vogoltsov / visual-paradigm-plugins

Visual Paradigm Plugins

Visual Paradigm is a great tool for software system design and architecture. This is a set of useful plugins that I have developed and use.

Confluence Plugin

This plugin provides the ability to export diagrams as attachments to Atlassian Confluence using the REST API.

Design Plugin

This plugin provides a set of useful design patterns and templates:

• model element stereotypes
• diagram element styles

Also there is a useful feature to auto-apply styles to diagram elements based on their stereotypes.

DevTools Plugin

This plugin is only useful during plugin development and normally should not be installed.

Build and Install

Apache Maven is used as a build tool and needs to be installed and available as mvn.

Build All Plugins

mvn -Pall-plugins clean install

Build Single Plugin

Sometimes it is useful to build/install a single plugin. Run to build a confluence plugin:

mvn -Pconfluence-plugin clean install

Installation

There are several ways to install a plugin to Visual Paradigm:

• Help > Install Plugin > Install from a zip of a plugin - select plugin .jar file
• install locally using maven (e.g. during development) using install profile:

  mvn -Pall-plugins -Pinstall clean install

Development

Debugging

To enable debugging the JVM:

1. Locate the vplauncher.vmoptions file containing the JVM launch arguments. On Mac, this file is located at the following path: ~/Library/Application Support/VisualParadigm/vplauncher.vmoptions
2. Add these lines to vplauncher.vmoptions:

   -Xdebug
   -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=5005
   

Class Reloading

DevTools plugin provides the ability to reload all the plugin classes using the Visual Paradigm API. Unfortunately this API only reloads the classes, so any changes to plugin.xml (UI modifications, plugin definition, etc.) require Visual Paradigm application to be restarted.

visual-paradigm-plugins's Issues

HTTP error code 500 is returned by Confluence API when a space is not found by key

When Confluence cannot find a space by space.key = '...' clause, an exception is returned by the API:

{
    "statusCode": 500,
    "message": "java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: parameters should not be empty",
    "reason": "Internal Server Error"
}

See: https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-55445

plug-in outdated - http errors

When trying to connection to the Confluence, using API token and user-name, it returns with Bad Request.

Build plugin distribution archives to install them using the Visual Paradigm 'Install Plug-in' button

Add the ability to import commonly used styles and stereotypes for UML

As an architect, I find it useful to re-use stereotypes and styles between multiple projects I am working on. Currently ability to import/export styles and stereotypes is a bit limited in VP and often requires using some linked project as a base.

As a first plugin version I want to:

• import a list of (hard-coded) stereotypes and their tagged value definitions into a currently open project
• import a list of (hard-coded) styles into a currently open project

In the following releases I want to be able to export/import a list of styles as an external YAML-formatted file, for example.

Cannot export diagram to Confluence when diagram is located in a project root

Corresponding log:

[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] java.lang.NullPointerException
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.common.vp.DiagramExtendedProperties.getTaggedValues(DiagramExtendedProperties.java:69)
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.common.vp.DiagramExtendedProperties.getTaggedValue(DiagramExtendedProperties.java:42)
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.common.vp.DiagramExtendedProperties.getProperty(DiagramExtendedProperties.java:28)
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.confluence.util.vp.DiagramExportUtils.getDiagramConfluencePageId(DiagramExportUtils.java:32)
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.confluence.dialog.ExportDiagramToConfluenceDialog.load(ExportDiagramToConfluenceDialog.java:191)
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.common.swing.ABaseDialog.prepare(ABaseDialog.java:131)
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at v.bea.z.showDialog(:91)
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.confluence.action.ExportDiagramAsActionController.performAction(ExportDiagramAsActionController.java:23)
[2019/01/31 11:31:19] [message] at v.bdt.b.performAction(:44)

Support exporting current diagram to Atlassian Confluence

We use Atlassian Confluence for working with project documentation during the development.
As an architect, it would be really useful to be able to export diagrams from Visual Paradigm to our project wiki on-the-fly, without the need to export image as file, going to external site, locating the appropriate wiki page, etc.

• store confluence server url in project properties, so it is shared with other architects having access to VP
• select Confluence space, page and attachment from within the VP UI
• export active diagram as an attachment to an existing page (as a new attachment or overwrite existing one)

Replace space/page/attachment selection dialogs with autocomplete fields

Improve field navigation in confluence server connection dialog

Add handling enter button events:

• focus on next field by default
• click 'connect' button when focused on password field

Remove quick export diagram to confluence button

Quick export button, though useful, provides no information about the export destination.

Update toolbar icons

Replace temporary placeholder icons with custom made or ones available for re-use.

Search confluence spaces and pages by a "title starts with" clause

Currently when searching by a term, fuzzy search is performed. Still it is useful to also search "start with".
See: https://developer.atlassian.com/server/confluence/performing-text-searches-using-cql/

Auto-apply styles to diagram elements based on their stereotypes using hard-coded set of rules

Visual Paradigm gives us a powerful ability to re-use model elements in multiple diagrams, thus providing multiple views on how, for example, a certain application component would work.
To enhance viewers experience, we use a certain set of styles to differentiate between different diagram elements based on stereotypes (e.g. a docker volume is purple, while a postgresql container is yellow).
In the first version I want to hard-code these rules and hit a certain button to auto-apply styles to active diagram based on these rules.

ClassCastException is thrown sometimes when 'enter' is pressed in empty attachment field

[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] java.lang.ClassCastException: java.base/java.lang.String cannot be cast to com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.confluence.client.model.Attachment
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.base/java.util.Optional.map(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.common.swing.AutoCompleteComboBox$AutoCompleteComboBoxEditor.setItem(AutoCompleteComboBox.java:288)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.common.swing.AutoCompleteComboBox$AutoCompleteComboBoxEditor.updateItem(AutoCompleteComboBox.java:281)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.common.swing.AutoCompleteComboBox$AutoCompleteComboBoxEditor.focusGained(AutoCompleteComboBox.java:321)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.AWTEventMulticaster.focusGained(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.AWTEventMulticaster.focusGained(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.AWTEventMulticaster.focusGained(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.AWTEventMulticaster.focusGained(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Component.processFocusEvent(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Component.processEvent(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Container.processEvent(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.KeyboardFocusManager.redispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.DefaultKeyboardFocusManager.typeAheadAssertions(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.DefaultKeyboardFocusManager.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue.access$500(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue$3.run(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.base/java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.base/java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.base/java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue$4.run(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue$4.run(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.base/java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.base/java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.WaitDispatchSupport$2.run(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.WaitDispatchSupport$4.run(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.WaitDispatchSupport$4.run(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.base/java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.WaitDispatchSupport.enter(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at java.desktop/java.awt.Dialog.show(Unknown Source)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at v.bzc.f.show(:438)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at v.bzc.i.bJ_(:760)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at v.bea.z.showDialog(:93)
[2019/02/13 17:14:29] [message] at com.github.vogoltsov.vp.plugins.confluence.action.ExportDiagramAsActionController.performAction(ExportDiagramAsActionController.java:23)