Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.
Contents |
Prev | Next |
Using Progress Bars
You can add progress bars to any element that can show compartments and that can display any numerical value within a range, when displayed on a diagram.
Progress bars can be used to display things such as:
- The current progress of a task or project
- How much of project's budget has been used
By default a progress bar will display a value between 0 and 100 (inclusive); however, it is possible to adjust both the minimum and maximum values to set any range of values required.
This illustration shows an example of a default progress bar:
Creating a Progress Bar using a new Tagged Value
Use this procedure to create a progress bar using a simple Tagged Value that you create immediately from scratch.
Step |
Action |
See also |
---|---|---|
1 |
On a diagram, create an element that can display compartments (such as a Requirement or Feature) and add a simple Tagged Value to it. |
Quick Start - Add Tagged Value To Elements |
2 |
From the Tagged Values window open the tag's notes and add 'Type=ProgressBar;' (including the semi-colon) and then click on the .
(You can add further options to the Tagged Value, as described in the Additional Progress Bar Options table.) |
|
3 |
Click on the element and either press or right-click and select the 'Features and Properties > Feature and Compartment Visibility' option. The 'Feature and Compartment Visibility' dialog displays. |
|
4 |
Select the 'Tags' checkbox in the 'Show Element Compartments' panel, then click on the . The progress bar will now be shown on the element on the diagram, with the Tagged Value name above the bar. |
|
5 |
In the Tagged Values window, indicate progress by typing a number between 1 and 100 into the 'Value' field for the tag. On the diagram, the appropriate length of the progress bar is filled in green. |
Creating a Progress Bar from the 'UML Types' dialog
You can also define a progress bar Tagged Value from the 'UML Types' dialog that can then be applied to any element, without having to set the Tagged Value notes each time.
Step |
Action |
See also |
---|---|---|
1 |
Select the 'Configure > Reference Data > UML Types' ribbon option to display the 'UML Types' dialog and click on the 'Tagged Value Types' tab. |
Tagged Value Types |
2 |
In the 'Tag Name' and 'Description' fields, type a name and description for the Tagged Value. In the 'Detail' field type the option parameters and their values for the Tagged Value. Click on the and on the .
(The option parameters are described in the Additional Progress Bar Options table.) |
|
3 |
Select the 'Start > Tagged Values' ribbon option to open the Tagged Values window (if it is not already open). On a diagram select an element, then in the Tagged Values window click on the (New Tagged Value) button. In the 'Tag' field of the Tagged Value dialog, click on the drop-down arrow and select the Tagged Value you created in step 2, then click on the . |
|
4 |
On the diagram, right-click on the element and select the 'Features & Properties | Feature and Compartment Visibility' option to display the 'Feature and Compartment Visibility' dialog. |
|
5 |
Select the 'Tags' checkbox and click on the . |
|
6 |
In the Tagged Values window, change the number in the 'Value' field a few times, clicking off the field each time. Notice the effect this has on the progress bar. |
Additional Progress Bar Options
A default progress bar will show the Tagged Value name and reflect values in the range 0-100. You can change the range values if required, and display text to the right of the bar if more information has to be provided. Use these parameters to enhance the progress bar.
Parameter |
Description |
See also |
---|---|---|
MinVal |
Use the MinVal option to set the lowest allowed value to be represented on the progress bar.
A progress bar with the setting MinVal=10; will start at 10. Values lower than 10 will not be shown on it. If a maximum value (MaxVal) has been defined, the progress bar will show any values between MinVal and MaxVal (inclusive); otherwise, the maximum value will default to MinVal + 100. So, if MinVal=10, the progress bar can show values between 10 and 110 (inclusive). |
|
MaxVal |
Use the MaxVal option to set the highest allowed value to be represented on the progress bar.
A progress bar with the setting MaxVal=300; will show values up to and including 300. Values higher than 300 will not be shown. If a minimum value (MinVal) has been set, the progress bar will show any values between MinVal and MaxVal (inclusive); otherwise the minimum value will default to 0. So, if MaxVal=300 the progress bar can show values between 0 and 300 (inclusive). |
|
Text |
Use the Text option to define additional text to display on the right hand side of the progress bar. The text might be a resource name or the current take up of the total allowed budget of a project.
This illustration shows a number of examples of using the Text option.
|
|
Compartment |
By default, progress bars in an element display together in a separate compartment from other types of Tagged Value (provided that the diagram and/or element are set to display tag compartments). When there are several progress bars on an element, each relating to a different factor of the project, it can become harder to distinguish between them. In these cases it is possible to set the progress bars to display in specific compartments in order to increase clarity. This also provides an additional level of labeling. So you might have an element relating to costs, and two or more compartments that indicate costs of different departments, where the department name is reflected in the compartment name. Or compartments that each contain two or more progress bars indicating, say, the costs and percentage completion of tasks in each department.
To add multiple progress bars to the same compartment simply give the progress bars the same compartment name. This example shows the element from the Text parameter example, but with the use of compartments to aid in readability.
|
Progress Bars with MDG Technologies
Progress bars can also be created within MDG Technologies to define a consistent set of progress bars for use with multiple projects.
Learn more