What's New in Smart Development Environment 6.0 for Eclipse?

Group Glossary Terms by label

You can use label to group your glossary terms. One term can have multiple labels and you can filter glossary terms by label.

Commit partial changes to server

• Commit part of local modification to VP Teamwork Server
• Commit diagram
• Commit some shapes
• Commit some model elements

Write Business Rule

Define and describe business operations, definitions and constraints by text with intelligent business rule text editor.

Draw Fact Diagram

Relate glossary terms and design business structure by fact diagrams. Fact diagram supports attributes, unary fact type, binary fact type and n-ary fact type.

Design enterprise with ArchiMate diagram

Architect enterprise by simple yet powerful enterprise architecture notation, ArchiMate

Protect diagram by password

Avoid unauthorized changes by locking diagrams with password.

Browse model elements by grid

Grid diagram gives another perspective of your project file. You can browse your design in tabular format and configure showing which columns.

Create connectors with turning points

Save diagramming time by create connecting objects with multiple turning points at once.

A³ Platform integration

Reference to A³ Platform's activities, issues and requirements easily. Open the referenced A³ Platform resources by just a few mouse clicks.

Support URL for all shapes

Every element in VP project has a unique URL. You can send the URL to your colleagues to locate the target elements easily.

View dependent project diagrams

View sub-project diagrams in the master project without switching project back and forth.

Duplicate model elements from reference project

Automatic copy reference project model elements to current project. All model element members and properties will be copied at the same time.

Export state diagram to SCXML

Automatic generate state machine diagram to SCXML.

Export state diagram to SCXML

Step 1 of 4: Get ready for your state machine diagram

Model your state machine with state machine diagram. Make sure triggers are added to transitions to represent the cause of state change.

Step 2 of 4: Select to export SCXML

Right click on the background of state machine diagram and select Export > Export to SCXML... from the popup menu.

Step 3 of 4: Specify output destination

Specify the file path of the SCXML file. Click OK when ready.

Step 4 of 4: Obtain the exported SCXML file

The exported SCXML file can be found at the output destination specified.

Project file

Exported SCXML

Import Visio diagram to Stencil

Reuse Visio diagram with UML diagrams by importing Visio Drawing to Stencil.

Input sample data in ERD

Input sample data or initial database data when design database with Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD). The generated database initialization script includes insert sample data to the database.

Tutorial

• Specifying default data in database design

Place ID box in any position

ID box position:Top-rightRight-topRightRight-bottomBottom-rightBottomBottom-leftLeft-bottomLeftLeft-topTop-leftTop

Freely place ID label to anywhere or place the ID label in per-defined 8 direction.

Showing shape name in different angle

Showing shape name in different angle:

	Left (left-rotated)

	Right (left-rotated)

	Left (right-rotated)

	Right (right-rotated)

Flexible caption placement options for different diagram layout.

Remember expanded and collapsed connection points

Remember expanded and collapsed connection points:

	Collapsed

	Expanded

Automatic restore connection end point between expanded and collapsed shapes.

Write Flow of Events with control statements

Write series of interactions between users and system with flow of events editor. One use case contains multiple flow of events to describe different scenarios. Smart Development Environment for Eclipse provides easy-to-use editor to write flow of events.
The following movie demonstrates how to use the flow of events editor to describe use case scenario.

Tutorial

• Use case modeling with use case grid and flow of events editor

Online training

• Document Use Case using Use Case Detail (Free)

Re-use attribute as initial value

Class diagram is the most widely used diagram in modeling object-oriented system. A class diagram shows a set of classes, interfaces, associations and generalizations. Package is commonly used model element for organizing elements in class diagram. Class diagrams are not just for visualizing and documenting structure models but also for constructing executable system with forward, reverse and round-trip engineering. There is also a synchronization engine for generating and updating entity relationship diagram from class diagram.

Tutorial

• Working with the initial value of attribute

Online training

• Using Class Diagram (Free)

Export MS Excel in normalized format

Smart Development Environment for Eclipse supports exporting and importing Microsoft Excel file. Excel is the best tool for mass editing of model element names and properties. You may export diagram to Excel file, edit their names and properties in tabular format, and then import the changes back to Smart Development Environment for Eclipse. The following screenshots demonstrate how to export and import Excel file.

MS Excel file import and export

Step 1 of 6: Open the project

Open the project file for exporting Microsoft Excel (Excel) file.

Step 2 of 6: To export Excel file

Export Excel file by selecting File > SDE-EC Export > Excel... from the main menu.

Step 3 of 6: Specify file path

Specify the file path of saving the Excel file, select diagram(s) and the type(s) of model elements to be presented in the Excel file. Click Export to start exporting.

Step 4 of 6: Edit the Excel file

Read, analyze and edit the Excel file externally.

Step 5 of 6: To import Excel file

To merge external changes by importing an exported Excel project file through selecting File > SDE-EC Import > Excel... from the main menu. After that, specify the path of the Excel file to import.

Step 6 of 6: To confirm the changes

Changes resulted by importing Excel file, if any, are listed. You may click Save Details to record the changes in a separate Excel file. To proceed with importing, click OK.

Project file

Exported Microsoft Excel file

Generate sequence message number by frame

Sequence diagram shows interaction between users, systems and sub-systems, and emphasize the ordering of time of messages. You can draw sequence diagram solely by mouse or with keyboard shortcuts.

Tutorial

• Draw Sequence Diagram with Keyboard

Online training

• Using Sequence and Communication Diagram (Free)

Specify line jump size

Line Jump Options:

	Off

	Arc

	Gap

	Square

When drawing a complex diagram with many shapes and connectors, connectors may intersect with each other. Line jump feature is designed for decorating the intersection, which makes it easier to identify connection paths. Smart Development Environment for Eclipse supports arc, gap and square line jump options. The following screenshot shows all line jump options and you can try different line jump in left hand side pane.

Impact analysis glossary term

Analysis diagram helps to identify full consequences of changes before you really make changes. Analysis diagram visualize all related model elements. You can further analyse specific model element by clicking the analyse resource icon. The following flash demo demonstrates how to use analysis diagram to do impact analysis.

Filter model elements in Report Writer

Write report with your own format, style and layout. Smart Development Environment for Eclipse supports report creation by report writer.

Filter model elements in report template designer

Design your own report template with visual template designer. The latest version has added a lot of customizable elements and increased in usability. The following movie shows you how to use report template designer to design your own report template.

Sort visual diff result

Compare diagrams and view the result visually. The latest version supports exporting result of comparison to PDF.

Specify DPI when export PNG

Smart Development Environment for Eclipse can export diagrams into several image formats, such as JPG, PNG, SVG and EMF. The following screenshots show how to export Smart Development Environment for Eclipse diagrams to image files.

Export diagrams to various image formats

Step 1 of 3: To export diagrams as images

Export images by selecting File > SDE-EC Export > Diagrams as Image... from the main menu.

Step 2 of 3: Specify output destination

Specify the directory for saving the exported image files, choose the diagrams to export and select file type, which can be JPG, PNG (with/without background), SVF and EMF. Click Export when ready.

Step 3 of 3: Obtain the exported images

The exported image files can be found at the output destination specified.

Project file

Exported

Generate report with dependent project

Smart Development Environment for Eclipse supports generating design blueprints to PDF files. The paper size, cover page design, TOC, page header and footer are all customizable. You may select to include/exclude diagrams and model elements, and reorder the content. There are various options to control the styles and formatting of the generated PDF. The PDF generation feature is available in Windows, Mac OSX, Linux and Unix platform. The following screenshots demonstrate how to generate PDF report with business process diagrams and use case diagrams. The movie also shows how to customize the order of model elements, as well as to setup cover page, page header and page footer.

Generate alter statement for nullable columns

Smart Development Environment for Eclipse supports generating database schema (DDL) from entity relationship diagram. Smart Development Environment for Eclipse supports all major database vendors. You can generate full database initialization scripts of alter statements just for updating existing databases. The following movie shows you the database generation feature.

Customize ORM getter and setter

Smart Development Environment for Eclipse supports generating Java ORM code for accessing relational database. The following movie demonstrates how to reverse existing database to ERD, synchronize ERD to UML class diagram, and generate Java ORM code to access database.

Specify secondary pool and lane

Visualize workflow and operation with BPMN 2.0 business process diagram.

Online training

• BPMN 2.0 (Paid)
• Requirements capturing with BPMN and UML (Paid)

Enhance state machine diagram presentation

State machine diagram represents a state machine. State machine diagram shows flow of control from state to state within single object. Common state diagram contains simple states, composite states, composite states, transitions, events and actions.

Online training

• Using State Diagram (Free)