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Configuring and Maintaining Model External References

You can use model-external references between different models if the necessary requirements have been configured. Changes to the configuration may require maintenance of this configuration.

Motivation for Model External References

Model elements from different models and repositories, and also within a model, can be linked using a special reference mechanism. This stores references in the models concerned, which make it possible to navigate from one element to the element linked to it.

The model-external reference is fundamentally composed of two components.

The following setup options are available as appropriate.

  1. If the idea is that elements are always copied from a certain model A and the model-external reference is always pasted to another model B, the following configuration results:

    1. The REVERSE component is installed in source model A, from which the copy is taken.
    2. The FORWARD component is installed in the target model B, in which the model-external reference is pasted.

  2. If the idea is that model references will be copied back and forth between the two, i.e. that on one occasion an element will be selected from model A and on another occasion from model B, both components are required in both models.

The configurations are made available as XML files in the same ways as the previous profile add-ons (\$INODIR\java\M2MSDK\configuration\Innovator.Model.Configuration\Mapping\Mapping.GeneralMapping\).

You can customize the GeneralMapping.FORWARD and GeneralMapping.REVERSE configuration descriptions to suit your needs. You must already have experience with meta model elements and model configuration in Innovator (stereotypes, templates and content configuration in particular) to be able to do this.

Import via the configuration loader evaluates configuration descriptions and creates the corresponding, model-compliant configuration and model elements required in the model.

Note:

Reload the configuration descriptions once you have changed the model configuration (new stereotypes) in order to maintain configuration prerequisites for model-external references.

Configuring the Configuration Loader as Engineering Action

Context

In later Innovator profiles, configuring the configuration loader as engineering action is already included.

If you use older profiles, you need to configure the configuration loader retrospectively.

You can use the ROOT PROFILE profile or a custom profile for the configuration.

Note:

Please note that in the model structure for Innovator X Generation you will need to update the modified configuration for selected root nodes by pressing [F5].

How to proceed

  1. Login to the configuration editor as administrator.
  2. Jump to the Aktionen view.
  3. Select the ROOT PROFILE.

  4. Select Bearbeiten>Sperren.

    Delivered profiles display a warning notice.

  5. Confirm the warning notice with OK.

    You can edit the profile.

  6. To create a Java action sequence, select Create>Action Sequence>Java Program Sequence or press [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[F5].

    The action sequence is created and selected in the profile tree. An action is automatically created and displayed in the list of profile elements.

  7. Select Edit>Properties.

    The root tab for the action sequence is selected.

  8. In the Name root tab, name the action sequence, e.g. "Configuration Loader". This is its logical name which can be used for the API.
  9. Select the Localized Names entry in the tree on the left-hand side.
  10. Enter the name for the action sequence.
  11. In the tree on the left-hand side, select the Icon entry and assign any icon.
  12. Confirm the changes with Anwenden.
  13. Select the automatically-added action from the list of profile elements.

    The root tab for the action is selected in the Edit/Properties dialog.

  14. Enter the name for the action in the Name field, e.g "Configuration Loader". The name needs to be unique within the action sequence; it doesn't, however, appear in the interface.
  15. Enter the directory "$(INODIR)/java" in the Working directory field.
  16. In the Location field, enter "de.mid.innovator.m2msdk.model.innovator.configuration.importer.ModelConfigurationImporterMainInteractive".
  17. In the Arguments text box, enter the argument "de.mid.innovator.inohost=$(INOHOST)".
  18. Activate the Wait for Exit check box. This option must be selected if the action is intended to produce a result that the application will use (e.g. including Innovator search).
  19. Confirm the changes with Anwenden.
  20. In the Edit/Properties dialog, jump to the Class Path tab.

  21. Enter the following paths:

    ./M2MSDK/bin/M2MSDK.jar

    ./M2MSDK/lib/commons-io-2.4.jar

    ./M2MSDK/lib/jdom-2.0.2.jar

    ./ModelCore/bin/ModelCore.jar

    ./MappingCore/bin/MappingCore.jar

    ./M2MSDK/lib/RunCC.jar

    ./M2MSDK/bin/M2MSDK.jar

    ./MappingDialogTemplates/bin/MappingDialogTemplates.jar

  22. Confirm the changes with Anwenden.
  23. Jump to the Menüs view.
  24. In your chosen profile, select the entry Innovator-specific::InoX-Model.
  25. In the Menü drop-down list at the top on the right, select action sequence.

  26. Drag-and-drop the action sequence from the Nicht zugeordnet area to the Zugeordnet area.

    You have configured the configuration loader and made the engineering actions available in the menu.

Setting Up the Model External References

Prerequisites

A requirement for setup is that the configuration loader is configured as an engineering action; this is included in later Innovator profiles but needs to be done retrospectively for older profiles.

Context

The configuration must be reloaded in all models in which model-external references are to be used.

How to proceed

  1. Login to the relevant model as model administrator.
  2. Select the system models into which you want to import a configuration. These are the system models under which the elements are found; they should be associated using model-external references.
    If you select the model nodes yourself, the model-external referencing will be prepared in all system models beneath them.

  3. From the Extras>Engineering Actions>Commands submenu, run the engineering action Configuration loader.

    The available configurations are shown.

  4. Select the GeneralMapping.FORWARD and/or GeneralMapping.REVERSE model configuration depending on what you need.
  5. Confirm the selection with OK.

  6. Once the engineering action is complete, update the model contents using View>Synchronize>Reload Contents (F5).

    Additional model elements appear in the model structure for the relevant system model, if they were not already present: the systemModelManagement with packages for the reference information.

Creating a Model External References

Prerequisites

The requirements for a model-external reference are met by creating model-compliant configuration and the necessary model elements.

How to proceed

  1. Select an element in the source model (with REVERSE component).
  2. Copy the element with Start>Clipboard>Copy (Ctrl+C).
  3. Jump to the FORWARD model and select the element you want as your future starting point for navigation.

  4. Insert the copied element as a reference using the Start>Clipboard>Paste>Paste as Model-External Reference (Ctrl+R) command.

    Proxy references are then present in both models and you can jump from either of the two elements concerned to the other linked element.

  5. To jump between the linked elements, select one of the elements concerned from the context menu Go to>Linked Elements... (Ctrl+Shift+Enter).

    The dialog of the same name appears.

  6. Select the linked element in the dialog and confirm the selection with OK. If the model with the referenced element has not yet been opened, you must log in to this model.

    The target element is then selected there.

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