Working with Sparx Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architect is a tool for creating UML diagrams for your software based on the UML 2.1 specification. It is quite powerful but at the same time provides a lot of flexibility when creating diagrams. This is intended as a quick-start guide to help you begin working with Enterprise Architect.

Creating your first diagram

If you have not already made a project in Enterprise Architect, go ahead and create a new one. Click on the File menu and select New Project.

You can name your file after whatever module you are going to be modeling. Your project file can have multiple diagrams.

Once you have a project made, you will need to create a new type of package called a view. All diagrams must be placed within a view. You can manage packages, diagrams, and elements using the Project Browser on the right. Click on your model in the Project Browser, then click the New Package button.

Give the view a name and select the type of icon you would like to use. Note that the icon you choose has no influence on the contents of the view. The icon is only for your own convenience to help you quickly distinguish between different views.

Once you have a view created, select the view, then click the New Diagram button.

Select the type of diagram you would like to create and give the diagram a name. This name will be displayed on the diagram frame when you print it out or save the diagram as an image.

Once you have a diagram ready and open, you can start dragging elements from the Toolbox on the left into the diagram workspace. Every time you create a new element, a property box will pop up asking you for information about the new element, such as the element name.

Note that when you select a component, it will usually have an arrow icon in the upper right corner. You can click this arrow and drag a line to other elements to create various types of connections.