For developers:

1) FAST PROTOTYPING: Its quite painful to use the UML diagrams for fast prototyping. For adding a property correctly, so with the correct type and cardinality, you need to go through several menus and clicks. For other diagrams, like sequence diagram, a concept like the one at (http://www.websequencediagrams.com), where you easily type the text and you get the representation very easy in a few minutes. Very Happy

2)PREFERENCES EXPORT: Overal diagram preferences when coloring diagrams cannot be exported and reused by other developers. My personal observation, It looks to me that they are somehow not really saved. Shocked

3)PROPERTIES VIEW INSTABILITY: Observed that there seems to be an instability for showing cosmetic properties. I don't get it, but at some point you looking at the properties table of a class object, you no longer see any way to change its color, the respective tabs disappear. The only way to get it back was to reinstall everything. Looks like some internal states gets corrupted. Shocked

For architects:

3) Auto-reordering of elements. In most cases, the auto reordering destroys/misaligns altogether the representation to something not useful at all, and may put classes overlapping. I think this one really is something you cannot use as it is. (I had the experience with the EcoreTools and UMLTools auto reordering features, and they are close to perfect [specially EcoreTools].) Shocked

4) 4+1 project support. Probably much to ask... So for example, that the papyrus project could somehow has more of a glue role. Some view that fits all the diagrams together. I have the feeling this one is out of scope for what the Papyrus project is about.

5) Somehow a bridge between MoDisco and Papyrus would be really cool. One could prototype the output of MoDisco, into the nice Papyrus diagrams.

However, this editor is within a submenu. A shortcut like Strg + F2 (F2 for renaming, Strg + F2 for complex "renaming") could help. Is there a list with shortcuts that may help?

Hello,

Thank you for this feedback I'll try to answer what I can.

Igor: thank you for the answers, they are very welcomed. (Unfortunately that project where I was involved is gone and I failed to promote Topcased and Papyrus)

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For developers:

Quote:

1) FAST PROTOTYPING: Its quite painful to use the UML diagrams for fast prototyping. For adding a property correctly, so with the correct type and cardinality, you need to go through several menus and clicks. For other diagrams, like sequence diagram, a concept like the one at (http://www.websequencediagrams.com), where you easily type the text and you get the representation very easy in a few minutes. Very Happy

Papyrus offers a few X-Text-based editors, integrated into the diagrams. They were not activated as the default editors in Papyrus 0.8.X (Which is the version used by Topcased), but since 0.9.0, they are. You can still activate them manually via the preferences page of Papyrus (Papyrus > Embedded Editors)

Igor: Ok, I have seen it at that time, but had no idea how it works or how to enable it. I will try it as I discover how to use it. (hopefully there is some documentation about it)

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2)PREFERENCES EXPORT: Overal diagram preferences when coloring diagrams cannot be exported and reused by other developers. My personal observation, It looks to me that they are somehow not really saved. Shocked

Until 0.8.X (And even 0.9.X in the default installation), the diagram preferences are saved in the workspace preferences. So, indeed, pretty difficult to reuse (You can still export your workspace preferences, but there isn't a Papyrus category... So, this is not really realistic). However, an extra-plugin in Papyrus 0.9/Eclipse 4.2 provides the support of CSS Stylesheets for Papyrus diagrams. Much better, although not (yet) as complete as the Papyrus preferences page.

Igor: Yes, that part really let me down also, I had no chance to at least give my settings to other architect. I think what we really are missing is some feature that is sold as skins (that could be based in CSS as you mentioned). That out of the box we get great cool model diagrams with beautiful colors. I think that could make a very big impact on casual modelers wanting a quickie with the tool


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3)PROPERTIES VIEW INSTABILITY: Observed that there seems to be an instability for showing cosmetic properties. I don't get it, but at some point you looking at the properties table of a class object, you no longer see any way to change its color, the respective tabs disappear. The only way to get it back was to reinstall everything. Looks like some internal states gets corrupted. Shocked

I've never run into this problem, nor heard of it. Are you using Papyrus or Topcased? The only case where the "Appearance" tab could disappear, in the standard Papyrus installation, is when you select an Element from the Model Explorer (The Model Explorer elements don't have an appearance).

Igor: Thanks for the info. My workspace is unfortunately long gone 8 months ago. If I recall correctly, it happened in two different computers/developers. I simply could not get the appearance tab no matter where I selected. If I come across the opportunity to use Papyrus/Topcased and come across the issue, I will report it properly.

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For architects:

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3) Auto-reordering of elements. In most cases, the auto reordering destroys/misaligns altogether the representation to something not useful at all, and may put classes overlapping. I think this one really is something you cannot use as it is. (I had the experience with the EcoreTools and UMLTools auto reordering features, and they are close to perfect [specially EcoreTools].) Shocked

We're investigating on integrating and providing GMF Layout tools with Papyrus, as an extra-feature in a first time. This may come someday soon, although I won't make any promise.

Igor: That would be a killer feature.

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4) 4+1 project support. Probably much to ask... So for example, that the papyrus project could somehow has more of a glue role. Some view that fits all the diagrams together. I have the feeling this one is out of scope for what the Papyrus project is about.

I don't really get this point.

Igor: Yes, true, I meant about the 4+1, which you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4%2B1_Architectural_View_Model

I remember topcased had something similar, in the sense of another type of logical organization of the model explorer that made awareness of 4+1 views and their models. It was extensible enough to have more types of views. Papyrus does not have this of course. In a sense is enabling diagram documentation with the perspective as http://www.amazon.com/Documenting-Software-Architectures-Beyond-Edition/dp/0321552687 or also http://www.sei.cmu.edu/architecture/tools/document/viewsandbeyond.cfm?location=quaternary-nav&source=652002

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5) Somehow a bridge between MoDisco and Papyrus would be really cool. One could prototype the output of MoDisco, into the nice Papyrus diagrams.

This seems pretty vague Do you mean the MoDisco models, obtained through the MoDisco dicoverers? All models, only Java Models ? If you mean the "Java Discoverer" of MoDisco, then Papyrus already provides a Java reverse-engineering tool (Although this is an extra-plugin which is not yet available from the Papyrus discovery site). If you mean "All the MoDisco discoverers", the scope becomes much larger, as their output almost have nothing in common with each other (Nor with UML). So, I'm not sure what you're really thinking about, here.

Igor: Basically, its about taking the advantage that from a MoDisco you can generate XMI models that can be converted to UML models using UMLTools (reversed engineered from an existent J2EE project). So the bridge would be that the MoDisco could generate nice Papyrus diagrams, with a consistent UML model that can be edited using Papyrus.

I feel that this feature has more stakeholders.

This would also be a killer feature.

"Tex Iano"

However, this editor is within a submenu. A shortcut like Strg + F2 (F2 for renaming, Strg + F2 for complex "renaming") could help. Is there a list with shortcuts that may help?

You can set this editor as the default direct-editor in the Papyrus preferences page (Papyrus -> Embedded Editors)

Igor: This is one of the problems with newcomers to Papyrus and Topcased, they will never find this things. Probably the best way is to have well documented features from user perspective that enriches, simplifies and highlights usability. (from new user, and productive user perspective)

Regards,
Camille

Wide coverage of the UML standard.
(12 out of 14 diagrams are supported effectively, profile diagrams are only available in profile projects; object diagrams are covered by class diagrams)
Support for some kind of UML diagrams is OK, e.g. the component diagram support.
Some diagram editors have been improved (e.g. the deployment diagram editor)
Eclipse based. So if you now similar tools (e.g Rational Software Modeler), learning how to use the tool is straightforward.
Allows to define and use own UML2 profiles.
Support seems to be quite good at first sight.
Editors support free form graphic elements (boxes, text, circles, etc.)
Copy and paste in Word as PNG creates acceptable results.
It is actually quite convenient, as this works without first exporting a bitmap file.
Free as free beer and free speech.

The sequence diagram editor is hardly usable. It starts with properly defining lifelines (works - but a lot of the model editing must be done manually) and ends with trying(!) to create combined fragments (e.g. to depict alternatives message flows). That doesn't seem to work at all (or has to be done in a so counter-intuitive way that I don't get it). In effect, creating non-trivial sequence diagrams is a pain or doesn't work at all.
Unfortunately also the activity diagram editor is not ready for prime time. E.g. neither the name nor the condition expression is show in the diagram.
The deployment diagram editor has been improved a bit, yet it is still not 100% functional and stable.
Obviously "still in development..."
No "freeform" diagrams (so diagrams that combine model elements from different areas of the UML meta-model, e.g. a deployment diagram which also contains components).
Diagram export only as bitmaps Acceptable for small diagrams (in terms of covered document real estate)
Still "work in progress". Although this tool suite is around for years now, you never get a version that works well across the whole UML standard