Question for Microsoft people!

[SINA]

Since Visio is your modeling tool why dont you let us use it??? I have spent a lot of time and a lot of my nerves to make huge ammount of UML models in Visio. Now I can not extract all the documentation from it. Even when I save the document in XML format UML model information is stored in MIME Encoded OLE2 Embedded object and I can not use it in any way. At least give us the information about this object, will make everything else ourselves!

And why can´t I use it with another development platform (I don't want to use Visual Studio). How can I generate Java or Delphi code from my static diagrams!!! Is this one of your monopoly games again?

Please, someone answer!
Thanks!

 

[Mark Nelson [MS]]

The UML modeling solution in Visio was developed long before Microsoft
acquired Visio. The method for persisting UML model data in a private store
was simply a best practice at the time.

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Since Visio is your modeling tool why dont you let us use it??? I have

spent a lot of time and a lot of my nerves to make huge ammount of UML
models in Visio. Now I can not extract all the documentation from it. Even
when I save the document in XML format UML model information is stored in
MIME Encoded OLE2 Embedded object and I can not use it in any way. At least
give us the information about this object, will make everything else
ourselves!

And why can´t I use it with another development platform (I don't want to

use Visual Studio). How can I generate Java or Delphi code from my static
diagrams!!! Is this one of your monopoly games again?

 

[SINA]

OK fair enough... But the question still remains: "Is it possible to get any kind of information about the persisted UML data?" At least I couldn't find any, and indeed I was looking...

Thanks Mark!

 

[Mark Nelson [MS]]

No, this information has not been published. From Visio you can export your
diagram to HTML. The export the UML data itself, you can perform code
generation or export to XMI using Visual Studio Enterprise Architect. I'm
not aware of any other options.

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

OK fair enough... But the question still remains: "Is it possible to get

any kind of information about the persisted UML data?" At least I couldn't
find any, and indeed I was looking...

 

[JePe]

Hi Sinisa.

Here is a rather crude way of getting the documentation out. First, make
sure you have saved your diagram. Then, select each use case in the diagram
(hold the CTRL key as you click each one). Then right click, choose Shape
Display Options and then make sure the Properties checkbox is checked. This
will put all of the documentation on the display (and completely distort the
image by the way which is why you should save the document before doing
this). Then create a new report and make sure the item Displayed Text is
selected for the report. When you run the report you will get one result per
use case with the use case name and the contents of the documentation
property. Make sure you don't save the diagram after this because it won't
fit on your page properly.

Jeff.

 

[Mike Obendorf]

Mark -

I have installed the latest XMI Export add-on and xmiexprt.dll as instructed
for Visio 2003. (Download at
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...be-656d-4830-a868-d0044406f57d&DisplayLang=en).
The add-on appears in Visio, and claims success - "XMI Export - Export
Succeeded!", however there is no file created with XMI content. I have hard
coded a path into the add-on to see if that helps, but to no avail. Are there
known bugs/limitations/compatibility issues with this download and Visio 2003
Enterprise Architect?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mark Nelson [MS]]

Hi Mike,

I wanted to respond to let you know I saw your post. Unfortunately, I don't
have an answer for you. The add-on was not created by the Visio team, and I
don't have any experience with it.

--
Mark Nelson
Office Graphics - Visio
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[Mike Obendorf]

Thanks for the response Mark - it appears that there are some significant
constraints to what the add-in supports in terms of XMI. First, the Visio
diagrams must be created initially within a UML doc - i.e., just using
sequence diagrams etc., in an adhoc fashion won't get you any XMI output.
Second, the XMI export is version 1.0, which is not the latest available.
Third, the export is fairly limited in what it can export, and does not
include diagrams. So, I guess it's one of those cases that you get what you
pay for. ;-)

If anyone else is reading this thread and knows of a "new and improved"
version of XMIExport, please let me know!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Scott Welker]

Perhaps this excerpt and link to another discussion thread is helpful:
'...MS's direction ... wither Visio UML/Visual Studio, on to Team Foundation
Server (TFS)."

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2813992&SiteID=1

I feel your pain :-/

 

[cacohendvm]

I have been asked to get in touch with Mark Nelson, but lost his email address. Help appreciated. Thank you.

Dr. Chuck Cohen