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No Magic modeling tools provide a way to track and analyze element usages and dependencies in models, understand the relationships between used and dependent elements, and find the diagrams where these elements are represented. You can do all of this using the commands Used By and Depends On, as described below.
Used By command
The Used By command allows you to find all the elements that use a selected element (e.g., as property, tag etc.). This also includes usage in diagrams.
Example
In the figure below, the Computer Property has its type set to the WorkStation Class. In other words, the Computer Property uses the WorkStation Class as its type. If you execute the Used By command for the WorkStation Class, you will get the Computer Property as one of the results.
The Specification window showing that the WorkStation Class is used by the Computer Property.
Note that containing (owning) other elements is not considered usage. For example, when a Package contains a Class, this does not mean that the Package uses the Class. The Package is only a container of the Class.
Depends On command
Use the Depends On command to find all elements used by a selected element (e.g., properties, tags etc.).
Example
Let's say you have a model with the content tree shown in the figure below. Execute the Depends On command for the Workplace Infrastructure Package to see how its content depends on the outer elements (not owned by the Package) of the model. One of the search results shows that the Workplace Infrastructure Package depends on the Power Socket Class, which is the type of several Ports owned by this package.
The content tree of a sample model with the Workplace Infrastructure Package having dependencies to the outer elements of the model.
Note that in this particular situation you must select the Search recursively check box in the Usages/Dependencies Search Options dialog. This allows you to search for dependencies of the Package content rather than the Package itself. Also, select the Ignore inner interrelations checkbox to eliminate the dependencies between the elements contained by the package from the search results.
Searching for usages and dependencies
You can find usages and dependencies of a particular model element by opening its shortcut menu from the model browser or a diagram.
To search for usages/dependencies of a model element
- In the model browser or a diagram right-click the element, the usages or dependencies of which you want to find.
- In the shortcut menu of the element click Related Elements, and select Used By or Depends On (depending on what you want to find).
- In the Usages/Dependencies Search Options dialog, select the search options you want to use.
- Click OK to start the search.
The search results are listed in the usages/dependencies search results window at the bottom of the modeling tool. The search results window also provides additional information, such as element type and how a particular element is used by/in the element for which you perform the search.