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1.9 Metamodel Browser

See also the Menu Reference, Section 3.9.

Metamodel Browser is a tool for viewing and editing method specifications. Through the Metamodel Browser the method developer has access to all method specifications available in currently open projects. To open a Metamodel Browser select Metamodel | Metamodel Browser in the Launcher.

Figure 1-37. Metamodel Browser.

As Figure 1-37 illustrates, the Metamodel Browser is similar to the other browsers of MetaEdit+. The left-hand list shows all the projects that are currently opened in the MetaEdit+ client. If the project you want is not visible, you can open it explicitly from the list’s pop-up menu.

The middle list shows all the available graph types, filtered by the projects selected in the left-hand list.

The list on the right shows the types contained in the graph type which is selected in the middle list. You may determine which element types of the method are visible in the right hand list from the pull-down list labelled Show. In Figure 1-37, all object types of the UML graph type Activity Diagram are shown.

The Metamodel browser also allows you to view the graph types by their explosion and decomposition hierarchies, by viewing both hierarchies simultaneously, or according to the subtype structure of the graph types. This viewing option can be selected from the Tree pull-down list. In Figure 1-37 the graph types are arranged according to decomposition, and the first two entries in the middle list show that some type in an Activity Diagram can decompose to another Activity Diagram.

As in other browsers of MetaEdit+, you can choose the default project for graph and type creation, and set wildcard string filters for the middle and right-hand list contents.

In addition to browsing the method specifications, you can open them for editing with the method development tools, and view more detailed information about type usage.

Editing is carried out in the method development tools described earlier (Graph, Object, Relationship, Role and Property tools). To open these tools select the method component from the list and double click it, or alternatively choose Edit from the component’s pop-up menu. This opens a method development tool for that type.

The pop-up menu for a type also includes Info, which opens a Type Info tool showing which types use this type, and which types it uses. The Type Info tool is similar to the Info tool for design data, and is illustrated in Figure 1-38.

Figure 1-38. Type Info tool.

The Type Info tool has three fields. The label at the top shows in which project the type is stored. The upper list shows which types use this type, along with the project where they are defined, and the function of this type within the using type. The lower list shows which types are used by this type, along with the project where they are defined.

In Figure 1-38 a Type Info tool has been opened for Class. This type is defined in the UML project. It is used in Class diagram in the UML project, and as the data type of the properties Class and Interface name. Class itself uses other types as its properties, e.g. the Class name property type, which is defined in the MCC project.

More information about a type shown in the Type Info tool can be seen by selecting that type. From the pop-up menu you can then choose Info... to open it in its own Type Info Tool, or double click the type to open it in the appropriate method development tool.

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