Defining the Scope of a Container
The scope of a container is defined by the set of building blocks accessible from this container via two possible links:
• an ownership link,
• an import link.
A building block can be owned by a container:
• explicitly, if the container owns it directly,
• implicitly, if its owner (or the owner of the owner), etc.) is itself in the container.
The name of the object is unique only within the context of its owner.
For example, let us look at two different containers:
- a library dedicated to architecture building blocks relating“Public”.
- a library dedicated to the "Accounting" public transport department.
If the "Accounting" library is specialized in transport business functions, it will be owned by the "Public transport" library. The objects owned by the "Accounting" library will also be held by the "Public transports" library.
However, an object owned by a container can be used in the context of another container.
For example, let us look at the container associated with a "Public transport" client company.
The container that represents the client company can import equipment or human resources from the "Public transport" container.
Lastly, to prevent working on objects common to two different containers, you should create an additional container for the shared objects. There will be no name conflict as the users in each company work in their own container.
For example, if the “Accounting” container is sufficiently generic to be common to the "Public transport" company and its client company, it can also be imported in the container that represents the client company, on the one hand, and in the "Public transport" container, on the other hand.
In this case, it is no longer owned by the container associated with the transport company.
Thus, the users of one container can refer to, in their models, other objects created by the users in the other container. They can also share common objects in a third container.
Defining the object owned by a container
Defining the Object Owner
The owner of an object is automatically specified at creation of the object. If there is no current container, the object owner will be the current library.
To modify the container that owns an object:
1. Open the Characteristics properties page of the object.
2. In the Owner field, select the owner type and, from the drop-down menu, select Connect....
The connection window opens.
3. Select the container of your choice and click OK.
The name of the container its type in the Characteristics properties page of the object.
In hierarchical trees, the object appears under the container.
Defining objects contained using a navigation tree
To specify that a given object is owned by a container:
1. From the Environment navigation pane, select Standard Navigation.
2. Unfold the different floders.
3. Drag and drop the object concerned into the container folder.
The objects appear in the container navigation tree.
If the container is a library, the objects also appear in its Scope properties page.Importing other objects in a container
The building blocks and the containers imported in a container appear in the Imports properties page of the container.Defining the building blocks imported in a container
To specify that a building block owned by the current container can use an object owned by another container:
1. Open the Import properties page of the current container.
2. In the Imported Building Blocks section, click the Connect button.
A connection dialog box opens.
3. Select the object type you want to import.
4. Select the objects that you want to import and click Connect.
The imported objects appear in the section.
Defining the containers imported in a container
If the building blocks of the current container use other building blocks owned by another container, you can import the container in the current container:
1. Open the Import properties page of the current container.
2. In the Container Import section, click the Connect button.
A connection dialog box opens.
3. Select the container that you want to import and click Connect.
The imported container appears in the section.