[Uml-user] Using Umbrello 1.1.1

[Jonathan Riddell]

On Tue, Jun 24, 2003 at 06:43:11AM -0600, Deever, William R wrote:
> I recently installed Umbrello 1.1.1 from the SuSE rpm and imported the code
> from a project I have had underway for several years at home. With one major
> exception, I am quite pleased with the tool. That exception is that it
> aborts very frequently-sometimes I only get a minute or two of use between
> bombs. I'm really looking forward to the next version in the hope that it
> will be more friendly (or perhaps I misinstalled?).

Glad you like it, shame you're having problems with it.  1.1.1 is
supposed to be a stable release but it's not perfect.  It would be
useful if you could work out what it is that causes the crashes and
add a good description along with a backtrace to a report on bugs.kde.org.

> I use Rational Rose and Rose/Real Time at work. The one feature from those
> tools that I really miss in Umbrello is being able to place folder icons on
> class and use case diagrams. A package realizing one or more interfaces is
> the natural way to model the Gang Of Four Fa?ade Pattern, which is fairly
> frequent in the early, high level models.

Packages have been introduced in the KDE CVS version.  They arn't as
integrated as they should be yet (folders in the tree view should
really be packages), but maybe that will come.

> Speaking of packages, one (very low priority) request I have is the ability
> to call up a folder Properties dialog and flag the folder as implemented by
> a C++ namespace or not (and perhaps there would be other features, options,
> etc that would be appropriate to put there also?). 

Integration of packages as folders with code generators is also on the
TODO list.

> I also would like to be
> able to place documentation on all items in the browser, both folders and
> classes. I tried to document my folders and then noticed that folders do not
> have Properties, so I assume there is no hook to hang it on. Classes seem to
> lack documentation, even though they do have Properties (I did not see
> anything specific about this in the online manual).

Classes and folders can be documented (at least in the CVS version, I
don't think it's changed since 1.1.1).  Click on the entry in the tree
view and type in the documentation window in the bottom left and it
will save.  The documentation feature is unreliable however,
attributed and operations don't seem to work at all as you've noticed.

> Again with low priority:
> * is there any way for Umbrello to add to its types pick lists types which
> have previously been typed in?

It should pick up the names of any classes which exist.  Otherwise
could be one for a wishlist report.

> * I did not see any way to document the operations and attributes, although
> operation parameters ARE documented

Yes, bug.

> * Is there any way to turn off the type completion feature or activate it on
> the fly and for this entry only? (In my project, I have several non-class
> types which are prefix-identical to some class names and I have to keep
> backspacing as I type the type names, which gets annoying.)

I think that's been turned off in the CVS version because it was
annoying people.

> I have also had some trouble dragging browser items to folders-Umbrello
> seems to be rather particular about where the drag must end in order for it
> to comprehend your intent to place an item in the folder.

I'm not sure what causes that, it's all standard KDE widgets and drag
and drop.  Maybe something to look into.

Thanks for the feedback.

Jonathan Riddell