MDG - How to extend BPMN2.0

(This post is a question. It's created here with the purpose of being able to link to it from certain web discussions. But, of course, if you happen to know the answer, you are very welcome to present the answer here)


MDG - How to extend BPMN2.0


I'm trying to extend BPMN2.0 in my own MDG  (still on EA 10).

I don't succed in using the MDG helper wizards - in the miscellaneous drop-down boxes I cannot choose from BPMN elements.

I have managed to extend the BPMN2.0::Activity like this without the MDG help wizards:

Notice that the extended element (at top) is a stereotype element, not a metaclass element!
I tired to make use a metaclass element but have not succeeded in that.

Well it creates a valid MDG, and it appears in my toolbox and I can use it on my diagrams. It also has all the BPMN2.0::Activity tags.

But problem:
1) When I add it to a diagram the usual auto-pop-up menu prompting the user for tasktype does not appear!
2) In the tags pane, the tags cannot be presented grouped in compartments - only alphabetically sorted!

Especially the first of the above two problems will be very unpopular among users.

So how do I create a proper MDG extension for BPMN2.0?

(I have seen and checked menroy's post, http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1412945447/28#28)

Object transferred between two processes

(This post is a question. It's created here with the purpose of being able to link to it from certain web discussions. But, of course, if you happen to know the answer, you are very welcome to present the answer here)

Object transferred between two processes

I have a top level view showing the object transferred between the two top level processes as shown here:

And I also have detail views for the internals of those processes showing which internal activies sends/receives the object - as shown below for the process that sends the object to the other process (physically drives the object and leaves it at the place where the other process picks it up.

Now the question is: Do I have to create the data association at both levels - or is there a way that EA recognizes the lower level data association and is able to show it automatically at the higher level?

UML Profile: Sharing Common Set of Tags - by generalization connector

In a UML profile, I have:

·         A <<metaclass>> ”Class”

·         A <<stereotype>> ”Obj” extending ”Class”

·         Three <<stereotype>>s (”ProcessObj”,”ResourceObj”,”ReferenceObj”) specializing ”Obj”

Like this:

When I use the three <<stereotype>>s ”ProcessObj”,”ResourceObj”,”ReferenceObj”, they all have inherited the tags from  ”Obj” – so far so good.

BUT: the tags are not grouped according to the tag groups – in fact they don’t seem to have the tag groups (although the tags themselves are all there).

If I double check by including the ”Obj” in a toolbox in the MDG file, the ”Obj” does have the tags grouped properly.

I have many stereotypes sharing a common set of base tags. Is this not the proper way to do it?

I’m not familiar with how to use the Metatype, but have tried different variations without that solving this issue.

Does any body know how to do this (sharing a common set of tags)?

Also: Am I using the ”Generalization” connector in a wrong way in my UML profile?