Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

Create Toolbox Profiles

You can create multiple toolbox profiles within an MDG Technology. Each toolbox profile contains definitions that determine what appears in the Toolbox when it is opened, either by selecting from the More tools... option in the Toolbox window, or by opening or creating a diagram of the type that is linked to the toolbox profile.

How to

To create a toolbox profile

Step

Action

See also

1

Create a diagram in a profile package, and give it a name by which you can refer to it later, such as MyClassDiagram.

 

 

2

In the Notes field, give the diagram an alias and a description in the following format:
 

Alias=MyClass;Notes=Structural elements for class diagrams;
 
 

 

3

On the diagram, create a Class, name it ToolboxPage and give it the �metaclass� stereotype.

 

 

4

Create a �stereotype� element for each of the toolbox pages to create within your toolbox, such as MyClassElements and MyClassRelationships.

Set their Alias to the text to display in the title bar of each toolbox page, such as My Class Elements and My Class Relationships respectively.

Use the Notes field to define the tool-tip for each toolbox page; that is, Elements for Class Diagrams and Relationships for Class Diagrams.

Use the �extends� connector to set the stereotype elements to extend ToolboxPage.

 

Toolbox Page Attributes

5

In the �stereotype� elements, create an attribute for each toolbox item.

The name of the attribute should be the name of the element or connector to be dropped, including namespace; for example, UML::Package, UML::Class and UML::Interface.

The toolbox items display in the same order as the attributes in the Class, so make use of the attribute ordering buttons to define the order of icons in your toolbox page.

To name an attribute for an item from your own technology, precede it with your profile name as the namespace, and then follow it in brackets with the element or connector type that you are extending (so that Enterprise Architect knows what object to create); for example, a SysML block element would appear as SysML::Block(UML::Class).

Click on the links on the right for a complete list of elements and connectors that can be extended.

To define a toolbox item that allows a pattern to be dropped onto a diagram, name the attribute My Technology::MyPattern(UMLPattern) where MyTechnology is the ID of the technology and MyPattern is the name of the pattern to drop; for example, BusFramework::Builder(UMLPattern).

You can replace (UMLPattern) with (UMLPatternSilent) to avoid displaying the Add Pattern dialog.

To define a model-based pattern in a custom toolbox (such as the GoF patterns) create an attribute with a name of the format PatternCategory::PatternName(UML Pattern); for example: GoF Behavioral Patterns:: Mediator(UML Pattern).

You might not want to use names such as UML::Package or UML::Class in your toolbox, so give the attributes an Initial Value of, for example, Package or Class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elements Used in Toolboxes

Connectors Used in Toolboxes

6

To save the toolbox profile, right-click on the diagram and select the Save as Profile context menu option.

 

 

Notes

Each profile element incorporated into an MDG Toolbox page enables synchronization of the Tagged Values and Constraints of all elements created from them
The sequence of Toolbox pages in the Toolbox is determined by the sequence of their stereotyped Class elements in the profile diagram or profile package; if you create and save the profile from a:
Diagram, the Toolbox page sequence is determined by the Z-order of the stereotyped Class elements on the diagram - the higher the z-order number of the stereotyped Class element, the further down the Toolbox its Toolbox page is placed; if you  change the Z-order of a stereotyped element in the diagram, it changes the position of the element's page on the Toolbox
Package in the Project Browser, the Toolbox page sequence is determined by the list order of the stereotyped Class elements in the package - the Toolbox page for the first listed element is at the top of the Toolbox; if you re-order the elements in the Project Browser list, you produce the same re-ordering of pages in the Toolbox
 

Learn more

Diagram Context Menu (Modify Z-Order option)