Visualizing References

Overview

References may be visualized in the following ways depending on the menu option selected:

· Visualize References: Visualizes references of the selected element.

· Visualize Child References: Visualizes references of nested elements.

Demonstration

Watch the Video

Visualize References

This option can be considered a direct replacement for Rhapsody’s own references view. The tree only expands to one level to show the references of the selected element:

Visualize Child References

This menu option expands the scope of the visualization to include all child elements that have references. The first level of expansion is the unit(s) that own the references. This is to prevent the tree from expanding unduly as well as providing an overview of where in the model references exist. The second level of expansion is the set of model elements in that unit with references and the third level shows the references. Model elements with no references are automatically filtered out. Both the owning unit nodes and the element nodes also indicate the number of references they have.

External References

If the External menu option was selected, then an additional filter is applied*. To determine the elements to include in the visualization, the helper:

1. Registers the starting Unit and all its child units.

2. Gathers all nested elements under the selected element.

3. Builds a map of elements and their references.

4. Any elements that have no references are automatically excluded.

5. Any references that are owned by the same Unit as the starting Unit or one of its children are also excluded.

*This option is useful when working with REF units – if a new version of the unit is used then the visualization can help with impact analysis by showing only those elements outside of this unit that have references to elements inside it.