Dynamic notes: help section
Dynamic notes involve creating and linking a note with an element or a connector to dynamically show its description.
Whilst setting this up in Enterprise Architect requires a few steps, eaUtils provides a simple way to create a dynamic note with a single right click or using a keyboard shortcut (Alt + D).
Create dynamic notes in Enterprise Architect diagrams
About dynamic notes
Enterprise Architect models can be easily documented using the Notes field, available within elements (e.g. classes, components, activities, etc.), attributes, operations, connectors, diagrams, etc.
Having the Notes view enabled in EA workspace is a common approach to easily access and update the description for a selected element or connector.
Working on a diagram, UML "sticky notes" are often used to show relevant information. A powerful feature in EA involves creating an attached note and converting it to a dynamic note to render specific data stored within the linked element or connector e.g. to show the description of a selected attribute within a class, the list of an application component tagged values, a use case description, etc.
To get a dynamic note for an element, right click on the note link and open EA "Link this Note to an Element feature" menu.
Select the feature to bind, e.g. the Element Note.
Note: eaUtils feature only supports the Element Note feature since this is the most common use case.
The following illustrates a dynamic note for ClassA with its description:
For a connector note, the process is slightly different: right click on the note and select Advanced > Link to connector notes.
eaUtils Dynamic Notes
eaUtils provides a simple feature to save time in setting up dynamic notes.
For elements, select one or several elements, right click and select [Diagram] Attach Dynamic Note eaUtils menu to create a linked note for each element that dynamically renders the Notes fields content. Each note is created next to the linked element.
Result:
For a connector, select it in the diagram, right click, and open [Diagram] Attach Dynamic Note eaUtils menu.
Result:
It is also possible to use the ALT + D keyboard shortcut on the selected elements or connector (Custom keyboard shortcuts must be enabled in eaUtils settings).