Next Design V1.0 (1.0.0.41106) Release Notes

Next Design is the next generation design tool for system and software development.

The "meta-model," which defines the structure and relationship of design information for each process, and the "view definition," which is a diagram and document representation for expressing the meta-model, can be made into a dedicated design tool by adapting them to the viewpoints and applications of the development site.


Main Functions

Next Design includes a variety of functions that provide advanced support for system software design.

  • Metamodel and view definition for customization to suit your development site
  • Various model representations such as forms, grids, and diagrams
  • Traceability automatically recorded while designing
  • Product line development support to design multiple products from a single design asset
  • Team development support for multi-person distributed development
  • Expand functionality through extension development
  • Document output to export design information to Word or HTML format

Known issues/constraints

ER DIAGRAM

  • YOU CAN ADD A CONNECTOR AND A SHAPE AT THE SAME TIME BY DRAGGING AND DROPPING THE SHAPE'S TRIANGLE ON THE ER DIAGRAM. IN THIS CASE, EVEN IF THE MULTIPLICITY LIMIT DEFINED IN THE METAMODEL IS EXCEEDED, THE MODEL CAN BE CREATED WITHOUT ANY RESTRICTIONS. YOU CAN DETECT IF THE MULTIPLICITY LIMIT HAS BEEN EXCEEDED BY CLICKING [HOME] - [MODEL] - [ERROR CHECK] ON THE RIBBON.
  • DELETING A CONNECTOR IN THE ER DIAGRAM THAT HAS AN OFF-SCREEN CONNECTION DESTINATION MAY CAUSE THE SELECTION TO MOVE TO THE DESTINATION SHAPE AND CHANGE THE DISPLAY POSITION SO THAT THE SHAPE FITS WITHIN THE SCREEN.

sequence diagram

  • Sequence diagrams (interaction models) do not support difference comparison, product line function, and traceability function.
  • Sequence diagrams (interaction models) cannot be copied. If a sequence diagram is included in the selection and copied, only the model without the sequence diagram will be copied.

Team Development

  • Cannot rename a model file after splitting it. To rename a model file, merge the model files, then split them again and rename them.
  • When working with configuration management systems and operating from other SVN clients (such as TortoiseSVN), files must be given the Needlock attribute to prevent file modification conflicts. Failure to do so may result in Next Design's team development features not working properly.
  • WHEN WORKING WITH SVN, PLEASE PLACE ONLY ONE PROJECT IN ONE FOLDER. (DO NOT PLACE MORE THAN ONE PROJECT IN A SINGLE FOLDER.) WHEN A PROJECT IS RETRIEVED BY "OPEN FROM REPOSITORY" - "SELECT FROM FOLDER", THE FIRST PROJECT WILL ALWAYS BE OPENED, EVEN IF MORE THAN ONE PROJECT IS REGISTERED IN THE FOLDER.
  • When "Get and Open from Repository" is executed, it searches for project files registered in the repository. At that time, if the number of folders in the repository is large, a connection error may occur. Specifically, it will start issuing http requests to automatically search for project files. Some target servers may set a limit on the number of http requests per minute, and if this limit is exceeded, a connection error will occur. In this case, please select the project file to be retrieved by switching the selection method to "Select from Folder" or change the settings of the SVN server.

Product Line Development

  • Product line model files created in different projects are not available. Therefore, product line model files cannot be imported, exported, registered for reference, or unregistered.
  • The difference display function of the product line function cannot display configuration change differences or feature assignment/feature expression change differences.
  • In the product line function, if a product is applied and "Hide Invalid Elements" is unchecked, models that are not assigned a product should be toned down, but in the case of model reference controls, they are hidden instead of toned down.
  • Although it is possible to edit some of the profiles built into the application system, such as the product line, from the inspector, do not edit them. Doing so may prevent the project file from opening properly.
  • When specifying a view definition path that specifies a field two or more levels ahead in the ownership relationship, the model of the specified field will remain in the valid view even if models along the way on that path route become invalid due to product line application. Internally, it is treated as invalid, and when the product is exported, it is treated as an invalid element.

Profile Definition

  • Do not replace a profile by splitting it into files and overwriting the corresponding file. You may not be able to open the project file properly. If you wish to update a profile, please use the Import Profile function.
  • FILES USED FOR ICONS AND GRAPHICS SHOULD BE IN PNG OR SVG FORMAT. OTHER FORMATS MAY NOT DISPLAY PROPERLY.
  • The name of a group created in a document form view definition cannot be changed. If you wish to change the name of a group, you must cancel the group and set it up again.
  • Do not add "Use of Interaction," "State Invariant Expression," "Duration Constraint," and "Interaction Note" in the view definition of the sequence diagram (interaction class). If you add them, the project file may become unavailable for future version upgrades.