search

archimatetool / archi

Archi: ArchiMate Modelling Tool
https://www.archimatetool.com
MIT License
914 stars 267 forks source link

Add default appearance for specializations/element types in a model #900

Open startsevsa opened 1 year ago

startsevsa commented 1 year ago

For example, if we have some kinds of artifacts - such as: files, folders, executables, db-files and etc. So that on every view of a model artifact of the same specialization will have the same look (fill, border color, text color and etc).

This will be helpful to separate specializations visually on a views

rchevallier commented 1 year ago

+1 it would be helpful for a Specialization that the default appearance properties can be optionally set for a Specialization and so are the default or can be reapplied for an element

jbsarrodie commented 1 year ago

Hi, in fact despite being interesting, this has no relation with specialization. Specialization mecanism is only about defining a custom concept (and potentially a dedicated icon to replace the usual ArchiMate one). But other than that, visual appearance in a view is not concerned.

The real underlying feature that would address your request is in fact the viewpoint mecanism. A viewpoint should not only drive the set of concepts you have you could use for a specific need, it should also drive the way things look. For example, one could decide that in a "Solution Architecture Diagram" viewpoint, only icon notation should be used (whatever the element), while in another viewpoint, one could set box notation and some specific visual attributes as default.

So if I could enhance Archi on this aspect, then I would make it possible to define viewpoints visually by creating some kind of diagram (whose name is the viewpoint name) on which I would put all some elements (including specializations) which would become the allowed elements, and if some visual properties are set on these elements, they become the default visual properties whenever an element is used in a view conforming to the viewpoint.

Phillipus commented 1 year ago

So if I could enhance Archi on this aspect, then I would make it possible to define viewpoints visually by creating some kind of diagram (whose name is the viewpoint name) on which I would put all some elements (including specializations) which would become the allowed elements, and if some visual properties are set on these elements, they become the default visual properties whenever an element is used in a view conforming to the viewpoint.

i.e a Viewpoint Template. I hereby coin the term "Viewplate"...