SysML connector types

[marke]

The OMG standard shows that connectors between ports or parts on an ibd can be typed. EA doesn't seem to allow typing of connectors. Am I missing a trick or is this an omission?

Thank you, Mark
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[Gary]

Sorry Mark

Can you clarify what you mean by type? Where in the spec is it? Which version of the spec? It will help us to help you.

Gary
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[marke]

Hi Gary,

SysML 1.3: Table 8.2 & section 8.3.2.3. Also Fig 7.47 (p164) in "A Practical Guide to SysML (2nd Ed) by Friedenthal et al".

I was expecting that when I bring up a connector's properties (in this instance in an ibd) that there would be somewhere to specify the type (as you can in a port's properties).

Mark
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[qwerty]

You need to open Advanced/Change Type from the context menu. Usually you create the right connector beforehand (from the profile toolbox).

q.
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[marke]

Hi q,

I'm not talking about the type of connector (e.g. abstraction, aggregations etc) but the type associated with the connector. For example, the type of the connector between a router and a PC might be an Ethernet Cable.

See page 24 in http://www.pslm.gatech.edu/events/frontiers2011/1.3_Friedenthal.pdf. The connector between the PlugIF and the SocketIF has been typed by an association block.

Mark
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[qwerty]

I see. AFAIK EA can't do that. The SysML plugin might have a solution, though. I don't know. But there is no concept in EA for a relation instance like you have it for classes. You could fake that by naming the connector with a leading colon.

q.
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[Gary]

Mark

I don't have the SysML 1.3 on my EA as I am using EA9.3.
I Know how to create an association block and have that link to the association between two blocks.
To do this:

Create the association between the required blocks.
Right click on the block to be the association block
Select Association class
Select the association link from the list.
The association block will then be linked to the association.

Gary
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[qwerty]

Gary, this creates the association along with the association class. But not an instance of that.

q.
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[natvig]

Connectors (that can be runtime instances of associations) should be able to be 'typed' by the association that is its type, see section 9.3.6 in UML Spec issue 2.4.1. This is UML 2.0 (has been included in the standard for nearly 10 years) and not something which is specific to SysML. This is an important feature still missing in EA. Perhaps the need to specify a classname of an association that the connector represents is higher in SysML than in UML and that the need to include this feature into EA is greater than ever.
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