Microsoft Repository and VCM98 Integration Overview
Microsoft Repository and VCM Integration Overview

Visual Modeler allows you to exchange model information with other modeling tools by providing an integration with the Microsoft Repository and Visual Component Manager 98 (VCM). On the initiative of Microsoft, several modeling tool vendors are providing support for exchanging model information via the Microsoft Repository. Thus, those portions of models that are common between various modeling tools and the UML tool information model in the repository can easily be exchanged.

The Microsoft Repository and VCM Integration adds three commands to the Tools menu in Visual Modeler: Publish to VCM, Export to Repository, and Import from Repository. These commands apply to entire models, not to single model elements. From within the VCM, you can also import a single class or logical package of a published model into Visual Modeler, by using drag and drop.

The difference between the Publish to VCM and Export to Repository commands is the type of the published/exported model. Export to Repository uses the UML tool information model to store the model, whereas Publish to VCM uses the VCM tool information model. The type of the published/exported model defines how much information that can be published/exported. The Export to Repository command covers only the logical view of the model, and no diagrams. The Publish to VCM command covers the entire model file, including all views and diagrams.

See Also

Publishing a model to Visual Component Manager

Exporting a model to the Microsoft Repository

Browsing a published model in Visual Component Manager

Importing a model from the Microsoft Repository

Importing model elements from Visual Component Manager


Publishing a Model to Visual Component Manager

By publishing a model into the Visual Component Manager (VCM), model information can be exchanged with another tool.

To publish the current open model to VCM:

1.	Save the model.

2.	Choose Publish to VCM from the Tools menu.

3.	In the displayed dialog box, select the folder into which you want to publish the current open Visual Modeler model.

4.	Give the published model a name to be used in VCM, for example, the name of the model file. Click Save.

The entire model is published. When Visual Modeler is finished, the published model can be imported from the repository by another modeling tool.

Note: The Publish to VCM command requires that the repository contains the VCM tool information model. If the repository does not contain that information model, use the Export to Repository command instead.

See Also

Browsing a published model in Visual Component Manager


Exporting a Model to the Microsoft Repository

By exporting a model into the Microsoft Repository, model information can be exchanged with another tool.

To export the logical view of the current open model to the Microsoft Repository:

1.	Save the model.

2.	Choose Export to Repository from the Tools menu.

3.	In the displayed dialog box, select the folder into which you want to publish the current open Visual Modeler model.

4.	Give the exported model a name to be used in the repository, for example, the name of the model file. Click Save.

When Visual Modeler is finished, the exported model can be imported from the Microsoft Repository by another modeling tool. Note that the Export to Repository command exports only the logical view of the model, and that no diagrams are exported.

Note: The difference between the Publish to VCM and Export to Repository commands is the type of the published/exported model. Publish to VCM uses the VCM tool information model to store the model, whereas Export to Repository uses the UML tool information model.

See Also

Publishing a model to Visual Component Manager


Importing a Model from the Microsoft Repository

The Microsoft Repository can be used to import a model that has been published/exported from another tool.

To import a model from Microsoft Repository into an empty model:

1.	In Visual Modeler, open a new empty model.

2.	Choose Import from Repository from the Tools menu. A dialog box is displayed.

3.	Select the model you want to import and click Open.

Visual Modeler then imports the contents of the selected model into the current open model. If the model has been published with the Publish to VCM command, the entire model is imported. If the model has been exported with the Export to Repository command, only the logical view, and no diagrams, are imported.

Note: You can also import a published model from within the Microsoft Visual Component Manager by using the Export to Visual Modeler command.

See Also

Importing model elements from Visual Component Manager


Browsing a Published Model in Visual Component Manager

To browse a published model in the Visual Component Manager:

1.	Start the Microsoft Visual Component Manager.

2.	Open the folder where the published model is located.

3.	Select the model you want to browse. A brief description of the model is displayed in the lower frame.

4.	To view the contents of the selected model, press the right mouse button and click Browse Item Details. An hierarchical view of the logical packages, associations, and classes is displayed in the lower right frame.

See Also

Importing model elements from Visual Component Manager


Importing Model Elements from Visual Component Manager

With the Import from Repository command in Visual Modeler you can import entire models, but from within the Visual Component Manager (VCM) you can also import a single class or logical package of a published model.

To import a class or logical package from VCM to a model:

1.	In Visual Modeler, open the model to which you want to import the class or package.

2.	Start the Microsoft Visual Component Manager, and open the folder where the published model is located.

3.	Select the model from which you want to import.

4.	Press the right mouse button, and choose Browse Item Details from the displayed menu. An hierarchical list showing the logical packages, associations, and classes of the selected model is displayed in the lower right frame.

5.	Expand the list to display the class or logical package you want to import.

6.	Drag the class or package from the list and drop it:

•	on an open class diagram (except three-tiered diagrams) in Visual Modeler or

•	on the appropriate logical package in the browser in Visual Modeler.

Visual Modeler then imports the selected class or logical package into the logical view of the current open model.

See Also

Browsing a published model in Visual Component Manager


Publish to VCM (Tools Menu)

Use this command to publish the current open model to the Visual Component Manager (VCM). Before executing this command, the model has to be saved to a model file (.mdl file) as the model file, not only its contents, is published. The published model can later be imported, by using the Import from Repository command.

Note: The Publish to VCM command requires that the repository contains the VCM tool information model. If the repository does not contain that information model, use the Export to Repository command instead.


Import from Repository (Tools Menu)

Use this command to import the contents of a published/exported model in the Microsoft Repository into the current open model.

When importing a model, Visual Modeler forbids the presence of any classes in the current open model. Thus, before executing the Import from Repository command you should open a new empty model.


Export to Repository (Tools Menu)

Use this command to export the contents of the current open model to the Microsoft Repository. The export command applies to classes, properties, methods, and relationships of the logical view of the model. Currently, Visual Modeler does not export any diagrams.

The exported model can later be imported, by using the Import from Repository command.

Note: The difference between the Publish to VCM and Export to Repository commands is the type of the published/exported model. Publish to VCM uses the VCM tool information model to store the model, whereas Export to Repository uses the UML tool information model.


Save to Repository Dialog Box

The Save to Repository dialog box is similar to the “save as” dialog boxes. It lets you save the current object either into the original package or into another package. You also have the option to save it using the same name or a different name. Click Save to finish.

See Also

Publishing a model to Visual Component Manager

Exporting a model to the Microsoft Repository


Open from Repository Dialog Box

The Open from Repository dialog box lets you locate and select objects that you want to open. From this dialog box, you can select one of the current repositories in the Look in box, and then navigate to a system, model, or package of interest. Once a repository is selected, the Open from Repository dialog box shows all systems, models, and packages in that repository. Then you can:

•	Double-click a system to display the models in that system.

•	Double-click a model to display the packages in that model.

•	Double-click a package to display the objects in that package. When you select an object, its name appears in the Object name box. Click Open to finish.

See Also

Importing a model from the Microsoft Repository