How to use ARCSeeker with Enterprise Architect (2)

Step 4. Find a Component in the Storage

To manage and find components, you can sort or make groups by using your original tags which are defined in step 3.

First, you must specify tags which you use for sorting or making groups from the Settings | Custom Columns for Lists of the Main menu, the following dialog is shown.

Press the Add button and set a column name and relation to the tag. After adding this pair (a column name and a tag), you can specify to show the column in the Component List view or the Group List view.

If you want to show your original column, right-click the header of the Component List view. Select Other... and check/uncheck. You can also change order of columns.

If you want to make groups in the Group List view, click Show Grouping Rule and select the column in the drop down list. Grouping by your original column (tag), you can easily classify a lot of components.

The following images are a sample of the Group List view. You can select any combination of component properties and component tags. This Group List view is one of most useful features of ARCSeeker. This allows you to narrow down the selections and find useful components in various situations. You can make a similar hierarchy structure by using Windows Folders (Directories), but this structure is static (fixed) and the structure is not always suitable for finding components in various situations.

If you want to search for components, the Search view is an easy way to search for them by terms (keywords). Enter one or more terms in the Search Term field in the Search view, and ARCSeeker will display components which contain the specified terms in their properties.

The relationships diagram is also a good feature if you want to search for components, the Search view is an easy way to search for them by terms (keywords). Enter one or more terms in the Search Term field in the Search view, and ARCSeeker will display components which contain the specified terms in their properties.

You can use the Detail Search dialog to specify more advanced conditions.

Step 5. Use a Component as an Enterprise Architect Model

You can use components to a package which is specified by the Enterprise Architect Project Browser by using ARCSeeker Connector Add-in for Enterprise Architect.

Right-click a package in the Project Browser, and then select Add-in | ARCSeeker Connector | Import Packages. After specifying the target component in following the dialog, EA automatically imports the target component under the selected package.

When the target component has related components and they do not exist in the current project, ARCSeeker will ask to import the component at the same time. If your answer is Yes, ARCSeeker will automatically import them.

Update existing Components in ARCSeeker

After importing a component into other EAP file as EA's package, you may update it to the storage. There are two options.

If the imported package is the same as original component in meaning, objective, etc., you should update (overwrite) it.

If you modified the package and you wish to register the package as a new component, ARCSeeker automatically add a "derived" relationship between the new component and the original component. You can see the relationship in the relationships diagram of ARCSeeker. By the derived relationships, you can trace the changes of any component and you can use the newest component or older components.

To register the package as a derived package, right-click the target package in EA and select Add-In | ARCSeeker Connector | Register as a Derived Component. ARCSeeker shows the following dialog and you can enter the new version number or a comment. The comment is automatically recorded as an ARCSeeker's comment in the Comment tab of the new component.