Connection points in Sequence Diagram

[Bill Watkins]

Does anyone have any tips for getting connection points to align
horizontally between different object lifelines and activation shapes in a
UML sequence diagram? I'm finding it difficult to actually get messages to
connect as horizontal lines between "columns," particularly if the target
object is created somewhere below the "top" of the diagram, or if an
activation bar is placed on a lifeline.

If you can't attach to the actual connection points, the tools that rely on
the actual connections, e.g., the operations dialog that leverages off the
connection, don't appear to work as intended.
--
Bill Watkins
Applications Architect
Boeing Space & Communications - Houston

"Any opinions are my own and do not represent those of Boeing."

[RA]

Try creating your own connection points on the object lifelines.

- First, click on Tools \ Snap and Glue
- Uncheck "Snap to connection points" and ok
- Select the "Connection Points" tool
- Hold down Ctrl and click somewhere on the Object Lifeline shape to create
a new connection point

Hope this helps

--
-ronnie
[MS]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"Bill Watkins" <bill.watkins@.com> wrote in message
news:uhuR21ONCHA.2460@tkmsftngp04...

[Bill Watkins]

Thanks for the tip Ronnie, but adding new connection points really gets
tedious. Even then, a simple thing like updating the shapes moves things
around again so you have start over.

Bill

"RA" <as...@asdf1.com> wrote in message news:3d458bdf$1...@news.microsoft.com...

[RA]

Are the message lines between the object lifelines straight or are they at
an angle?
To create a sequence diagram, in the Model Explorer, right-click a Package
shape and select New \ Sequence Diagram

--
-ronnie
[MS]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"Bill Watkins" <bill.watkins@.com> wrote in message

news:OefVrKLOCHA.2420@tkmsftngp04...

[Bill Watkins]

The problem primarilly arises when a sequence diagram object / lifeline is
created somewhere other than where it can be horizontally aligned with the
start of another object, e.g., the first object actually creates the second
object somewhere down the page. When this happens, I haven't found an easy
way to align the connection points in the two lifelines such that a message
drawn from one to the other will be automatically horizontal without having
to dither with adding connection points to one or both of them.

Moving Activation bars around on the lifelines sometimes cause similar
problems.

The other oddity I've observered is when an activation bar is stretched, a
message connected to the connection point at the top corner of the
activation bar will sometimes flip to a connection point at the bottom
corner of the activiation bar.

"RA" <as...@asdf1.com> wrote in message news:3d4823ba$1...@news.microsoft.com...