The Custom Element Type dialog is used to view and modify the settings of custom element types.

 

General

The General tab shows the name, the symbol and the description of the custom element. These properties can be modified.

 

The symbol is a unique identifier for the custom element type. When a new custom element type is created, QPR Modeling Client will assign it a unique symbol by getting the model object id and adding "MO" to its beginning. It is also possible to edit the symbol for the custom element type. Allowed characters are alphanumeric characters in upper case and lower case.

 

 

Behavior

The Behavior tab shows the predefined behavior options for the element and all custom element hierarchies in the model.

 

You can select the desired behavior options for the custom element by clicking a checkbox next to the behavior option. If the option is grayed out and thus unavailable, you cannot currently modify its selection. This is usually due to some related option being selected or if the combination of behaviors is impossible in the current context.

 

The behavior options are:

•Allow QPR Metrics linking: QPR Metrics measures can be linked to the custom element.

•Allow information item linking: information items can be linked to the custom element.

• Information container: when an element with the "Information container" behavior is created, an information item is requested to be attached as well, and the initial name of the element is the name of the primary information item attached to the information container. In addition, information containers have the special characteristic of appearing in the Navigator and element selection views with a specific icon, , and they are not visible in the Report view. This option requires that the "Allow information item linking" option is enabled. The "Diagram" option cannot be enabled at the same time as the "Information container" option.

•Allow note linking: notes can be linked to the custom element.

•Allow resource linking: resources can be linked to the custom element.

•Check for duplicates when pasting: this option has two effects:

oChecking for duplicate elements: When the "Check for duplicates when pasting" option is selected, elements are checked for matching element symbols in the target model when doing copy and paste operations. If a matching element is found in the target model, the pasted element is created as a new instance of the existing element. When the option is not selected, a new element is always created in copy and paste.

oChecking for element types: When the "Check for duplicates when pasting" option is selected, elements are checked for matching element type symbols when doing copy and paste operations for the custom elements. If a matching element type is found in the target model, but the custom attributes are not identical, the missing custom attributes will be added to the matching element type in the target model (if the matching element type is not a base model element type and the user is an administrator in the model). When the option is not selected a new element type is created if custom attributes are not identical.

See the Transfer Model Elements via Clipboard topic for more information about copy paste and matching symbols.

•Allow element creation on diagrams: the custom element can be drawn on the diagrams, selecting this option will also enable content in the Symbol tab in the dialog and the "Allow multiple instances", "Allow elements with no instances", "Allow flow linking", and "Cross-model interface" options.

•Diagram: the element is shown in the diagram hierarchy.

•Hide from diagram hierarchy: if you do not want diagrams to be visible in the diagram hierarchy view, select this setting. By default, diagrams are visible in the diagram hierarchy view.

•Allow multiple instances: multiple instances of the custom element can be created.

•Show pick list when creating elements: when this selection is enabled, creating instances of custom elements of this type can be done by selecting the name of an existing custom element from the drop-down menu displayed on a newly created element.

•Instances can have different graphical properties: when this selection is enabled, changing the graphical properties of an instance does not apply the change to every instance of the element.

•Allow elements with no instances: if this option is not selected, the custom element is deleted from the model when its last instance is deleted from the diagram. When selected, the custom element remains in the model even if it has no instances on the diagram.

•Allow flow linking: flows can be connected to the custom element.

•Allow attached elements: you can attach any element to the boundary of the element in the diagram so that they together form a group. (See the attached elements section for more information.) You also need to select this option if you want to define interface relations for the process step type.

•Allow attaching to elements: the element can be attached to any element so that they together form a group. (See the attached elements section for more information.)

•Group element: an element of this type can be a Group Element.

•Synchronize group instances: when this option is selected, instances of Group Element of this type are synchronized.

•Can belong to a group: an element of this type can be added to a group.

•Cross-model interface: you can define the custom element to be a cross-model interface.

•Allow attached interfaces: when this option is selected, interface relations can be defined for the custom element of this type by attaching interface elements to it. To enable this, you also need to select the check box "Allow attached elements".

•Allow connector mapping: when this option is selected, incoming connectors can be mapped to input and output interfaces on the diagram. To enable this, you also need to select the check box "Diagram".

•Input interface: you can define the custom element type to be an input interface. To enable this, you also need to select the checkboxes "Allow attaching to elements" and "Allow multiple instances".

•Output interface: you can define the custom element type to be an output interface. To enable this, you also need to select the checkboxes "Allow attaching to elements" and "Allow multiple instances".

 

•Allow usage in child models: the elements of this type can be published to be used with child models. The elements can be published only if "Allow elements without instances" option is selected. In addition, if the "Allow element creation on diagrams" option is selected, the "Allow multiple instances" option must be selected too. Note that the model must be opened for exclusive editing in order for the element type to be published. What is more, the element type can be unpublished only if the base model doesn't have any child models, or, if the element type was published, the base model has not been saved after publishing. (This option is available only for base models.)

•Read only usage in child models: new elements of this type cannot be created in the child models. (This option is available only for base models.)

•Allow usage of base model elements: elements of this type can be used in child models. (This option is available only for child models.)

 

 

Element hierarchies

The element hierarchies can be used, for example, to model the structure of the process. The element hierarchies are visible in sub-tabs of the Processes tab in QPR Portal. In case the model containing the custom element hierarchy is a base model, the hierarchy is published if a custom element that is a part of the hierarchy is published. The "Custom hierarchies" list shows all the custom element hierarchies in the model. The list is used to define element hierarchy behavior for the custom element type. The list contains four parts:

•Checkbox: selecting a checkbox will make the custom element type a part of the hierarchy in question.

•Hierarchy: this column lists the names of the element hierarchies in the model.

•Part of branch: the drop down boxes in this column define if the custom element can be a part of a single branch (i.e. the custom element can have only one parent element) or multiple branches (i.e. the custom element can have multiple parent elements).

•Node type: defining the node type as a "leaf node" prevents the custom elements of this type from having child elements, whereas defining the node type as "any node" allows the custom elements of this type to have child elements.

 

To create a new element hierarchy, click the New button. To view and modify the properties of an existing hierarchy, click the View button. Clicking the Set as Default button will set the selected hierarchy as the default hierarchy for the custom element type. If a hierarchy has been set as a default hierarchy, that hierarchy is shown in the selection dialogs for the custom element type. If a default hierarchy has not been set, the custom elements are shown as a list in the selection dialogs. Clicking the Clear Default button will clear the default setting.

 

 

Group Relations

The Group Relations tab is visible, when the "Group element" behavior option is enabled. The Group Relations tab used to select which relation type custom attributes are set in the Group Element when an element is added to the group.

 

 

Interface Relations

The Interface Relations tab is visible when both "Allow attached elements" and "Allow attached interfaces" options are enabled. The Interface Relations tab is used to select input interface relations and output interface relations of the element type shown with all relation type custom attributes that the type has.

 

You cannot select the same relation for both input and output relation. Interface relations are validated when the model is opened as it is possible to create conflicting options when it has been edited by two users (for example, one user removes attribute type and another user selects it as an interface relation). If the same relation has been selected for input and output relation, the output selection is cleared after model opening. If you remove a custom attribute from the model or from the type, it is also removed from these relation lists.

 

If you have defined interface relations for the element type, you cannot set input or output interface behavior for that element type.

 

 

Modeling

The selections on the Modeling tab are used to define quick modeling settings:

•Default connector type: defines which connector type is used when a new element of this type is created using quick modeling.

•Horizontal offset: defines the horizontal distance of the created element from the selected element in pixels. Allowed values are 10 to 1000. If the grid is enabled, the offset is rounded up to the next grid size.

•Vertical offset: defines the vertical distance of the created element from the selected element in pixels. Allowed values are 10 to 1000. If the grid is enabled, the offset is rounded up to the next grid size.

 

In addition, the following properties can be set:

•Icon that is used in the Navigator View Hierarchies and Portal views. To select the icon, click the button in the Icon for Hierarchies and Stencil Buttons group and choose an icon from the pop-up menu. You can also select a custom image by clicking Browse and choosing the image from your hard drive.

•Modeling direction of the diagram (supported only for subprocess elements and elements that have the Diagram behavior option enabled).

 

The default graphical properties of the element type are also shown. Click the Edit... button to modify the graphical properties.

 

The Default type group can also be selected if the process step is a subprocess element or if the Diagram behavior option is enabled. Type groups are available with a separate license.

 

Custom Attribute Types

Custom attribute types can also be defined for the custom element type. On the Custom Attribute Types tab of this dialog, you can add custom attribute types by clicking the "Add" button and remove custom attribute types with the "Remove" button. You can also edit the custom attribute types. To change the order of the custom attribute types, use the upward and downward arrow buttons on the right side of the dialog. You can edit the name of the custom attribute type by typing it into the Name column. The cardinality can also be changed by clicking on the cardinality value and then selecting a new value from the drop-down list (either 1 or N). If you select 1, only one value can be defined for that attribute. If you select N, several values can be defined.

 

If the Metamodeling Browsing feature has been enabled by your license, the number of elements (of this particular type) having values for the attribute type is shown in its own column. You can view more detailed usage information by clicking the Information... button.

 

Note: If you delete a custom element type from a base model, you have to select a replacement for it.

 

Model Validation

On the Model Validation tab, you can define validation rules to help you with model consistency and following a modeling notation. When the check box is filled, the validation definition set in Modeling Options Dialog are used. When the check box is checked, the validation definition on the current element type dialog is used. See the Modeling Options Dialog topic for details.