Importing elements from existing projects

Overview of element import

The element import feature is used to import elements from another project into your current project. The elements imported can be packages or classes.

Elements from other projects can be imported into your project

All elements created in Objecteering either graphically (in diagrams) or in the model explorer are identified in a universally unique way (site/project file/project/element) as soon as they are created. The element import operation uses these identifiers to ensure consistency.

The following logic is respected during element import operations:

· A copy of the element is made, if elements with the same identifier do not yet exist.

· If an element with the same identifier already exists, it is replaced.

· If a newly-imported element has links towards other elements, the links are retained if the linked elements with the same identifiers exist. If not, the links are destroyed.

Importing elements from another project

To import elements from another project into your current project, simply carry out the steps shown in the screenshot below.

Running an element import operation

Steps:

1. Open the project into which you want to import elements and click on "File/Import". The "Import" window then appears.

2. In the "Source project" field, indicate the project from which you want to import elements. You can open a file browser by clicking on the icon.

3. Once you have selected the source project, it appears in the "Elements to import" zone. Select the packages and/or classes you want to import into your project.

4. Click on "Import" to confirm.

The import operation is then launched, and you can follow its progress in the output window. Once it has been completed, the newly imported elements appear in your project explorer.

Imported elements

Elements that can be imported into your project are presented in a standard hierarchy (packages containing classes). To view the classes contained in an importable packages, simply click on the "+" box to the left of the package name.

The following table describes exactly what is imported for each type of element.

Imported element	Imported component elements
Project	The entire project (packages, classes, ...)
Package	Classes (with their operations, attributes, "visible" associations), documents, tagged values, diagrams
Class	Operations, attributes, "visible" associations, documents, tagged values, diagrams

Non-imported objects are:

· reference links from a package to another element that is not imported and that does not already exist in the current project

· non-oriented associations (no visibility on either side)

The import will fail if there is any inconsistency between imported elements.