The Component Graph extension view enables users to create and edit graphical views of component models. This article describes how to configure the view.


Note: This extension view will be deprecated in a future release. The built-in configurable Graph view is recommended for use in its place.


Prerequisites


Example Meta Model 

The below illustration shows a basic meta model for use with the Component Graph view.




Configuring the View

  1. Go to File > Configure the explorer
  2. On the Item views tab, select Component graph in the Extensions group.
  3. Click View example XML and copy the script as a starting point for your configuration. 
  4. Click Edit configuration and paste the configuration in the Edit XML window. 
  5. Modify the configuration to meet the needs of the use case. (See the explanation of available elements below.)
  6. When you are ready to test and make it available to users, check the Active box. Users must log out and back in to see the new option.


Example Configuration

Below is an example XML containing two configurations.

<Configs>
    <ComponentGraphConfig>
        <XmlAttribute attributeSid="ATRX"/>
        <Function itemSid="BIDA">
            <InPort partSid="ARRP" />
            <OutPort partSid="ARPP" />    
        </Function> 
        <Signal itemSid="ARSI" />    
        <ContextPath>ITFD;ITAP</ContextPath> 
        <Context itemSid="BISG"/>        
        <SignalPaths> 
            <SignalPath>/ITAP/ITFC/ARRP</SignalPath>
            <SignalPath>/ITAP/ITFC/ARPP</SignalPath>        
        </SignalPaths>
        <Components>
            <Component itemSid="ARAP" partSid="ITFC">
                <InPort partSid="ARRP" />
                <OutPort partSid="ARPP" />
            </Component>         
            <Component itemSid="ARWT" partSid="ITFC">
                <InPort partSid="ARRP" />
                <OutPort partSid="ARPP" />
            </Component>         
            <Component itemSid="ARIN" partSid="ITFC">
                <InPort partSid="ARRP" />
                <OutPort partSid="ARPP" />
            </Component>         
            <Component itemSid="ARCP" partSid="ITFC">
                <InPort partSid="ARRP" />
                <OutPort partSid="ARPP" />
            </Component> 
        </Components>
    </ComponentGraphConfig>
</Configs>

Example Result


Explanation of the Configuration Elements

<Configs> is the top tag which can include one or more <ComponentGraphConfig>.


<ComponentGraphConfig> is the top tag of each configuration.


<XmlAttribute> is the attribute type used for storing the layout of the Component Graph. The attribute type must be XML. This is required.


<Function> is the container of the components. The itemSid attribute is required. Contains the in and out ports of the function. 

  • <InPort> Used for the in port of the function. The partSid attribute is required.
  • <OutPort> Used for the out port of the function. The partSid attribute is required.



<Signal> contains the item type of the signal. The itemSid is required.



If there are multiple signal item types, use the itemSids attribute instead of itemSid to list the SIDs separated by a semi-colon.

   ....
   <Signal itemSids="ARSI;ARSI1;.."/>
   ....

The itemSid attribute can be used when only one signal type exists. However, itemSid and itemSids cannot be used together.  


<ContextPath> a path (reference) higher up in the structure where all relevant signals can be found. Contains one or more SIDs delimited by semi-colon.


If the ContextPath contains more than one SID, note that the SIDs must be entered in top-down order



<Context> contains the item type of the item that is to be found following ContextPath. Only takes items in the current structure into account. The itemSid attribute is required.



<SignalPaths> describes where the relevant signals can be found. Path is from the item found by following ContextPath and filtering on Context itemSid + current structure in the tree. 


<SignalPath> each one describes the path to where one signal type can be found, e.g., send, receive.



<Components> contains one or more <Component> in the model.


<Component> is the top tag of each component. Contains the in and out ports of the component. The itemSid and partSid attributes are required.

  • <InPort> Used for the in port of the component. The partSid attribute is required.
  • <OutPort> Used for the out port of the component. The partSid attribute is required.


Support for Multiple Signal Part Types

If there are multiple signal part types, use the partSids attribute instead of partSid to list the SIDs separated by a semi-colon.

   ....
   <Components>
     <Component itemSid="ARAP" partSid="ITFC">
       <InPort partSids="ARRP;ARRP1"/>
       <OutPort partSids="ARPP;ARPP1"/>
   </Component>
   </Components>
   .... 

The partSid attribute can still be used when only one signal part type exists. However, partSid and partSids cannot be used together.  



Adding Shortcut to Ribbon Group

The configured ComponentGraph extension views will display in the View drop-down menu. 


To add a shortcut to a ribbon group of your choice, see Configuring the Item Ribbon Tab. The <ItemView> tag is used to add the extension view to a ribbon group on a tab. Example: 

...
<RibbonGroup caption="My ribbon group">
 <ItemView name="SWExtension.ComponentGraph.ItemViewContent" />
</RibbonGroup>
...