[Uml-devel] [Bug 126547] New: Wish: Importing diagrams from other Umbrello files into an opened file

[João Batista]

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http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=126547         
           Summary: Wish: Importing diagrams from other Umbrello files into
                    an opened file
           Product: umbrello
           Version: 1.4.2
          Platform: Debian testing
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: wishlist
          Priority: NOR
         Component: general
        AssignedTo: umbrello-devel.kde.org
        ReportedBy: jmn.batista gmail com


Version:           1.4.2 (using KDE KDE 3.5.2)
Installed from:    Debian testing/unstable Packages
OS:                Linux

As requested by okellogg in bug 126278 , I'm describing a suggestion on how to implement the ability to merge two Umbrello files. This wish results from the need to have diagrams and UML elements contained in different files into the same file.

The following are suggestions which hopefully might help with coming up with some requirements.
- Umbrello files are really XML files. So, I guess merging them would be done as something in the lines of parsing both the opened file and the to-be-merged file, and placing the adequate descriptors in the XML tree (but then again, I'm likely overlooking important details). To avoid some incompatibilities, the diagrams and UML elements might be placed in new folders, each named after the corresponding file.
- If the files were merged into the same folder(s), it would involve having to check for several incompatibilities during the merge, so not to overwrite existing XML elements; but stuff such as new actors, new classes, etc would likely be merged without conflicts. The user might want to have individual, non-diagramatical elements (i.e., classes, actors, etc.) be imported automatically, and have Umbrello report at the end which elements were not merged.
- Those diagrams in the imported file, which might have the same name as the opened file, would have to be renamed; the user could ask to do it automatically, or choose to rename it one by one.