EA Elements Tips & Tricks 2
So this Article covers some usefull tips and tricks i’ve learned while modelling in SparxSystem Enterprise Architect. These all relate to elements in EA. Elements form the basis of all models. a model without a element is no model at all. So lets start !
Deleting Elements (Properly)
As Enterprise Architect is a proper modelling tool do not be fooled by merely deleting an element from your diagram and then assuming the element is gone forever. the ghost of unused elements linger and remain in your project browser. Now these often become Orphans (Search for Orphan Elements on this page for more info) but if you want to keep your models clean you’ll need to properly delete your elements. This video shows just how to achieve that.
AutoNames & Element Counters
I’m a big fan of numbering Elements in my models as this will allow for easy referencing in your documentation. Well the good news is you don’t have to manually name and number your Elements in EA you can setup autonames and autocounters for a specific element type in your models. Here is how to do it !
Finding Elements & Diagrams
Now in your quest as a modeller to model the entire universe you will eventually face on big problem. How to find Elements & diagrams (Models) when you have millions of them in a project. This video explains how you can use Find functionality in EA.
Default Element Appearance
Now some of your elements might have a special place in your heart and you feel you want to always give them a special appearance without having to do so manually every time you use an element in a diagram. All you have to do is setup the Default appearance and this is how :
Nesting Elements
Now Nesting is actually just refers on setting up the parent child structures of your elements. So one thing to note that an element can only be nested under one other element using this method. I give a practical example in the video below ….
until we meet again….Happy modelling….
