Overview of extending linking capabilities through stereotypes and tag definitions
The Links Editor allows you to create links between items of specific types. For example, you can link an Actor to a Use Case, but you cannot link an Actor to a Class. Through Stereotypes and Tag Definitions, you can permit the linking of item types that cannot be linked through the standard links in Modeler.
To allow a model item to be linked to items of a specific type, you create a Tag Definition, set its Data Type to Reference, and then specify valid target item types; the valid target item types can be specified through model item types or Stereotypes. When the Tag Definition is applied to a model item through a Stereotype, that item will be able to link to items of the specified target types:
• The Stereotype specifies valid source item types for the link.
• The Tag Definition specifies valid target item types for the link, specified through model item types and Stereotypes.
If you link an item to another item through a reference Tag Definition, the Tag Definition is available on the Items tab of the referencing item's Property Pages. When the Tag Definition is selected, items referenced through the Tag Definition are listed.
If you specify an inverse name for a Tag Definition, the Tag Definition is listed on the Items tab of the referenced item's Property Pages using the Inverse Name. When the inverse name is selected on the Items tab, the referencing items are listed. If no Inverse Name is specified, the Tag Definition is not available on the Items tab of a referenced item's Property Pages.
You cannot use Tag Definitions to create links to or from Stereotypes or Tag Definitions. You can use a Tag Definition to create links from the following diagram symbols, but you cannot link to these symbols through a Tag Definition:
• Class, Data Type, Interface, Signal, Event and Operation instances on Concurrency Diagrams.
• Event and Operation instances on Communication Diagrams.
• Event and Operation instances and Statements on Sequence Diagrams.
On a Profile Diagram you can define Stereotype inheritance by creating a Generalization between two Stereotypes. A sub Stereotype inherits the parent Stereotype's valid Model Item Types, Tag Definitions and Scripts. When a sub Stereotype inherits Tag Definitions, you can redefine those Tag Definitions independently of the super Stereotype's Tag Definitions. To redefine a Tag Definition: right-click the Tag Definition, and then click Redefine.
Note that you cannot select the Apply to All Objects of Associated Model Item Types check box when a Stereotype is a sub Stereotype or super Stereotype.
