default.

Creating an enforceable diagram viewpoint

1.Ensure you have an ABACUS file open with the explorer view displayed.

2.In the explorer view right click on Viewpoints and click on Create Diagram Viewpoint

3.The Diagram Viewpoint window will be displayed.

4.Assign a relevant name to the diagram viewpoint and note that the viewpoint is saved under the Viewpoints section of the explorer.

5.The Diagram Viewpoint window will be displayed.

6.Now click and drag the relevant component types and connection types in your architectures onto the viewpoint shapes you want. Component types must be dragged onto a shape in the shapes tab, whilst connection types must be dragged onto one of the 5 line style shapes in the connectors tab.

7.To save the diagram viewpoint you have created click on the on the top right hand corner of your Diagram Viewpoint window.

Note

The diagram viewpoint may be edited by right clicking on the viewpoint and selecting Open or double-clicking the viewpoint.

Tip

You can copy created component type shapes and connection type connectors across viewpoints and individual diagrams to/from their stencil.

Tip

On a stencil or viewpoint you can import shapes from Visio drawings. Click here for more information.

Synchronising an updated viewpoint with diagrams

1.Ensure you have an ABACUS file open.

2.Either right-click the viewpoint in the Explorer window under Metamodel | Viewpoints and select Sync Diagram Mappings...

- or -

3.Close the open and updated viewpoint window and select Yes in the Synchronise to Viewpoint dialog that is displayed.

4.The Viewpoint Synchronisation dialog will be displayed as shown below.

Checkboxes

•Add Missing Mappings – Any new shape (to component type) or connector (to connection type) associations that have been added to the viewpoint will be added to the corresponding diagrams (i.e. their stencils) that are linked to the viewpoint.

•Update Existing Mappings – Any updated aspects of the existing shape (to component type) or connector (to connection type) associations for the viewpoint (e.g. colour, font styles) will be updated in the corresponding diagrams (i.e. their stencils) that are linked to the viewpoint.

•Remove Extra Mappings – Any additional shape (to component type) or connector (to connection type) associations that have been added to the diagrams (i.e. their stencils) but are not in the viewpoint will be removed from the corresponding diagrams (i.e. their stencils) that are linked to the viewpoint.

•Overwrite Local Settings for Added or Updated Mappings (Differences Only) – Any updated aspects of the existing shape (to component type) or connector (to connection type) associations for the viewpoint (e.g. colour, font styles) will be applied to the corresponding elements on the diagrams that are linked to the viewpoint. Only the updated 'differences' made to the viewpoint are applied so any existing local settings in the diagram that were not updated in the viewpoint will remain unchanged.

•Annotations – As above but specifically for the annotations.