No Installation Addins in EA. A deep dive into Model Add-ins

By Arshad Ahamed Sparx EA Consultant, specialised in Extending and customizing Sparx EA

Model Add-ins is a recent addition to Sparx Features. These add-ins are more flexible and easier to configure. Distributing model add-ins across the team has been made simpler as everything is modelled and created directly in a repository.
Learn How to create and work with the model-based add-ins in a Sparx EA Repository.

Session Recording

Downloads

A Deep Dive into Model Addins (PPTX)
EA Global Summit Sample Addin (EAPX)

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Questions and Answers

You can lock it will EA default securities setting like applying some locks to the package.
There is also an option will be to keep the packages related to model-add-in definition in a separate model (accessible only by Admins), pretty much how we with MDG definition. A more advanced option will be to use the 'Row-Level' security.
I used EA's default API (AddPropertiesTab) to but the dock-able window and the contents in that window are built thorough some standard XML formats suggested by Sparx. No custom dialogs.
Yes, it is possible. Please refer the attached image, I have executed notepad from model add-ins.
eaglobalsummit-model-addin
Yes, if the complete XMI of the core element is configured in the MDG as patterns then it is possible. References which i used is
  1. All these events can be used in model add-ins
    https://sparxsystems.com/resources/user-guides/automation/enterprise-architect-add-in-model.pdf
  2. Reception Properties
    https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/15.0/model_domains/properties_window_for_receptions.html

In the latest version of EA , some improvements related to model add-ins has been included like improved behavior editor , direct reloading option etc.

Speaker Bio

eaglobalsummit-arshad-ahamed

Arshad Ahamed

Sparx EA Consultant, specialised in Extending and customizing Sparx EA