Hi,
I am interested in finding out more about how to create meta model extensions. I would like to add my own classes and modify the meta model to my own liking. I would love to learn more (perhaps more on the technical side, what programming language, etc). Thanks,
Gaurav
Meta Model Extensions
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sarah.smith
- Posts: 56
- Joined: 04 Feb 2009, 15:44
Gaurav,
Although anything can be changed, we would not recommend making changes to the core meta-classes of the Essential Meta-Model as such changes would need to be reflected all the way through the Essential Modeller and in the reports in the Essential Viewer. In addition, if you alter the core meta model it makes it harder to share changes and to move to different versions of Essential, as and when they become available.
However, it is possible and easy to extend the Essential Meta-Model with new classes, adding new attributes to existing classes, altering the naming and layout on the forms and creating new custom Essential Viewer reports to meet organization-specific needs.
Whilst we do plan to write documentation to explain these changes specifically for Essential, we haven’t yet completed this. However, the protégé documentation is very good and easy to use, so this hasn’t been our top priority. I have therefore provided links below to either our tutorials, where available, or to the relevant protégé documentation.
If you are adding a new class, we would recommend you add it to a support area of the meta model, to keep it separate from the core meta model. You access the classes tab from Project > Configure and then select the 'clses tab' widget from the tab widget panel. Unless you are using single user mode, remember to turn this off when you have finished. The link below takes you to the relevant documentation in the protégé website for creating new classes - http://protegewiki.stanford.edu/index.p ... UG_classes
To add a new attribute to an existing class involves creating a ‘slot’ in protégé. The link below takes you to the relevant documentation in the protégé website for adding slots to classes - http://protegewiki.stanford.edu/index.p ... _slot_pane
Once you have made changes you will need to customise the forms, or you may wish to simply change some of the naming on the forms to meet your organisations needs. We have a tutorial available -
http://www.enterprise-architecture.org/ ... sing-forms
To create new reports or edit existing reports see the following tutorial - http://www.enterprise-architecture.org/ ... ew-reports
Hope this helps. Please let us know how you get on and feel free to share any changes with the Essential community.
Sarah
Although anything can be changed, we would not recommend making changes to the core meta-classes of the Essential Meta-Model as such changes would need to be reflected all the way through the Essential Modeller and in the reports in the Essential Viewer. In addition, if you alter the core meta model it makes it harder to share changes and to move to different versions of Essential, as and when they become available.
However, it is possible and easy to extend the Essential Meta-Model with new classes, adding new attributes to existing classes, altering the naming and layout on the forms and creating new custom Essential Viewer reports to meet organization-specific needs.
Whilst we do plan to write documentation to explain these changes specifically for Essential, we haven’t yet completed this. However, the protégé documentation is very good and easy to use, so this hasn’t been our top priority. I have therefore provided links below to either our tutorials, where available, or to the relevant protégé documentation.
If you are adding a new class, we would recommend you add it to a support area of the meta model, to keep it separate from the core meta model. You access the classes tab from Project > Configure and then select the 'clses tab' widget from the tab widget panel. Unless you are using single user mode, remember to turn this off when you have finished. The link below takes you to the relevant documentation in the protégé website for creating new classes - http://protegewiki.stanford.edu/index.p ... UG_classes
To add a new attribute to an existing class involves creating a ‘slot’ in protégé. The link below takes you to the relevant documentation in the protégé website for adding slots to classes - http://protegewiki.stanford.edu/index.p ... _slot_pane
Once you have made changes you will need to customise the forms, or you may wish to simply change some of the naming on the forms to meet your organisations needs. We have a tutorial available -
http://www.enterprise-architecture.org/ ... sing-forms
To create new reports or edit existing reports see the following tutorial - http://www.enterprise-architecture.org/ ... ew-reports
Hope this helps. Please let us know how you get on and feel free to share any changes with the Essential community.
Sarah
