A profile is a package that contains UML stereotypes
that extend the elements (metaclasses) of the UML language for a specific
domain or purpose. While Rational® XDE profiles are embedded inside the actual
XDE model file, models in the Rational modeling product contain references
to profiles that are kept in separate files.
Rational XDE
uses profiles to customize UML for specific projects, processes, or add-ins.
Profiles provide the ability to extend UML semantics by using stereotypes
and tagged values. Stereotypes extend the semantics of a model element by
marking the model element with a string enclosed in guillemets (« ») or by
displaying the element as an icon. Tagged values extend UML by attaching arbitrary
information to a model element. In UML 1.4, stereotypes are tagged value sets,
which may have tagged values.
In the Rational modeling
products, the UML 2.0 Basic, Intermediate, Deployment, Default, and Complete
profiles are automatically applied to every model. These products also provide
the Deployment profile and the Default profile, both of which are also automatically
applied to every model. UML 2.0 profile files have a file name extension
of .epx and you can view them in the Model Explorer view.
When working with profiles during the XDE import process, keep the following
points in mind:
- XDE profiles are embedded inside the actual XDE model file; the Rational modeling
product models contain references to profiles that are kept in external files.
- Any team member that uses an imported XDE model in the Rational modeling
products must have the Rational XDE model import wizard installed. The
pre-converted standard profiles, which are stored in the XDE import plugins,
are automatically applied to the models during the import process; the imported
model must have access to the standard profiles so the imported models open
correctly.
- Imported user-defined profiles and imported models must reside in separate
projects. You can specify different projects for models and user-defined profiles
on the first page of the Rational XDE Model Import wizard. You only need
to create separate projects for models that reference user-defined profiles;
models that reference user-defined profiles may not merge correctly (when
working in a team environment) unless they are stored in a separate project.
- XDE user-defined profiles may contain elements that are named in a way
that cannot be represented by profile model elements after import. For example,
in XDE, tagged value set names can have non-identifer characters such as a
space, * (asterisk), or " (quote mark); however, the Rational modeling product property
names must be alphanumeric identifiers. When the Rational XDE Model Import wizard encounters
a user-defined profile that contains non identifier characters, the wizard
converts the XDE name to a valid Rational modeling product name. A
new properties file is created for the profile so that the name will be displayed
the same way as it did in XDE.
For more information on Profiles, see the Extending the UML metamodel by
using custom UML profiles help topic in the product information center.