Entity field definition

Overview

Next Design allows you to define fields for each entity.

Fields are the individual inputs to the model. In object-oriented design, the attributes of the class correspond to the fields of the entity. You can define multiple fields for each entity that is the model for your model.

The following steps describe how to define a field on an entity, in the following order:

  • Field data type
  • Add fields
  • Delete field
  • Edit field settings

Field definition image

Field Definitions

Field data type

The available data types for entity fields are:

Data Type Description
String Maximum size for text characters: 2GB
Integer You can enter positive and negative integers
Range: -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647
Real number You can enter positive and negative real numbers
Approximate range: -1.7E+308 to 1.7E+308
Boolean value Boolean value (checked/unchecked) can be entered
Richtext You can enter formatted text and content, including tables, images, and hyperlinks
Enum Type You can enter a value of the specified enum type
Class Can hold multiple related models

Note

  • The data type of the field cannot be changed after adding the field.

add fields

There are multiple ways to add fields to an entity:

  • Add fields in class diagram
  • Add fields in Profile Navigator
  • Add fields in the Inspector
  • Add new fields while modeling in document form

add fields in class diagram

To add a field to an entity using a class diagram:

Add fields in class diagram

Operating procedure

  1. Move the pointer to the field display area of the entity and click the [+] icon displayed in the upper right of the field display area.
  2. Click to display the Add New Fields dialog. Enter the settings and specify the Data Type.
  3. When specifying a default type such as [String] as the data type
    • Select a data type from the choices.
  4. When specifying an existing entity as a data type
    • Click the [...] button at the right end of [Data Type].
    • Click to open the finder to search for entities.
    • Search for an entity in the list on the Finder and click it to populate the Data Type with that entity.
    • Select additional fields [Multiplicity] and [Field Type] from the selections.
  5. Enter other setting items and click the [OK] button.
  6. This will show the added field in the list of fields that the entity has.

For details on setting items for fields, refer to "Editing field settings" below.

Add fields in the Profile Navigator

To add a field to an entity using the Profile Navigator, do the following:

Add fields in Profile Navigator

Operating procedure

  1. In the Profile Navigator tree, select the entity to which you want to add a field.
  2. Do one of the following to display the Add New Fields dialog.
    • Right-click on the selected entities and select Add> Filelds from the context menu.
    • From the ribbon, click Profile> Metamodel> Filelds.
  3. The input in the [Add New Fields] dialog is the same as "Adding fields in the class diagram" above.
  4. After entering the setting items and clicking the [OK] button, the added field is displayed immediately below the entity.

add fields in the inspector

To add a field to an entity using the Inspector, do the following:

Add fields in Inspector

Operating procedure

  1. In the class diagram or profile navigator, select the entity to which you want to add a field.
  2. Select Metamodel in the tab at the top of the Inspector.
  3. Click the [+] icon displayed at the bottom right of the field list of the [Filelds] group in the Inspector to display the [Add New Fields] dialog.
  4. The input in the [Add New Fields] dialog is the same as "Adding fields in the class diagram" above.
  5. After entering the setting items and clicking the [OK] button, the added fields are added to the field list.

You can add fields by the above procedure even when the inspector is displayed during modeling.

Add new fields while modeling in the document form

To add a new field while modeling in a document form, do the following:

Add fields in document form

Operating procedure

  1. Display the document form in the model editor and select the model (or field of that model) to which you want to add a field.
  2. Do one of the following to display the Add New Fields dialog.
    • Right-click on the selected model and click Add New Field from the context menu
    • Click [Profile]> [Metamodel]> [Filelds] on the ribbon
    • Click Profile> Form> Add New Fields from the ribbon
    • Click Form> Form> Add New Fields from the ribbon
    • Click Form> Grid> Add New Field Column from the ribbon
  3. The input in the [Add New Fields] dialog is the same as "Adding fields in the class diagram" above.
  4. After entering the setting items and clicking the [OK] button, the added fields will be added to the metamodel as well as to the document form.

remove field

There are multiple ways to remove a field from an entity:

  • Delete fields in class diagram
  • Delete fields in Profile Navigator
  • Delete field in inspector

Delete field in class diagram

To remove a field from an entity using a class diagram:

Screen capture

Operating procedure

  1. Select the target field in the class diagram and execute [Delete] from the context menu, or press the Del key.

Delete a field in the Profile Navigator

To delete a field on an entity using the Profile Navigator, do the following:

Delete fields in Profile Navigator

Operating procedure

  1. Select the target field and execute [Delete] from the context menu, or press the Del key.

Delete a field in the Inspector

To delete a field on an entity using the Inspector, do the following:

Delete fields in Inspector

Operating procedure

  1. Select Metamodel in the tab at the top of the Inspector.
  2. Select the target field from the field list and click the [-] icon displayed at the bottom right of the field list.

You can also delete a field in the inspector as follows.

Other operating procedures

  1. Display the Inspector during modeling and select [Metamodel] from the tab at the top of the Inspector.
  2. Remove the field from the field list as in the previous step.

Edit field settings

To edit the settings of an existing field, use the Inspector:

Edit Field Settings

Operating procedure

  1. From the ribbon, click Display> Pane> Inspector to display the Inspector.
  2. Do one of the following to select the entity (or model) that has the target field.
    • Select an entity in the Profile Navigator.
    • Select an entity in the class diagram.
    • Select a model in the model navigator.
    • Select the model in the model editor.
  3. Make sure [Metamodel] is selected in the tab at the top of the Inspector, or click to select it.
  4. Move the pointer over the target field in the field list of the [Filelds] group in the Inspector, and click the edit icon displayed on the far right to display the [Field Settings] dialog.
  5. Change the settings in the [Field Settings] dialog and click the [OK] button to reflect the changes.

Reference