Tutorial: Create your first C# Enterprise Architect add-in in 10 minutes
This post will take you through the basic steps to create your first C# add-in for Sparx Enterprise Architect in about 10 minutes.
Enterprise Architect from Sparx Systems is a great UML Case tool, but you can make it even better by adding your own functionality in the form of an add-in.
You can use a number of programming languages to create add-ins for EA, but personally I like C# the best.
Prerequisites
Before you start you should have following software on your computer ready to use:
- Enterprise Architect (download the fully functional trial if you don’t have it installed yet)
- Visual Studio (This tutorial was made using Visual Studio 2022)
EA’s addin architecture
To fully understand the steps necessary to get your add-in running you should first understand how EA’s add-in architecture works.
When EA starts up it will a key in the registry to know which addins to load, depending on the bitness.
- 32 bit: [<HKCU/HKLM>\Software\Sparx Systems\EAAddins].
- 64 bit: [<HKCU/HKLM>\SOFTWARE\Sparx Systems\EAAddins64]
Each of the keys in these locations represents an add-in for EA to load.
The (default) value of the key contains the fully qualified name of the add-in class eg: MyAddin.MyAddinClass
EA then asks Windows for the location of the assembly, which is stored on the COM codebase entries in the registry, and it will use the public operations defined in the add-in class.
So in order for our add-in to work we’ll need to:
- Create the add-in dll containing the add-in class
- Add a key to registry containing the name of the assembly and the name of the add-in class
- Register the in the COM codebase entries in the registry
Step 1: Create the add-in dll
So open up Visual Studio, start a new project, and choose Class Library as type of project.
The first thing we need to do is to add the EA API assembly to our references, so choose Add Reference….
Select the Browse tab, browse tot the EA installation folder (default: [Program Files]\Sparx Systems\EA) and choose the file Interop.EA.dll.
This will allow us to use the classes/interfaces defined by EA’s API.
Then there are some build options we need to configure.
First we’re going to tell Visual Studio to build our dll so it can be used as a COM object.
Doubleclick on on the properties folder under your project, click on the button Assembly Information and tick the little checkbox on the bottom that says Make assembly COM-visible
Then we would also like Visual Studio to register the dll in the COM codebase entries in the registry each time it builds our little project.
To do so go into the Build tab of the project properties and tick the checkbox Register for COM interop.
Then we rename the default Class1.cs to MyAddinClass.cs and replace the existing template code by the following:
using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
namespace MyAddin
{
public class MyAddinClass
{
// define menu constants
const string menuHeader = "&MyAddin";
const string menuHello = "&Say Hello";
const string menuGoodbye = "&aSay Goodbye";
// remember if we have to say hello or goodbye
private bool shouldWeSayHello = true;
///
/// Called Before EA starts to check Add-In Exists
/// Nothing is done here.
/// This operation needs to exists for the addin to work
///
/// <param name="Repository" />the EA repository
/// a string
public String EA_Connect(EA.Repository Repository)
{
//No special processing required.
return "a string";
}
///
/// Called when user Clicks Add-Ins Menu item from within EA.
/// Populates the Menu with our desired selections.
/// Location can be "TreeView" "MainMenu" or "Diagram".
///
/// <param name="Repository" />the repository
/// <param name="Location" />the location of the menu
/// <param name="MenuName" />the name of the menu
///
public object EA_GetMenuItems(EA.Repository Repository, string Location, string MenuName)
{
switch (MenuName)
{
// defines the top level menu option
case "":
return menuHeader;
// defines the submenu options
case menuHeader:
string[] subMenus = { menuHello, menuGoodbye};
return subMenus;
}
return "";
}
///
/// returns true if a project is currently opened
///
/// <param name="Repository" />the repository
/// true if a project is opened in EA
bool IsProjectOpen(EA.Repository Repository)
{
try
{
EA.Collection c = Repository.Models;
return true;
}
catch
{
return false;
}
}
///
/// Called once Menu has been opened to see what menu items should active.
///
/// <param name="Repository" />the repository
/// <param name="Location" />the location of the menu
/// <param name="MenuName" />the name of the menu
/// <param name="ItemName" />the name of the menu item
/// <param name="IsEnabled" />boolean indicating whethe the menu item is enabled
/// <param name="IsChecked" />boolean indicating whether the menu is checked
public void EA_GetMenuState(EA.Repository Repository, string Location, string MenuName, string ItemName, ref bool IsEnabled, ref bool IsChecked)
{
if (IsProjectOpen(Repository))
{
switch (ItemName)
{
// define the state of the hello menu option
case menuHello:
IsEnabled = shouldWeSayHello;
break;
// define the state of the goodbye menu option
case menuGoodbye:
IsEnabled = !shouldWeSayHello;
break;
// there shouldn't be any other, but just in case disable it.
default:
IsEnabled = false;
break;
}
}
else
{
// If no open project, disable all menu options
IsEnabled = false;
}
}
///
/// Called when user makes a selection in the menu.
/// This is your main exit point to the rest of your Add-in
///
/// <param name="Repository" />the repository
/// <param name="Location" />the location of the menu
/// <param name="MenuName" />the name of the menu
/// <param name="ItemName" />the name of the selected menu item
public void EA_MenuClick(EA.Repository Repository, string Location, string MenuName, string ItemName)
{
switch (ItemName)
{
// user has clicked the menuHello menu option
case menuHello:
this.sayHello();
break;
// user has clicked the menuGoodbye menu option
case menuGoodbye:
this.sayGoodbye();
break;
}
}
///
/// Say Hello to the world
///
private void sayHello()
{
MessageBox.Show("Hello World");
this.shouldWeSayHello = false;
}
///
/// Say Goodbye to the world
///
private void sayGoodbye()
{
MessageBox.Show("Goodbye World");
this.shouldWeSayHello = true;
}
///
/// EA calls this operation when it exists. Can be used to do some cleanup work.
///
public void EA_Disconnect()
{
GC.Collect();
GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers();
}
}
}
Now all we need to do is build the project, and the add-in dll is finished.
Step 2: Add the registry key
In order to let EA know there is a new add-in to be loaded we need to add a key in the registry in the location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Sparx Systems\EAAddins
The registry editor will automatically create a default value for the new key. Doubleclick on the (Default) value on the right pane, and enter the value in the form of [Namespace].[ClassName], so in this case MyAddin.MyAddinClass
Step 3: Try it out in EA
Alright, now the add-in is ready to be used. So fire up EA, open a project and right click on an element in the projectbrowser, or a diagram.
You should now see an additional menu option with the options we defined.
Congratulations! You have just created your first C# add-in for EA
Distributing the add-in
Once you have finished your add-in you will probably want to share it with others.
There are three steps needed to install your add-in on another computer:
- Copy the required files to a convenient location.
You can find the files needed in your Visual Studio project folder: ..\MyAddin\MyAddin\bin\Release - Register your add-in dll in the COM codebase entries in the registry using regasm.exe
Open up a command prompt in folder where you copied the add-in dll and register the dll with the /codebase option. In my case that command would be: %WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\regasm MyAddin.dll /codebase - Add the registry key
The easiest way to add the registry key on another computer is to export the key from your registry using regedit. This will save the information stored in the key in a .reg file, which you can execute by doubleclicking.
These three steps can of course be automated by your favorite installer program, see Tutorial: Deploy your Enterprise Architect C# add-in with an MSI package
More resources
Related articles
- The complete Enterprise Architect C# add-in template
Making your life easier with the add-in template - Testing and debugging your Enterprise Architect C# Add-In
You’ve created something but now you need to see if it works (or why it doesn’t) - Tutorial: Deploy your Enterprise Architect C# add-in with an MSI package
How to make others happy with the fruits of your labor - How to use the Enterprise Architect Add-in Framework
Getting serious about add-ins? Using this frameworks saves a lot of work and enables re-use of your hard work.
Hi Geert,
I am developing my first add-in for EA so I went through the steps above and got the following errors when building the code:
Error 1 A namespace cannot directly contain members such as fields or methods C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 3 1 MyAddin
Error 2 { expected C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 7 22 MyAddin
Error 3 A namespace cannot directly contain members such as fields or methods C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 9 1 MyAddin
Error 4 { expected C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 11 34 MyAddin
Error 5 Invalid token ‘007’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 13 1 MyAddin
Error 6 Invalid token ‘010’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 19 1 MyAddin
Error 7 Invalid token ‘011’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 21 1 MyAddin
Error 8 Invalid token ‘012’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 23 1 MyAddin
Error 9 Invalid token ‘015’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 29 1 MyAddin
Error 10 ; expected C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 45 63 MyAddin
Error 11 Invalid token ‘024’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 47 1 MyAddin
Error 12 ; expected C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 75 102 MyAddin
Error 13 Invalid token ‘039’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 77 1 MyAddin
Error 14 Invalid token ‘)’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 81 37 MyAddin
Error 15 Invalid token ‘;’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 89 46 MyAddin
Error 16 Invalid token ‘:’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 93 40 MyAddin
Error 17 Invalid token ‘049’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 97 1 MyAddin
Error 18 Invalid token ‘;’ in class, struct, or interface member declaration C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 97 44 MyAddin
Error 19 A namespace cannot directly contain members such as fields or methods C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 101 1 MyAddin
Error 20 A namespace cannot directly contain members such as fields or methods C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 107 1 MyAddin
Error 21 Expected class, delegate, enum, interface, or struct C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 163 20 MyAddin
Error 22 Expected class, delegate, enum, interface, or struct C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 233 20 MyAddin
Error 23 Expected class, delegate, enum, interface, or struct C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 269 21 MyAddin
Error 24 Expected class, delegate, enum, interface, or struct C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 287 21 MyAddin
Error 25 Expected class, delegate, enum, interface, or struct C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 305 20 MyAddin
Error 26 Type or namespace definition, or end-of-file expected C:Userslauren.arceAppDataLocalTemporary ProjectsClassLibrary1MyAddinClass.cs 317 9 MyAddin
Any idea where I may have gone wrong?
Ultimately, my goal is to write an add-in to import milestones dates from an MS Project file into EA as class attribute values.
Thanks in advance for your help!
-Lauren
Geert,
I’ve repasted the code and now I only get the following errors:
Error 1 The type or namespace name ‘EA’ could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?) C:Userslauren.arceDocumentsVisual Studio 2010ProjectsMyAddinMyAddinMyAddinClass.cs 23 34 MyAddin
Error 2 The type or namespace name ‘EA’ could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?) C:Userslauren.arceDocumentsVisual Studio 2010ProjectsMyAddinMyAddinMyAddinClass.cs 38 39 MyAddin
Error 3 The type or namespace name ‘EA’ could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?) C:Userslauren.arceDocumentsVisual Studio 2010ProjectsMyAddinMyAddinMyAddinClass.cs 60 28 MyAddin
Error 4 The type or namespace name ‘EA’ could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?) C:Userslauren.arceDocumentsVisual Studio 2010ProjectsMyAddinMyAddinMyAddinClass.cs 82 37 MyAddin
Error 5 The type or namespace name ‘EA’ could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?) C:Userslauren.arceDocumentsVisual Studio 2010ProjectsMyAddinMyAddinMyAddinClass.cs 117 34 MyAddin
Any idea what the issue may be?
Thanks again.
-Lauren
Geert,
I was able to fix the errors — as it turns out I never added the “Interop.EA.dll” as a reference.
I am now able to build without any errrors, but I cannot see the add-in in EA yet. When I go to the manage add-ins menu in EA, it says that MyAddin is “Error-Missing”??
-Lauren
Geert,
Not sure what happened, but it now shows up in EA! Maybe my computer is just slow … nice!
Now off to figure out how to tweak the code to do what I want it to do …
-Lauren
Hi Lauren,
I’m glad to see that you managed to get it working.
Geert
Hi Geert,
On an unrelated topic, do you know the distinction between “attribute values” and “tagged values” in EA? EA Version 9.1.910 now has the ability to export/import tagged values.
Thanks.
-Lauren
Hi Geert,
Any insight on whether it is good practice to use attributes initial values or tagged values? The reason I ask is because I have the need to import and export data (both ways) from an MS Excel file on a routine basis to update the model so I want to be able to do this in the most automated manner. The CSV import/export works great in doing this with tagged values, but with attributes the closest option is your “Simple VBA Excel to EA importer” macro. And, as far as I can tell, your macro will not import an attribute initial value and I cannot export the same information out of EA to MS Excel.
Thanks.
-Lauren
Lauren,
Attribute initial values and tagged values are different things, each designed for a specific purpose. I think you should use them for their intended purpose only.
If you want to import initial values into EA it should not take more then half an hour to add that function to the Excel VBA. Have you tried that?
Geert,
I have not taken a stab at trying to add the function to the Excel VBA. I’ll take a look. How difficult do you think it would be to modify the code to do an export from Excel as well? Ultimately, I need the import/export capability that includes attribute name, attribute data type, attribute length, attribute initial value, and possibly tagged-values between EA and Excel.
Could you elaborate on when one should use attributes vs. tagged values? An example may be helpful.
Thanks again for all your insight.
-Lauren
Hi,
I am working on an add-in for EA, when I was developing the add-in, Visual studio was successfully able to register it as a COM object, but after I finished developing, I copied the dll’s to a specific location on another computer, registered them using regasm.exe (with every possible combination of with or without /codebase option or with or without /tlb option) I also tried to register it using both regasm.exe’s under Framework64 and Framework, but it did not worked. Since I put the last registry manually, I am able to see that EA knows about the add-in but says Error-Missing in the manage add-ins part. I even tried to create regfile and apply it by double clicking but I think all above had the same effect, more or less..
I would appreciate if you know how to solve this problem. (the O.S I tried is a Windows7 64bit)
Thank you,
-Murat
Hi Murat,
I can think of two possible explanations for the “error missing” problem
– The Addin dll has not been correctly registered as a COM object
– There’s a spelling error in the value of the addin registry key
What I would try is to create an installer for the addin and install it like that on the other machine.
There’s an easy installer option in VS, but in case you don’t have the correct VS package you could give wix a shot.
I’ve written a tutorial on that here:
http://geertbellekens.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/tutorial-deploy-your-enterprise-architect-csharp-add-in-with-an-msi-package/
Geert
Hi Geert,
Thank you so much for your help. Right now, it is working perfectly with WIX installer.
Murat.
Hello Geert,
I have the same issue: EA knows about the add-in but says Error-Missing in the manage add-ins part. I’ve use your code and your MyAddin project, but it did not solve my problem. Where should be a problem?
Thanks
Albina,
As I told Murat and the others, it either a problem with the COM registration of your dll, or a spelling error in the registry key.
Make sure you run your IDE as administrator, and select the options to register for COM interop.
Thank you very much for your replay.
I don’t understand the problem. I’m running the VS in admin mode and the COM Interop is selected. I tried many times to create MyAddin project and only once it did work and EA did see MyAddin. I created the installer and it worked on some workstation properly, but on the rest…. I’ve installed Framework 4 on all our machines. Something is wrong, but what? Something small :(.
Hi Geert,
I dont know whether you have any tips for me.
I have been trying to use the Visual Studio/TFS MDG to import and synchronize TFS work items with EA….. I have followed all the suggested steps in http://www.sparxsystems.com/bin/MDGIntegrationVS4.pdf
Everything worked until i click select the Team Foundation Server | Import Work Items. Then i get an error message that says i am not connected to TFS. I have already added an existing EA model, i have linked a visual studio project to an existing EA model package, i have specified the MDG integrate option, I have been able to play around the EA model in Visual Studio (added new elements etc)…….What could i have done wrong
Thanks
Bola
Hi Bola,
No, sorry I can’t help you with that.
I would first try the forum http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi and otherwise contact Sparx support.
Geert
Hi Geert,
Thank you….i got an excellent reply from Sparx Support, now i can connect TFS work items to EA elements…. for us, whether we use tfs or ea has become irrelevant. we create an excellent model and when its time to build, we use visual studio. In tfs, bugs will be created as work items and then we can bring them back to EA as elements……Slick. Thank you again
Bola
Hi Geert,
Do you reckon there could be an impact when you choose the dotNet framework version when you create a new project, e.g. between version 2 and 4? I guess v4 will require all users to have or upgrade to this version? Does version provide all that’s necessary so it’d be fairly useless using v4?
Thanks
Hi Guillaume,
Yes if your users don’t have the .Net framework version 4 installed yet, they would have to install that before being able to run any program compiled against .Net 4.
Whether or not you want to use version 4 depends on your own preferences, and whether or not you want to use one of the new features in version 4. I’m no .Net specialist, so I don’t really know the differences between the two frameworks.
Geert
Hi Geert,
great tutorial, thank you. I have a question regarding events. Since an element change is triggering an event, I thought to use that as a means to increment the version. Unfortunately it seems not to work when the scenario of an element changes. Or did I miss something here?
Can you give me a hint here?
Thanks
Wolfgang
Wolfgang,
I’m not surprised. API support fro scenario’s is poor to say the least.
They do have these type of events for all types of tagged values, but apparently not for scenarios.
The only advice I can give you is to submit a feature request to Sparx
Geert
Hi Geert,
Finally getting around to jumping from scripts to the addin world 🙂 I am using 2010 version of C# Express and am logged in an administrator on my laptop. When I buidl the project I get ONLY the following error msg?
Error 1 Cannot register assembly “C:UsersDRainsDocumentsVisual Studio 2010ProjectsMyAddinMyAddinbinReleaseMyAddin.dll” – access denied. Please make sure you’re running the application as administrator. Access to the registry key ‘HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTMyAddin.MyAddinClass’ is denied.
Thanks again for all the effort you put into supporting the EA community!
David (aka bioform) Rains, MD – USA
Geert,
Okay found out that I had EA up and running, so shut it down and it complied fine no errors.
So know ran regedit – but my registry does not list ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareSparx SystemsEAAddins”, it is ‘…EA400’ instead of ‘EAAddins’ ?!! The next two children are EA and SSCE neither of which contain the one I am looking for? Running EA 9.3 Build 934 on a Windows 7 (64 bit) but EA installed as 32 bit application.
Thanks again,
David ‘going bald over this’ Rains 😉
Hi David,
If you’ve never installed an add-in before then it would be logical that the EAAddins key doesn’t exist yet in the registry.
You just have to create it yourself.
Geert
🙂 Still plugging away on this…
Got the registry key entered and string defined. Checked my spelling and every things seems to match.
…EAAddinsMyAddin then added string value: MyAddin.MyAddinClass (verified that the namespace and class name are correct)
Rebuilt add-in, then got the Error-Missing msg within EA.
So I “repaired” .Net 4, rebooted, rebuilt, and started EA… same problem. Grrrr 😉
David
David,
I you have the dreaded “error-missing” error then it means that the registry key is being read OK.
Now you probably just have a problem with the COM registration of your dll.
Geert
Just a problem with… Now your messing with me Geert! 🙂
Okay I spent some time trying to figure this out, looking at old posts, etc.
you had mention using regasm with the /codebase option…
Since I am using VS2010 express it appears that it is not included with that version.
any comments?
I think regasm is part of the .net distribution, so it shouldn’t matter which version of VS you are using.
But you shouldn’t need regasm on the development machine. You should just tick the “Register for COM interop” checkbox somewhere in the project properties. (Assembly I think)
Geert,
I have spent a good part of this weekend trying to get past the EA “error- missing” issue. I have been using the ‘Register for COM interop” checkbox during this whole process, but can’t seem to find a solution.
Pretty much in the same spot I was in a couple of years ago when I tried this under VS 2005 on a different PC and laptop?!!
Almost ready to through in the towel and reload everything from the ground up, but I have a bad feeling that would not fix this issue either?
Previously I had tried to get this to work under VS 2008 Pro, but same problem was happening with any add-in I tried to create….
David
I believe I previously mentioned that I am running Win 7 64 bit, does that have anything to do with it? I was reading the notes about using regasm with /codebase option and how you had to explicitly reference the 32 bit version…
David ‘Grasping at Straws’ Rains 🙂
BTW I am installing EA Nav to see if that will work for me as I am not running any-addin right now. I’ll let you know how that goes.
David, there must be some small stupid thing you are overlooking.
Have you tried with my example add-in: https://github.com/GeertBellekens/Enterprise-Architect-Add-in-Framework/tree/master/MyAddin
If that doesn’t work you can may always zip up the whole project and send it to me by email, maybe I can spot the problem.
Geert,
Well, just installed 2012 VS Express, ran and compiled add-in no errors with the same result.
Then tried ‘Run Code Analysis on MyAddin’ and found this error (not code related):
Error 1 Cannot register assembly “C:UsersDRainsDocumentsVisual Studio 2010ProjectsMyAddinMyAddinbinReleaseMyAddin.dll” – access denied. Please make sure you’re running the application as administrator. Access to the registry key ‘HKEY_CLASSES_ROOTMyAddin.MyAddinClass’ is denied.
So I am logged in with full admin rights… so maybe getting closer to an understanding of the problem I believe. Going to try this again after I create a new admin account and see what happens. BTW I sent you the code as a zip a week or so ago – any chance to take a look?
Thanks
David
Same Issue! So it looks like the error is telling me the problem – but not sure what to do about it?! 😉 Any thoughts?
David
David,
I just searched my email box, but I didn’t find any emails from you. Maybe it was stopped by my spam filter.
Anyway, the problem with the registration of the assembly is because you are not running the application (VS) as administrator.
Instead of just doublicking the Visual Studio icon you have to right click and choose “run as administrator”; even if your account is already an administrator.
That is one of the differences between Windows XP and Windows 7
Geert
🙂 Works like a charm NOW! Had to unselect in EA, restart, select in EA, restart.
Look out world I’m back! LOL I will keep you informed of my proof-of-concept structured business vocabulary (SBV) work.
Thanks again as always Geert,
David
Cool, yes maybe I forgot to mention, you cannot build your add-in when EA is running your add-in (because it is then using the dll).
That is the reason why I use the add-in tester class. That allows me to test part of my add-ins (menu functions) without having to run the add-in through EA.
Hey Geert,
I dont really understand “you cannot build your add-in when EA is running your add-in (because it is then using the dll).”…. are you saying EA should not be running when you are building the add in?
Yes indeed. You either have to shut down EA or make sure EA hasn’t loaded your add-in (Extension|Manage Add-ins) when building your code.
Otherwise the dll is in use and you cannot overwrite it.
Thank you Geert,
I have actually been able to get this to work as you described it, what i have been doing is building on it and i dont seem to be making much progress.
My real problem was stated on EA community site “I have an activity diagram that contains some action elements in swim lanes or partitions. Some swim lanes have more than one partition.
I am trying to count the number of action items in each partition and then save it in a temporary csv file, total count for each partition will be saved separately from the next partition……. persisting the information in a csv file is not a big problem, the issue i have been trying to solve is whether each action item is an element within the partition element. if so, can the partition be a collection of action elements so that i can set a counter for each partition?
I am actually trying to build a dashboard that gives a realtime information about the elements located in each partition ….. if you have some materials on how to customize dashboards for displaying project information, i will appreciate it
Thanks
GeeBhawllar
GeeBhawllar
Gee,
Seems to me like you have two challenges
– How to figure out if an action is part of a partition
– How to display “real time” information on this type of information
For the first challenge, EA should nest the actions in the appropriate ActivityPartition when you move them on such a partition on the diagram. So you can get a list of action if you use the Elements collection of the ActivityPartition Element. But beware, this only counts for ActivityPartitions, not for swimlanes. Swimlanes in EA are a purely visual thing, they don’t really represent anything.
As for the “real-time” information, I think the best thing you can do is use some kind of polling mechanism to figure out is the numbers have been changed.
You could of course use the EA events like EA_OnContextItemChanged to check whether or not the user did something with an action you are interested in, but that process would be error-prone. It would be enough if one user had disabled your add-in for your numbers to be wrong.
So the safest thing would probably be the polling mechanism.
Right click and run as Admin works like a charm, thanks
aer
Thank you Geert for your tutorial. I’m a internship student and having assignments in EA. I find your blog is helpful. I will write this blog in my reference.
Hello greet , thank you for this interesting tutorial , but i have some problems and i wish u can help me with it . .
First i follow all ur instruction and i have created the add-in , the problem is that i need to distribute it . when i access my binRlease file in my VS2010 project “it is empty” , i tried to build the solution and copy binDebug files into some place and when i run this inside my cmd “e:\….EA Add-Indisregasm KJaddin.dll/codebase ” i get this error
( RegAsm : error RA0000 : unable to locate input assemly ‘KJaddin.dll/codebase’ or one of it’s dependencies ) , thought that i have copied the RegASm.exe from inside the framework file . . so i need ur help
Thanks in advance
Hi Klahil
I think you need a space between the path to your dll and the option /codebase.
Geert
Thank u so much Greet , i found the error and its fixed , now (thanks to u ) i can deploy my Add-in (using the other article ), but i have some problems with my new Add-In project and i wish that u can help me :
1. if i use a database in my Add-In project i have this error (( An attempt to attach an auto-named database for C:Program FilesSparx SystemsEADataBaseDBMetric.mdf failed. A database with the same name exists, or specified file cannot be opened or its located on UNC share.)) i have tried a dozens of article for this error but no chance to fix it.
2. if i use a crystal report in the Add-In project ,once i push the button that trigger the report then EA (v7.5) crach which show me a dialog of Debug or Close button.
so is there any thing u can do i really appreciate it.
thanx in advance .
Klahil,
1) I would follow up on the suggestions given to you on http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13535294/an-attempt-to-attach-an-auto-named-database-in-windows-application
2) How am I supposed to know what the problem is? Its like I’m telling you my car broke down and I’m asking you to fix it, without giving you any more information then the fact that my car broke down. You really need to do more debugging/troubleshooting yourself.
Geert
thank u Greet for ur patience , this question (on stackover flow is Mine , none of the answers solve my problem ) for now ; let us leave the Database issue , how can i send u a small project (Add-in) that print a report using crystal reports ? i will make a simple one and send it to u so u can check my broken car ^_^ , again i’m sorry if i’m bothering u . .
Thanks in advance
With “more debugging/troubleshooting yourself” I didn’t mean “send the whole lot to Geert and let him figure it out”.
I’m happy to help, but I’m not willing to do your job for you. (unless you pay me)
Fair enough , i’m sorry
thanks for every thing .
Hi, great tutorial, I have a small question – how do I get the location of currently opened .eap file from my Add-In? Thx for help.
Repository.Connectionstring
Thx and how do I get the location of the EA folder? (C:Program Files (x86)Sparx SystemsEA normally)
There are a few different ways to do that. Try googling for something like “location of running assembly in c#”.
Some of these options will return the path of your dll, others will return the path of ea.exe, but I don’t remember which does what.
Geert ! Great article. Have you thought about writing add-in to integrate balsamiq mockups with EA? That would be an awesome tool.
Hmm, interesting idea. I can think of a couple more people that would be interested in something like that. I’ll think about it.
Hi, what installer program can I use? Which one can you set to run the regasm.exe?
I’ve written a blog post about that too: Tutorial: Deploy your Enterprise Architect C# add-in with an MSI package
Geert
Thanks a lot! Great article!!!
Hey, I was wondering if anyone managed to develop and add an addin to EA under Linux Ubuntu. I followed the instructions above but when I start EA and go to “Extensions –> Manage Add-Ins..”, I see my Add-in with the an “Error-Missing” status. It seems that EA can’t locate “MyAddinClass.cs” for some reason. I’m running EA under Wine and I am using Mono for development. Would be really cool if I can make it work from within Ubuntu. Thanks in advance.
Samir
Samir,
I don’t think there’s a reason why it wouldn’t work on linux.
You probably either have misspelled something in the add-in registry key, or you have an issue registering the dll in COM.
Have you tried it using regasm.exe?
Geert
Hi Geert,
thanks for your reply. You are right it’s definitely a problem with registering the COM dll. It’s also a problem that’s definitely solvable but unfortunately, I don’t have lots of time to solve it so I started working on a windows environment using VS as an IDE. I now need to dynamically create an Enterprise Architect “Element” of type “Note” and add it to a “DiagramObject” (any of the nodes). Can you maybe help me with how I can do that? It’s my first EA addin 🙂 Thanks in advance.
Samir
To make my question more specific. How can I dynamically attach a note to one of the nodes in the diagram (DiagramObject). From within EA, I can right-click then select “New Element” –> “Attach note”. How can I do the same thing from within my Add-in C# code?
Samir
To make a new note you have to use AddNew() on the diagram owners Elements collection.
Then you have to add a new DiagramObject for the note (AddNew on the Diagram.DiagramObjects collection) and then you have to add a link between your new Note and whatever element is represented by the DiagramObject you want to link it to. So you do a AddNew() on the Notes Connectors collection and set the target element ID to the ElementID of the DiagramObject.
There are some examples in the help file, and in your installation directory that might be of help.
I tried:
diagram.DiagramObjects.AddNew(“New Activity”, “Activity”);
MessageBox.Show(“Count: ” + diagram.DiagramObjects.Count);
but it didn’t work unfortunately. I can’t see my “New Activity” in the project explorer or in the model editor either. The count of diagram objects before and after my AddNew() invocation is the same. I am probably missing a step. Do u know what it is, maybe? Thanks
Samir
If you are not going to read my replies I don’t know why I should bother.
I read your whole comment but as a progressive implementation, I wanted to add a simple activity and check if it is added and then go on from there. I also checked the EA help but I couldn’t find example use cases. Why do u think I didn’t read your comment?
Because the first thing I said was to create a new element in the diagram owners Elements collection.
You have to have an element first before you can add a DiagramObject.
So read it again and try these steps in the correct order.
And of course you should always Update() otherwise nothing gets saved. (and you don’t see any results)
oh sorry, I thought u meant to do that only for Notes. One can misunderstand that I guess, especially when he’s new with all of this. Here’s basically what it is now:
selectedPackage.Elements.AddNew(“Activity”, “Activity”);
diagram.DiagramObjects.AddNew(“Activity”, “Activity”);
// Followed by some refreshs and reloads
I see the created element in the project explorer but I can’t seem to add it to the diagram. Is my invocation of AddNew() on DiagramObjects called incorrectly?
Right now, it’s as if I only added the element by right clicking on the owner package in the project explorer
Forgot to mention that I called update() on the DiagramObject of course and refreshed diagram.DiagramObjects. The count is incremented but the object is not visually present in the diagram (I made all required refreshs and reloads)
I found the solution. I just needed to assign the diagram element id to be the same as the ID of its element instance:
newDiagramObject.ElementID = element.ElementID;
Thanks again, Geert.
best regards,
Samir
Hello geert,
I tried to do all what it’s said in the tutorial and the build is succeeded , but when I try to run it they said : “A project with an output type of class library cannot be started directly. In order to debug this project, add an executable project to this solution which references the librar project. Set the executable project as the startup project.”
Can you please tell me what it’s wrong with that.
Thank’s.
Exactly, as said you cannot run an add-in seperately.
You just start EA and EA runs the add-in for you.
What I often do to test my add-ins is use a tester application, see
Geert
Hello again,
when I start EA and go to Manage Add-ins they told me :”there are no items to show in this view.”. Do you you know what is the problem with that ?
Thanks
Hello,
It finnaly works, it was a problem of key, thank’s for helping.
I have another question: Do you know if there is and add-in which extract data from diagram,for example I have a deployment diagram and I want to extract all the class with there attributes and generate all this in an output file . Do you have any idea for this ?
thanks again geert.
Have you tried the RTF reports? I think they work on diagram basis. If that doesn’t do what you need you might want to try EADocx http://www.eadocx.com/
I I needed something like that I would probably just write it myself. Should be no more then a day of work.
Hi,
first of all great tutorial. One help if u know because i can’t find anything else about using EA with c#.
I’m trying to import and export project into XMI trough code with ExportPackageXMI() and ImportPackageXMI() methods. Export is working, but import is giving me errors.
First one is “DAO.Recordset [3021] No current record”, second “sorry this feature is disabled in the re-distributable version of enterprise architect”.
And it would be lovely if u had any literature to share,
Thanks
I would try searching the EA forum http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi (using the top left search button). A google search on “ImportPackageXMI” also seems to yield some useful results.
The books from Thomas Kilian https://leanpub.com/u/thomaskilian can also be helpful.
If all else fails you can always contact Sparx support and as them for help. There are usually pretty responsive.
Geert
Thanks for making thi great tutorial. I am currantly working on an add-in to help synchronize data between EA and Microsoft Team Foundation Server. In this addin I would like to respond to elements being changed in the project browser tree. I thought I would respond to the “EA_OnNotifyContextItemModified” event but I can’t seem to get that to work. Do you have any ideas on how to synchronise elements I use in my addin with their corrosponding elements in the EA project browser tree?
What exactly isn’t working with the EA_OnNotifyContextItemModified? I have no information that that operation should be working.
I have lots of ideas, but which ones are relevant depends on your requirements.
– Is your integration one-way, or two-way
– Do yo need a “batch” type of processing or some kind of continues integration?
Geert
I have this code in the add-in baseclass:
public void EA_OnNotifyContextItemModified(EA.Repository Repository, string GUID, EA.ObjectType ot)
{
if (ot == EA.ObjectType.otElement)
{
EA.Element element = Repository.GetElementByGuid(GUID);
}
}
I have a breakpoint on the first IF statement but the program never gets to that point no matter what I do in the project browser. I made a list of items that will be synchronized to TFS. When the user edits an element in th EA tree while the synchronization screen is filled I want this screen to reflect the changes the user made in EA tree.
I just tested the operation with this code:
public override void EA_OnNotifyContextItemModified(EA.Repository Repository, string GUID, EA.ObjectType ot)
{
MessageBox.Show(“OnNotifyContextItemModified works!”);
}
And it works for me. I tested it on v 10.0.1000.
This snippet of code is part of my MyAddin example addin that uses the EA Addin Base class as parent: https://github.com/GeertBellekens/Enterprise-Architect-Add-in-Framework/blob/master/EAAddinFramework/EAAddinBase.cs
I am using the myaddin example and the framework and baseclass everything is tested on EA V10.0.1006 Still if I change the notes or the name of a usecase there is no event even after creating modifying and deleting an item in the tree still no event. Really frustrating, I’m going to drop this now and I’ll just tell my users they can’t change stuff or just reload everything in the sync list….
That is indeed weird. Maybe a bug has slipped in the in between v10.0.1000 and v10.0.1006?
Have you tried with v10.0.1008?
If you still have issues with that I would contact sparx support. They are usually pretty helpful.
I will focus on finishing the product first. Unfortunately my company does not allow me to quickly install new versions of software. The bug could also have something to do with our server configuration. When I have more time I will try to look into solving the problem. Anyway, thanks for the help and suggestions, much appreciated! 🙂
hello Greet , how are u doing , thanks for this great article , i have just finish an add-in for EA 7.5 which measure object oriented design metrics for class diagram . if u are interested do not hesitate to replay ^_^ . Thanks
Hi
I created an add in for EA and this has worked successfully for more than 1 year in Windows 7. I now have a new laptop, using Windows 8. Visual Studio 2008 installed. EA Installed. EA invokes my add in, but my first call to Interop.EA, returns a 80040154 error. What must I do to fix this ? Thanks and Regards
Just like that I can’t really say what’s wrong.
The error indicates that there is a problem with the COM registration of one of the elements you are using.
Have you tried to delelete and re-add the reference to the interop.EA dll?
If you send me part of the code, and the line where it gives you the error I might be able to say more.
Geert
Hi Geert
Thank you for coming back to me so quickly. In unregistered the reference, re-booted, registered the reference again, and re-compiled my project.
I still get the error!
Here is where it happens in my code :
MessageBox.Show(“Opening EA”);
EA.Project projectinterface = new Project();
projectinterface = DocumenterClass.Rep.GetProjectInterface();
As soon as I acknowledge the messagebox, the error comes up.
However, as stated before, no such error on my Windows 7 machine!
I will try re-installing EA.
Regards
Phil
Phil,
I don’t think “new Project()” works, and it doesn’t seem necessary at all. EA.Project projectinterface = DocumenterClass.Rep.GetProjectInterface(); should be enough (if DocumenterClass.Rep is a valid EA.Repository object).
Geert
Success!! Would you believe it ? I re-installed EA, and everything is perfect! It must be because it was first installed by a technician, using a different Windows profile!
Thank you for your help!
Regards
Phil
You’re welcome.
I’m glad you got it working.
Geert
Hi,
I was wondering if it’s possible to acquire the DiagramObject (if present) corresponding to an element that I have. I tried simple casting for an element that corresponds to a node that I can see in my diagram but it didn’t work. Is the only approach to loop on all DiagramObjects and compare element IDs to DiagramObject IDs until I find it? I hope there’s a smarter solution.
Thanks in advance,
Samir
Hi Samir,
That is indeed to only solution. I’m not sure why that isn’t smart, and what you were expecting instead though.
Geert
Hi Geert,
thanks for your reply. That was merely a humble opinion of mine. It is possible I am wrong. However, I thought that it might have been possible that the api stores the Element-DiagramObject pairs in a dictionary, for instance, so that the user can access them later easily (through a function that maybe I was missing, hence my question). That’s why I thought maybe it’s a stupid idea of mine but feels great that you don’t think it’s a stupid approach. I implemented it this way and it’s working fine 🙂 Thanks again.
Samir
Hi,
do you know how can i call option from menuBar Diagram->Layout Diagram?
bilanovic90
Hi,
We are able to successfully build the project as you instructed but still can not see the addin button in the enterprise architect. Could you please resolve the issue or share any related documentatiob. Here in following link share the project. We tested the code in VS-2013. Thank you so much.
Project-https://www.dropbox.com/s/kw89xbt7nf24n7l/MyAddin.zip
Are you sure you created the correct entry in the registry?
Hi,
I also run first into the problem, that my addin has not been loaded proberly by EA. But if I copy the addin to the directory where the EA.exe is located it works. Ok if you are developing to copy your addin might be a nightmare but this is even better then nothing. But still the remaining question how does EA now from where to load the addin if it is not in the EA directory. Is there a kind of EA PATH somewhere? Maybe geert can answer that.
I thought I already explained that in this article.
EA get the name (including the namespace) of the class it needs to load from the registry entry in [HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareSparx SystemsEAAddins] and then asks the COM registry system for the location of the dll (codebase).
If it can’t find it that way it will also try to load the dll from its own location.
So if it only works when placing the dll in the same directory as EA.exe then you haven’t successfully registered your dll in COM.
That’s actually an important difference. In your tutorial you say that the registry key should be [ProjectName].[ClassName]. It should be: [Namespace].[ClassName] I named my project differently, so it didn’t work.
I also had the “Missing” error with Enterprise Architect: “Missing – (Error: 0x800401f3)”.
I did several things trying to fix it. The problem might be one of the following:
– Set your active target in Visual Studio to “Release” (Libraries might be incompatible between release and debug)
– In Visual Studio -> Right click on your project in the Solution Explorer -> Properties -> Build (pane) -> Platform target to “x86” (Enterprise Architect is x86 (Libraries might be incompatible between x86 en x64))
– In the same “Build” (pane)
– At output, select “Register for COM interop
– Now in the pane “Application”:
– The “Assembly name” is the same as your AddIn name in the registry
– The “Default namespace” is the same as your namespace in the registry-value
– Now in that pane click on the button “Assembly Information”
– The “Title” is the same as your AddIn name in the registry
– The “Product” is the same as your AddIn name in the registry
– “Make assembly COM-Visible” is checked.
For building your Assembly, you must run it as administrator (click windows start type “Visual Studio”, right click -> Run as administrator).
It is also best to use Rebuild, because it might say build skipped “all up to date”.
I posted this also on stackoverflow (with a picture):
https://stackoverflow.com/a/57108919/2396744
Thanks Steven,
You are right. I’ll correct the tutorial.
Geert
Yes, I fixed the problem. The issue I had in the registry key under this location[HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareSparx SystemsEAAddins]
I just add registry key like this : project name followed by class name and it works. Thanks.
Hi Geert,
thanks for your answer. It seems that I missunderstood your earlier explanations. Based on your current answer I rechecked my complete VS Setup and found out that for what ever reason VS requests to run as admin in order to proper register the dll in COM. So if I run VS as Admin all works as you described earlier. It’s always the same, the stupid guy is in front of the machine. thx Frank
Sparx Add-in “Error – Missing”: There is an error in the CS_AddinTaggedCSV tutorial I downloaded here (http://www.sparxsystems.com/resources/developers/autint.html). You need to edit the .reg script and set the value to CS_AddinTaggedCSV.Main
Hi, i have a Problem in the beginning:
the “using <span class…" causes eror "Identifier expected". Same problem with all functions that use "<span"
what do i have missed?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/yy7hca2ytwcbxpj/prob.jpg
Remove the <span… tags. They must be a html leftover from copying the code from the website.
Geert
sorry that was so newbie – your advice helped thanks ^^
Geert,
This is a great and much needed tutorial. Thank you.
I too had the problem with the missing class, and it appears fixing both the entry in regedit and the registering for interop fixed it for me.
Does EA publish a template or wizard for creating new C# addin or script projects? The one I did see on their site (http://www.sparxsystems.com/resources/developers/autint.html) is from VS 2003, although it seems to work in VS 2013. It seems only the debug version was registering for COM interop. It also has a README rtf file that tells you to use the wrong namespace (CS_AddinFramework vs. CS_AddinTaggedCSV).
Anyway, I think it’s possible to set up a template for new projects that would do all this for you (including building a .reg file to run as a post-build step), but you might have to update it for every version of visual studio…
-Jay
Great tutorial, thanks.
I am attempting to interface to EA via its COM API.
This works fine, I am very happy.
However, I am trying to subscribe to the broadcast events that are available in the add-in.
I can do this if I write an add-in, but I am wanting to subscribe to the events via COM-interop,
do you know if this is possible.
thanks
Hello, thank you for the interesting article!
How could be possible to install the plugin in order to allow the visibility for all users in the computer?
Hi Gian
I have another article that tackles the deployment: Tutorial: Deploy your Enterprise Architect C# add-in with an MSI package
Geert
Hi Geert,
I’ve started to develop a plugin for EA starting from your tutorial.
I want to describe in simple lines of text a UML state machine.
I’ve used the repository, packages, elements, connectors.
One think I cannot achieve is to “read” the relationship between a state and it’s regions.
If I export the model into xml, the relationship between regions and states exists.
Is it possible in C# using the EA.Interop.dll?
Thank you,
Ben
Ben,
Have you checked EA.Element.Partitions?
I’m pretty sure that it where you’ll find the regions.
If all else fails check the table t_xref. There will be something like
@PAR;Name=Region2;Size=40;GUID={1359137D-4633-4bca-B74D-4C2050C54841};@ENDPAR;@PAR;Name=Region1;Size=40;GUID={2993A96F-FC31-4e51-802C-6A89F373C0DC};@ENDPAR;in the description. fieldGeert
Hi Geert,
I’ve tried also the EA.Element,Partition, but I can get from there just the Name, Size, Operator, Note and ObjectType. Nothing from which I can get an ElementID or something to link to the elements in that region.
I will have a look also to the t_xref table.
Thank you for advices. I will come back with an answer if I will get one.
Ben
Hi Geert,
I achieved to build the relationship between the elements and regions by using the t_xref table and t_object table in a SQL query. It is somehow wired, but finally, it is working now.
Thank you for advice.
Ben
Hi Geert, thanks for this awesome tutorial. Worked great!
As a tip … if you get the “missing” error in the “Manage Add-Ins” dialog try re-building your solution rather than just building it. That worked for me.
Regards.
-Jaime
In my case for EA 14 I had to use :
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Sparx Systems\EAAddins
Awesome tutorial. Worked perfectly. I’ll “plug” you and link you my website. I’m using EA 15.
Hi Geert,
I run your Addin from example and EA_OnContextItemChanged not working,
I have 15.0.1512 EA version and this not working.
Can you check this ?