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The Start Page
The features described here are available from Enterprise Architect Release 14.1 onwards.
The Start Page is the default landing page that displays when you first open Enterprise Architect. It provides a range of useful commands to create and/or access project files, connect to a server repository, or access a project via the Cloud. You can also access a set of Portals that provide the facilities, resources, links, tailored searches and reports for working in a particular task area, such as publishing or developing a model.
The facilities and commands on the Start Page are made available through the 'Open' and 'New' options, the 'Recent' list and the 'Open a Portal' option.
Notice that when you open Enterprise Architect for the first time, the Browser window contains the option '<click to open project>'. This has the same effect as the 'New > Manage Projects' option, described in the New table.
Access
Opened by default on startup of Enterprise Architect.
Ribbon |
Start > Desktop > Workspaces > Show Start Page |
Open
Option |
Action |
See also |
---|---|---|
Local project |
Click on this option to display the 'Select Enterprise Architect Project to Open' dialog to browse for and open an existing project file (.eap, .eapx or .feap). |
|
Server connection |
Click on this option to display the 'Data Link Properties' dialog, from which you begin to specify a data source to connect to, on one of a number of supported repositories. This feature is available in the Corporate, Unified and Ultimate editions. |
Connect to an ASA Data Repository Connect to an Oracle Repository (ODBC) Connect to a PostgreSQL Repository Connect to a MySQL Repository Connect to an Oracle Repository (OLE DB) Connect to a SQL Server Repository |
Cloud connection |
Click on this option to open the 'Cloud Connection' dialog, which you use to specify a project held at a remote location, and to access it through the internet or web. You work on the project using the Enterprise Architect installation on your machine. An advantage of working in this way is that you do not need to have the database drivers installed on your machine, as you would to work on projects held on a DBMS server. |
Connecting Enterprise Architect to a Cloud Model |
New
Option |
Description |
See also |
---|---|---|
Create a new project |
Click on this option to create a new local (.eap or .feap) project file, and to add model structures to it using the Model Wizard. |
Model Wizard File Based Projects |
Manage projects |
Click on this option to open the 'Manage Projects' dialog, which you use to manage connections to the Enterprise Architect projects (.eap files, .eapx files, .feap files, DBMS server connections and Cloud connections) to which you have access. |
Managing Connections to Projects |
Recent
This is a list of up to ten Enterprise Architect projects (.eap files, .eapx files, .feap files, DBMS server connections and Cloud connections) that you have opened most recently. The drop-down arrow in the list heading displays options to:
- Switch the list between recently-accessed models and currently 'watched' models, and
- Set up a 'Watched Model' configuration to define what projects to monitor and what actions to capture within the models (see the Model Watches Help topic)
Option |
Action |
See also |
---|---|---|
<Model names> |
Either:
You can also right-click on a project name in the list and display a short context menu with options to:
|
How to Remove Links to Recent Projects Model Watches |
Open a Portal
This option displays a drop-down list of the Portals available in Enterprise Architect. Click on the appropriate Portal name to display that Portal on the left or right of the screen.
Portal Name |
Description |
See also |
---|---|---|
Recent Places |
The Recent Places Portal provides links to the diagrams, files, documents and system windows that you recently had in use, and the diagrams that you have open currently. |
Recent Places Portal |
Recent Activity |
The Recent Activity Portal provides links to run searches that locate recent activities of various types across the model. The searches are grouped to identify:
|
Recent Activity Portal |
Working Sets |
The Working Sets Portal provides links to the system-provided working sets that you might use to lay out the Enterprise Architect work area, but even more so to any working sets that you have created yourself. The system options include:
|
Working Sets Portal |
Model Views |
The Model Views Portal helps you to capture information on the objects in your model from different aspects that you define yourself, helping you to encapsulate your model under the areas you are interested in. You can define a number of types of view based on searches or objects that you have placed into a collection, or you can collate diagrams into a slide show. You can also import views from, or export views to, other models. |
Model Views Portal |
Workspaces |
The Workspaces Portal provides links to the system-provided workspaces that you might use to lay out the Enterprise Architect work area, and to any workspaces that you have created yourself. The categories provided are:
|
Workspaces Portal |
Perspectives |
The Perspectives Portal provides a wide range of model Patterns from which you can generate model structures for particular areas of work. The Patterns are organized into groups within Perspectives, and presented for selection through the 'Model Patterns' tab of the Model Wizard, and through the 'New Diagram' dialog. The Portal also includes a category for Perspectives that you have created yourself, which provide the Patterns from MDG Technologies you have specified in the Perspective. |
Perspectives Portal |
Windows |
The Windows Portal provides links to the Enterprise Architect windows that you might use. The windows are grouped under the areas of:
|
Windows Portal |
Extend |
The Extend Portal lists the MDG Technologies currently active in your model - such as ArcGIS or NEIM - and for each one provides links to the facilities for working with those technologies within Enterprise Architect. |
Extend Portal |
Execute |
The Execute Portal provides a wide range of options that help you to:
|
Execute Portal |
Guidebook |
The Guidebook Portal provides links to the library of Enterprise Architect User Guides in PDF format. The Portal initially displays with ten categories of document, each of which can be expanded to a list of the PDF documents in that category. |
Guidebook Portal |
Learning |
The Learning Portal provides links to either the web version of the Enterprise Architect User Guide, or the locally-installed Help if you have downloaded that. The Portal also provides links to a number of useful web pages on the Sparx Systems website, such as the Tutorials, Webinars and Video Demonstrations pages. |
Learning Portal |
Notes
- You can hide the Start Page, or show it again, by toggling the 'Start > Desktop > Workspaces > Show Start Page' ribbon option; this setting persists after shut down and restart of Enterprise Architect until you explicitly toggle the option again