Free and Open-Source add-in EA Navigator 2.1

The EA Navigator is a free and open-source (BSD License) add-in for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect that makes the life of any Enterprise Architect user a lot easier. It allows for quick navigation between different elements in a model, especially between those elements that are not easily found using the standard EA features. Using the dockable add-in window it retains a history of the 50 last selected model elements, and shows the important related elements at a glance.

The EA Navigator is a free and open-source (BSD License) add-in for Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect that makes the life of any Enterprise Architect user a lot easier.

It allows for quick navigation between different elements in a model, especially between those elements that are not easily found using the standard EA features.

Using the dockable add-in window it retains a history of the 50 last selected model elements, and shows the important related elements at a glance.

The EA Navigator is (currently the only) part of the Enterprise Architect Toolpack

It allows you to navigate between:

  • Operations and Sequence diagrams
  • Operations and their implementation (Behavior)
  • Operations and CallOperationActions
  • Types and Parameters
  • Types and Attributes

And to any Fully Qualified Name (FQN) that has been copied to the clipboard.

Prerequisites

Download

Usage

Once installed there should be a new menu option Navigate in the Add-Ins/Extensions menu.

If this option is not visible then there must have gone something wrong during the installation.

The EA Navigator will now show its functions depending on the type the element that is selected. You can either access its function using the main menu, or using the right-click context menu.

In order to enable the “docked window” feature of the EA navigator 2.0 check the optionExtensions|Add-In Windows

The Navigator window will now show up somewhere in your application

Below is a list of available functions depending on the type of the selected element each of these options can also be called from the context menu when right clicking an element in the project browser or on a diagram.

All

  • To FQN
    Selects the element that matches the node path (FQN) in the clipboard. This function is only available from the menu, and not from the add-in window.
  • Owner
    Selects the owner of the selected element

 All Except diagrams

  • … Tags
    Shows the elements referenced by the owned “RefGUID” style tagged values.

    These tagged values translate to the following options in the EA Navigator window
  • Referencing Tagged Values
    Navigates to the opposite direction of the … Tags. Shows all RefGUID style tagged values that reference the selected element
    .

Operation

  • Diagrams
    Shows all sequence diagrams that contain a message calling this operation or contain an Action that calls this operation.
  • Parameter Types
    Shows all types of the parameters of this operation.
  • Calling Actions (not for messages)
    Shows the CallOperationActions calling this operation
  • Implementation
    Shows the diagrams owned by the behavior of this operation.

Message (in sequence diagram)

  • Operation
    Select the called operation in the project browser.
  • Diagrams
    Shows the sequence diagrams for the called operation?
  • Parameter Types
    Shows the parameter types for the called operation
  • Implementation
    Selects the Behavior element for the called operation in the project browser and opens all diagrams owned by this Behavior.

Classifier

  • Dependent Attributes
    Shows all attributes that use the selected classifier as type
  • Dependent Parameters
    Shows all parameters that use the selected classifier as type

Attribute

  • Type
    Shows the type of the attribute.

Sequence Diagram

  • Operations
    N    avigate to all operations called on the diagram.

Open Diagrams dialog

When the function Diagrams is selected the Open Diagram dialog will open

From this dialog you can select the diagrams you wish to view and click the Open button to open the selected diagram in EA.

You can also double-click on a single diagram, which will also open the diagram.

Select Elements dialog

The Select Elements dialog will be shown if a list any other type of elements need to be shown.

Clicking the Select button, or double-clicking an element in the list will select that element in the project browser.
Elements that are grayed-out are non-selectable elements such as primitives.

Other Resources

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About the Author

Geert Bellekens

Geert Bellekens

Bellekens IT (Consultant)
I've been active in the ICT sector since 2000 and started in 2004 as an independent modeling consultant. Over the years I've helped several major ICT players in Belgium to define and document their modeling method, train and coach the modelers, and develop supporting tools. I'm also the author of the EA Navigator http://geertbellekens.wordpress.com/ea-navigator/ , a free an open source add-in for Enterprise Architect that makes the life of any Enterprise Architect user easier by facilitating easy navigation between different elements in the model.

Other articles from this author

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Search operations by parameter type
Simple VBA Excel to EA importer
EA UML meta model
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Comments

  • Ah my mistake! Thanks and keep up the good work

    by Graham Labdon on Mon, 23/04/2012 - 23:35.

  • Geert, Love your Navigator tool BUT if I right click on a model root node I get an error dialog - "EA_GetMenuItems: Object reference not set to an instance of an object" Thanks Graham

    by Graham Labdon on Mon, 23/04/2012 - 22:53.

  • We are still using EA 8.0, which version of EA Navigator can be used? Thanks!

    by Vassil Tochev on Thu, 09/02/2012 - 03:29.

  • Looks really promising but I cannot get it to work. In the "manage add-in" window I see EA_Navigator but status is "Error - missing". Any idea what's the problem? I have installed the latest version without errors and rebooted the machine. I use Windows XP. BR Magnus

    by Magnus Håkansson on Wed, 11/01/2012 - 21:57.

  • Hi Geert Thanks for a great tool! Just a minor error - right click a class Select 'to FQN' Produces an untitled dialog with text with a couple of spelling mistakes - nog = not selecte = select

    by Graham Labdon on Mon, 09/01/2012 - 18:42.

    • Graham, To FQN feature tries to find whatever you have in your clipboard. If it can't find it it will display a message saying "Could not find item" + clipboard contents. So the spelling mistakes are probably from the contents of your clipboard. But you are absolutely right, this dialog can be improved (shame on me). I'll update it in the the next couple of day's. Geert

      by Geert Bellekens on Mon, 09/01/2012 - 18:56.

  • This page only refers to 1.2 http://geertbellekens.github.com/Enterprise-Architect-Toolpack/ I downloaded 21. https://github.com/GeertBellekens/Enterprise-Architect-Toolpack/downloads I installed it. Might be helpful if it could warn if the correct .net version is not present. When I click Manage Add-Ins I can see EA_Navigator is Enabled (be useful to show version) with load on startup. When I click on Extensions Add-In windows I see "No loaded add-ins are using this window". I don't see a Navigator pane. Any suggestions please? (EA build 921 on W7 32bit).

    by simon davis on Thu, 05/01/2012 - 07:45.

    • Simon, You are absolutely right about the github EA Navigator homepage. If fact I completely forgot about that since I'm using http://geertbellekens.wordpress.com/ea-navigator/ as EA Navigator homepage. I'll update the github page one of these days. Showing the version of add-ins is something you'll have to ask Sparx. As for the .Net runtime check, I was already looking into that, so hopefully it will be included in one of the next versions. (if I ever figure out the Wix magic to make it work)

      by Geert Bellekens on Thu, 05/01/2012 - 16:13.

  • Really good and useful extension :))

    by Wojciech Kłujszo on Tue, 05/04/2011 - 17:08.

  • The plugin works good for operations but not with signals. Is there a way to navigate from signals to sequence diagrams?

    by Michel Chedid on Fri, 07/01/2011 - 19:49.

    • Michel, Sorry for the delay. I guess that should be possible, if there is a hard link between the signal and the sequence diagram. What, in your model is the link between signal and sequence diagram?

      by Geert Bellekens on Thu, 03/02/2011 - 12:53.

      • Hi Geert, thx for the reply... When I add a signal element to the sequence diagram and I open the signal element properties window from the project Browser and navigate to "Links", it doesn't seems to exist any links created there. There is no automatic link created between the signal and the sequence diagram. I guess that there is no possibility for navigating between signals and sequence diagram?

        by Michel Chedid on Thu, 03/02/2011 - 18:40.

        • Michel, If you have simply placed the signal element (or an instance of) on the sequence diagram then you should be able to navigate to the diagram using the standard "find in all diagrams" function from EA.

          by Geert Bellekens on Mon, 14/02/2011 - 13:49.

  • Hi Geert, Please ignore my last comment as i am able to navigate in both the ways now. Regards, Shridhar

    by Shridhar Dhomne on Wed, 05/01/2011 - 21:50.

  • Hi Geert, I have installed the add-in successfully but it is not really navigating from operation to diagram or from message to operation. I have created a class A with operation Op1 and then created a sequence diagram with message Op1 moving from a actor to object of class A, and then used the add-in at message as well as at operation to navigate. Do i need any other settings to make this add-in work? Regards, Shridhar

    by Shridhar Dhomne on Wed, 05/01/2011 - 21:10.

  • I tried to register the Addin but received the following RegAsm : warning RA0000 : Registering an unsigned assembly with /codebase can ca use your assembly to interfere with other applications that may be installed on the same computer. The /codebase switch is intended to be used only with signed assemblies. Please give your assembly a strong name and re-register it. Types registered successfully *** registering addin with EA Press any key to continue . . . In the Ea Addin manager the addin shows error - missing Graham

    by Graham Labdon on Tue, 29/06/2010 - 18:04.

    • Graham, The message you are getting is only a warning. The assembly should have been registered nonetheless. I should probably look into this strong name thing to avoid the warning. The reason for the error in the EA addin manager usually indicates that EA can't find the dll or class indicated in the registry at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sparx Systems\EAAddins Have you moved the dll after you registered it? In that case you'll have to reregister it from its current location. Geert

      by Geert Bellekens on Wed, 08/09/2010 - 12:48.

      • Is there a way yo navigate from signals to sequence diagrams?

        by Michel Chedid on Fri, 07/01/2011 - 19:57.