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The Traceability Window
Using the Traceability window - or, equally, the 'Trace' tab of the Inspector window - you can quickly see how elements are connected and how they influence each other. You can:
- Locate related elements in the Browser window
- View the properties of related elements
- Open the diagrams in which related elements are used
- Add related elements to the current diagram
- View the source code for related elements
- Change the display using the window toolbar options
When an element is selected, it immediately becomes the top point in the Traceability window. When a diagram is selected, all elements in the diagram are listed in the Traceability window, so you can use any of them as a starting point.
Access
Ribbon |
Design > Element > Trace Start > All Windows > Design > Explore > Trace Start > All Windows > Design > Explore > Inspect > Trace (This shows the Traceability window as the 'Trace' tab of the Inspector window) |
Keyboard Shortcuts |
| Traceability Alt+1 | Inspector | Trace |
Traceability window toolbar options
Option/Icon |
Action |
See also |
---|---|---|
Locate Element |
Click on this icon to make the selected element the focus of the Traceability window and to show all relationships and elements with which the selected element forms a relationship chain. Click on the diagram to list all elements in the diagram. |
|
Related Element Properties |
Click on this icon to display the element 'Properties' dialog for the currently-selected element in the Traceability window. |
|
Find Element Usage |
Click on this icon to display the 'Element Usage' dialog, listing all diagrams in which the currently-selected element is used. (Shortcut keys: ) |
Show Element Use |
(Relationship selector) |
Click on the options button in the toolbar, and select the checkbox against each relationship type to include in the trace shown in the window:
Other (unspecified) links such as:
|
Configure Diagram Display Realization Transition Model Transformation Set Up Cross References Generalization Inherited and Redefined Ports Aggregation Dependency Nesting Classifiers and Instances |
Help |
Click on this icon to display this Help topic. |
Traceability Window Context Menu Options
Right-click on an element or connector in the main panel. All options listed here act on elements only, except for the 'Properties' option which acts on connectors.
Option |
Description |
See also |
---|---|---|
Switch to Related Element |
Make the selected element the focus of the Traceability window. The element displays at the top of the window. |
|
View Related Element Properties |
Display the 'Properties' dialog for the selected element. You can also display the element's 'Properties' dialog by double-clicking on it. |
|
Find in all Diagrams |
Display the 'Element Usage' dialog, listing all diagrams in which the currently-selected element is used. |
Show Element Use |
Place element(s) in diagram |
This option is available if the selected element is not used in the diagram that is the current focus. Select the option to add the element and its child structure to the diagram. |
|
View Source Code |
Display the generated source code for the selected element, in the Source Code Editor. |
Editing Source Code |
Properties |
(For a connector) Display the 'Properties' dialog for the connector. (Double-clicking on a connector expands and collapses any structure beneath it, rather than displaying the 'Properties' dialog.) |
Properties Window and Dialog for Connectors |
Notes
- To make it easier and faster to find the elements you are interested in, restrict the relationship types shown to the smallest set of relevant types
- As an alternative view, or to include the traceability information in documentation, you can develop a Traceability diagram using the Traceability window
- The Traceability window does not currently recognize extended relationship types defined by Technologies such as BPMN or ArchiMate; relationships defined by a Profile or Technology are identified using their base UML type, so, for example, ArchiMate 'Realization' and 'UsedBy' relationships are each reported as UML 'Dependency' relationships