Rhapsody Tips 'n Tricks Videos (1-25)


Tip# Description YouTube
#1Rhapsody Tip #1 - Using Alt key when resizing (Simple)
Shows how resizing behavior of the IBM Rational Rhapsody diagram editior is changed by holding down the Alt key when resizing a container.
#2Rhapsody Tip #2 - Allowing spaces in names (Intermediate)
This quick tip shows how you can use an IBM Rational Rhapsody property to allow characters such as spaces in UML/SysML elements that Rhapsody would not normally allow them.
#3Rhapsody Tip #3 - Deleting Events and usages in one step
This super short video shows how it's possible to use a custom Helper written in Java to automate the deletion of Events and related EventReceptions and diagram references. Helpers like this can simplify usage in increase a team's productivity be removing repetitive tasks.
#4Rhapsody Tip #4 - Applying format using a stereotype (Intermediate)
This basic tip for using IBM Rational Rhapsody is something I use all the time. It shows how easy it is to apply format using a stereotype, by first right-clicking on the stereotype and setting the Format there. Now when you apply the stereotype to an element, the Format you set is conveyed automatically.
#5Rhapsody Tip #5 - Using the BackUps property (Simple Tip)
Just one of a thousand useful properties, this property can be set on a model to get it to save a copy of the previous version, every time you save. This can be handy to give you Backups when using Rhapsody "solo", i.e. without an SCM tool configured.
#6Rhapsody Tip #6 - Using guard-based STM pattern (Advanced)
Sometimes in real-time systems development it can help to capture more continuous behavior in an STM, particularly in automotive where engineers may be more orientated to think in terms of guards rather than events/signals, but also because the behavior we want to capture demands it. This 2 minute video on advanced Rhapsody STM's contrasts two state machines. The first uses a conventional STM where transitions are triggered by asynchronous events. The second shows a parallel region pattern that can be used to capture similar behavior using Guards with null-triggered transitions.
#7Rhapsody Tip #7 - Customizing a drawing toolbar to ease usage (Intermediate)
Ever wanted to modify Rhapsody’s toolbar to simplify or add the drawing tools that you want? Actually, it’s pretty simple to do. We have the option also whether to do it on individual diagrams or across the project. This video shows how you can override the Toolbar property on a SysML/UML Activity Diagram, e.g., so that a modeler can add a Dependency with stereotype in a single step.
#8Rhapsody Tip #8 - Using and extending the Enhanced Tooltip (Intermediate)
One of Rhapsody's usability enhancements has been an Enhanced Tooltip. It gives a preview with hyperlinks that can be clicked. On diagrams it can be enabled by pressing Shift+Alt+F2 or, we can set the General::Model::ShowModelTooltipInGE property to Enhanced. Ctrl+F2 will break the tooltip out into a separate Window. We can also extend Rhapsody's capabilities with method-specific usability enhancements, for example to view the specification text of related requirements.
#9Rhapsody Tip #9 - Using a query to find (and delete) requirements removed from view (Intermediate)
On occasion in IBM Rational Rhapsody, we may create elements on diagrams and then change our minds. In the context menu we can either Delete from model or remove from view (but keep in model). Just pressing 'Delete' will remove from view (i.e. the safe option). This is sometimes not our intent. To find elements that have no traceability we could create a user-defined Query in the model. Queries exist in the browser and are persisted search terms, e.g. we can create a Query to search for requirements with exactly zero incoming dependencies. Double-clicking a Query lists the elements in the output window. They are also listed as browser filters, by default, and we can pick them from the pull-down browser filter list. In either the output window, or the browser, we can multi-select elements to delete from model.
#10Rhapsody Tip #10 - What are new term stereotypes? (Intermediate)
IBM Rational Rhapsody allows us to extend the UML/SysML with our own terms. It's a bit like playing fancy dress with UML/SysML. Standard stereotype mechanisms provide us with a fairly transparent extension mechanism (a James Bond theme party?). If we want to pull out the stops then we can mark a stereotype as a New Term and give it new browser icons. This is more akin to dressing up as the Pink Panther.
#11Rhapsody Tip #11 - Understanding Rhapsody's property hierarchy (Intermediate)
IBM Rational Rhapsody has thousands of properties to customize the way it works. Diagram display defaults, toolbar menus, the browser, code or simulation generation behavior can all be tailored for your project or company needs. For example, the compartments shown for requirements. Accessing this power requires understanding of the property hierarchy. This short 2 minute video from www.mbsetraining.com highlight's the property hierarchy in action.
#12Rhapsody Tip #12 - The General:: Model:: RenameUnusedFiles property (Intermediate)
I created this video to help explain some basic principles about how Rhapsody stores UML/SysML projects on the file-system; the folder structure and the concepts of units. For more advanced users I've also highlighted what happens when you rename units, plus one of many properties Rhapsody has that can be configured to control how it works. Whether you need to use the property may depend on the setup. At the very least, the video gives a few basic concepts worth knowing.
#13Rhapsody Tip #13 - Managing Unresolved elements/units (Intermediate)
This video gives some housekeeping tips for IBM Rational Rhapsody. A model is 'by definition' differs from drawing pictures because you have the ability to view the same artifacts in many different ways. The common data dictionary means that we can keep things consistent as the information and ideas evolve. But what if someone sends you a model that references a profile or units in a different model that you don't have, or your CM strategy fails to ensure related files are propagated together? This video hopefully helps to explain. It also shows how you can use the Add to model dialog to reference other profiles and Rhapsody's Advanced Search and Replace dialog to check a model for unresolved elements.
#14Rhapsody Tip #14 - Using make default and drawing interruptible edges
This video shows a couple of simple tips when working with Rhapsody's drawing surface. The first is the ability to choose a new default size for things by right-clicking and choosing Make Default... The second tip is a workaround for drawing a jagged edge coming out of an interruptible region by adding user points. Both are things I actually use quite often, hence I thought I'd bottle them into a video.
#15Rhapsody Tip #15 - Changing the default project directory (Intermediate)
This is a lesser known tip. When you create a project in Rhapsody, the New Project dialog will, by default, choose an installed folder as the default root for new projects. This is not usually a desired location and may not be read/write, requiring you to browse to a new root. Doing this every time you create a project can be annoying especially when training or creating demos. Fortunately, you can tailor the default folder by adding a line ProjectsDirectory= to the rhapsody.ini file. This video illustrates this.
#16Rhapsody Tip #16 - Some magic drawing key tips to know (Simple)
IBM Rational Rhapsody has a number of handy key presses you can use when you're drawing diagrams. E.g., holding down the alt key to prevent re-sizing contained elements is the one most people learn first but there are others, e.g., press Shift while re-sizing will keep the shape's symmetry, and pressing Shift while moving an element with arrows allows you to nudge without moving the contained elements. This short video shows a bunch of them.
#17Rhapsody Tip #17 - Making space on sequence diagrams using the Shift key (Simple)
Following on from tip #16 this short video shows a simple technique for creating white space in IBM Rational Rhapsody sequence diagrams by holding down the SHIFT key before clicking and moving an element. It can be used to speed up your modeling.
#18Rhapsody Tip #18 - Exporting high-quality vector-based images out of Rhapsody (Simple)
We often want to quickly get diagrams out of Rhapsody to send to people or include in manually-created documents. There are a number of options to do this, but the best option is not necessarily the most obvious. This video shows two alternative techniques to using the Export Diagram Image... The easiest is to Ctrl-A, Ctrl-C and Paste (Ctrl-V) from diagram from the diagram canvas. If you want to send pictures for people to review another really handy idea is to Print to PDF (in conjunction with either Windows 10's built in feature, or a third-party PDF printer tool (preferably one that's safe and doesn't install bloat ;-).
#19Rhapsody Tip #19 - Smart Routing and some other 8.2 diagramming enhancements (Simple)
This short video covers 3 new features in IBM Rational Rhapsody 8.2 that relate to diagramming: Smart Routing, Alignment Guides, and the Rounded Rectilinear line shape option. Actually, they're pretty cool. You do need to set a property to get Smart Routing to work by default though.
#20Rhapsody Tip #20 - Adding a HyperLinkShortCut list to graphical elements for navigation (Simple)
In IBM Rational Rhapsody v8.2 (released Dec 2016) to enhance navigation from individual graphic elements in diagrams, you can add a list of shortcuts that are accessible from the title bar of the element. Note that in this release, the feature is only available for classes, objects, composite classes, and any "new term" elements based on these elements. It's still useful, however. This super short video shows how to do it.
#22Rhapsody Tip #22 - Why you can't draw connectors between Blocks in SysML (Intermediate)
Understanding the difference between Blocks and Parts (and thus the difference between BDDs and IBDs is a massively important topic for a SysML practitioner and something that very few Rhapsody users with no training will understand. I'm forever finding users who try to draw connectors between Blocks, give up, and choose to use Flows instead. The whole Block, Part, Port/Connector capability is really powerful though. This video tries to shed some light on the typical question: Why can't I draw a connector between ports on two Blocks. The video is using IBM Rational Rhapsody 8.2.1 (released June 2017)
#23Rhapsody Tip #23 - Enhanced usability with Quick Navigation icons in 8.2.1 (Intermediate)
Being able to navigate between diagrams, including drilling through hierarchies is increasingly important for systems engineers. In this video we show a new feature added to Rhapsody 8.2.1 (June 2017) to widen support for this across a range of diagrams and element types. As illustrated in this short video, this new feature is enabled by setting the EnableQuickNavigation property. The categories of displayed types can then be tailored for individual diagram or element types using QuickNavigationCategories properties. Further refinement is also possible using the Compartment tab of individual graphical elements.
#24Rhapsody Tip #24 - Using change events with flowports (Intermediate)
Despite the introduction of proxy ports in SysML 1.3, flow-ports remain very useful when simulating systems. In this video I demonstrate how to use flow-ports in IBM Rational Rhapsody to transfer data values from Parts defined by different Blocks, and get the receiving Block to react to changes to the value in the transmitting Block. One of the good things about flow-ports is that they are multi-cast, e.g. it's possible to draw connectors to multiple parts. This, in combination with the fine granularity makes them very useful for simulating automotive systems. While I admire the intent behind proxy-ports, I think there are practical reasons therefore why flow-ports persist as useful. They are also the basis of Simulink integration in Rhapsody, another reason why they are not going away quickly. The trick to using flow-ports for simulation in Rhapsody is to understand that it uses naming conventions. This video illustrations the use of a change event (e.g. chSpeed) and a setter (e.g. setVehSpeed), together with name equivalence between the flow-port and the value property/attribute to get it working for simulation.
#25Rhapsody Tip #25 - Exporting just diagrams into existing DOORS modules (Intermediate)
Conventional Rhapsody Gateway usage would be to export a Rhapsody model as a surrogate module in DOORS with links to a formal module that contains the requirements. However, did you know that the Export Document to DOORS functionality can be used to add Rhapsody diagrams to an existing DOORS module? This can be useful for supplementing textual requirements with diagrammatic information that makes them easier to understand and conveys additional meaning. It's straight forward. However, the settings need to be done carefully to make it work as expected. This short video from www.rhapsodytraining.com illustrates.

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