Sunday 30 September 2018

Presenting at the IBM Agile Engineering Conference

I am presenting at IBM's Agile Engineering Conference if anybody wants to meet up:
http://conference.learnquest.com/agile-engineering-summit-18/

Rational Rhapsody Tip #43 - Toggling between specification vs structured views (Basic and Advanced)

I've just finished my latest spot of consulting. This tip came from a recent email exchange I had where I was explaining how to add and remove compartments on classes/blocks in IBM Rational Rhapsody. The first basic bit of knowledge is to understand that when you look at the Block or Class on a diagram it can be shown in either structured or specification view mode. The specification view is also known as a compartment view and allows the user to show any number of compartments with selected data shown. It contrasts with the structured view which essentially shows an internal block diagram (or composite structure diagram). You can toggle between the views using an icon in the zoom toolbar. At the end of the short video I also show a more advanced tip by customizing the list of available compartments using the AdditionalCompartments property. The video also serves to highlight the new combined Display Options dialog in the latest version of Rhapsody. This brings together several previously separate elements (properties, format, port options and display options) under one roof to make them easier to find and use (certainly adding and removing compartments is a lot easier). Enjoy!

Sunday 23 September 2018

Driving Quality from Simulating System Tests webinar recording

In August I did a webinar as part of the IBM Rational Rhapsody enlightenment series that covers the slightly more advanced topic of executable MBSE.

The following is IBM's link to the recording (you need to give them your email address but it plays straight away):
https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/8084552161806712577

The webinar was mainly demo. It focuses on using executable MBSE to build test case sequence diagrams and plans from use cases using a method I'm calling called ROCKETs (Requirements Originating in the Context of Knowledge from Executing Transitions on Statecharts). It's a method that works really well with Rational DOORS.

This shows a prototype of my v3 SysMLHelper, an open source plug-in and profile that intends to make the job simple. It's a much more advanced topic than the first video but I've tried to make it fun and interesting. I start with a blank model and transition through the process of making an executable model from nothing, finishing with use of an Add On to Rhapsody called "Test Conductor" that enables suites of tests to be built and executed. 

Of course, this is possible without automation only I wouldn't be able to do in in 20 mins! It would take me weeks to build the model and explain how to build it. The automation I show is something I've been working on and using for over 3 years now. There is over 10K of Java and some of my best ideas for making working with Executable Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and IBM Rhapsody Designer fun and relevant ;-)

Note: My next public training course is w/b 23rd Oct 2018 at HORIBA-MIRA (in concert with the Functional Safety Team). 

Tuesday 11 September 2018

Tips and tricks for navigating IBM Rational Rhapsody models - IBM Webinar recording link

If anybody missed the IBM webinar I did on "Tips and tricks for navigating Rhapsody models" there's a link here to the IBM recording.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/6132834359953946881

This was really a compendium of lots of the smaller tips I've given in short videos plus a few newbies. Topics included:
  • Workspace & Toolbars
    • Recent Projects list display length
  • Browser
    • Show & hide
    • Collapse & expand
    • Using the keyboard
    • Flat vs Categories
    • Tear off browsers
    • Filtering the browser
  • Advanced search and replace
    • Convert to queries
    • Clever queries
    • ShowInBrowserFilterList
  • Favorites list
    • Add to favourites using Ctrl + D
  • Enhanced tooltip
    • Enable / disable
    • Diagram preview in browser
    • Roll over links
    • Controlling with properties
    • Show on diagram
    • Tear off using Ctrl + F2
    • Java Customizing enhanced tooltip
    • Double-click
  • Hyperlinks
    • Adding them
    • Navigating them
  • Navigate
    • Locate in browser 
  • Plug-in examples
    • Locate on diagram
  • Naming conventions
    • Navigation toolbar
      • Back button
      • Hold-down for list
    • Quick navigation icons
      • Enable/disable
    • Diagram navigation
      • Zoom using wheel mouse
      • Zoom to selection
      • Pan tool
      • Full screen
      • Bird’s eye
      • Find in diagram (Ctrl+Shift+F)
    • 6.0.6 Jazz/am Web browser

    Rational Rhapsody Tip #42 - Create dependencies between read-only elements

    I'm back off my hols! This came up recently with a couple of customers. Both were asking "how can I create dependencies if the owner is read-only?". Well, this is possible with IBM Rational Rhapsody. However, you need Rhapsody 8.3, or later (January 2018). In 8.3 the General tab of the Features dialog has separate listings for both the Dependent and Depends On element. The owner is implicit from the element’s location, so generally you need to create the dependency first (under an owner that is read-write) and then move it. When you drag to move a Dependency then a dialog pops up to ask if you want to change the source, the target or both? To move the dependency but keep the relationship the same then you need to choose change source only. This short tips and tricks video highlights, by first drawing a dependency between two elements that are read-write and then trying the same thing when the two elements are read-only.
















    It also shows how Rhapsody creates an inferred "source dependency" category under the dependent element, even though the element is read-only and the true dependency owner is elsewhere in the model. The element which owns the dependency will have the "owned dependency" category. Such dependencies are still analyzed by the gateway in the same way, despite their change of ownership, enabling you to establish dependencies between two elements that are read-only and have this reported for traceability purposes.