Object types

Object types are templates for model objects that define which attributes are available, which object symbols a model can contain, and how these objects relate to other objects. If you define a set of object types for each tenant, you ensure that the appearance of all items complies with your company's corporate design (read more?).

An object is a container for information. Its information content is supplemented by attributes, Thus, an object represents a given situation, an activity, a status, etc. For example, it represents a work step or an organizational unit of a company. Linked together in models, the occurrences reflect the reality of companies.

An object consists of a definition and an occurrence, derived from an object type.

If you have the ARIS Enterprise Admin license privilege and the Configuration administrator function privilege, you can rename object types or delete the user-defined types you do not want to use. If you have special modeling requirements that are not covered by the provided ARIS Method items, you can modify existing object types as required.

To manage object types, click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Conventions > Object types.

You can modify items indicated in the Type column as:

  • Unchanged original (Default)

  • Modified item that was based on an original (Derived)

  • Item that was changed by an authorized user (Customized)

  • Item that was added to the default ARIS Method (User-defined).

  • You cannot modify items of the Default (not configurable) type.

To continue using user-defined or customized method items from previous ARIS versions, you must import the previous filters that contain all user-defined and customized items. These items are created and thus become visible only due to the filter import. You must restore the databases of previous versions on your current tenant after the filter import.

On the Object types page, you can find all object types that are included in the ARIS Method of this tenant.

You can do the following:

Modify object type

If you have special modeling requirements that are not covered by the provided ARIS Method items, you can modify existing object types as required.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Object types.

  2. Click the entry that you want to change. You cannot modify entries of the Default (not configurable) type. Use the Filter filter to find a list entry.

    All attributes are displayed in the language with which you logged in.

  3. Select all configuration languages that you use on this tenant.

    Use configuration languages to specify the names and descriptions of all items that are managed in the Configuration section for this tenant, such as method items, filters, templates, font formats, content type sets, and evaluation scripts.

    The Configuration administrators create the set of configuration languages that are available on a tenant.

  4. Enter the attribute values, such as Name and Description. You cannot edit certain attributes that are set by the system, such as Original name, API name, or GUID.

    Warning

    You must enter all values in each language. If you do not enter the name and description in a language, users who log in with this language will not be able to find this filter because (Untitled) is displayed as the filter name.

  5. Assign the required attributes that you want to make available for objects of this type.

    1. Click Attributes to select the attribute types that you want to make available for this object type. If you just created the object type but you have not yet assigned any attributes, the Show only types assigned view displays all locked attributes. Locked items # Locked items are mandatory items. That means that you cannot remove or modify them.

    2. Select the Show all view.

    3. To assign the required attributes,Selected items enable the controls in the Assigned column.

      Use the Filter filter to quickly find attributes or sort the columns. If you are looking for attributes you configured, filter the list using the User-defined keyword. If you click a header, the column entries are sorted.

    4. Click Assign # s_icon_conn_assign.png Assign. In the Show only types assigned view, all selected attributes are listed and shown as Assigned items assigned.

    5. Check the assignment. Click Remove assignment # s_icon_conn_remove_assignment.png Remove to delete selected attributes from the object type.

  6. Select the model types that you want to allow users to assign to objects of this type.

    1. Click Assignments to select the model types that you want to provide as object assignments for objects of this type. If you just created the object type but you have not yet assigned any model types, the Show only types assigned view displays all locked model types. Locked items # Locked items are mandatory items. That means that you cannot remove or modify them.

    2. Select the Show all view.

    3. To assign the required models,Selected items enable the controls in the Assigned column.

      Use the Filter filter to quickly find model types or sort the columns. If you are looking for model types you configured, filter the list using the User-defined, Derived, or Customized keywords. If you click a header, the column entries are sorted.

    4. Click Assign # s_icon_conn_assign.png Assign. In the Show only types assigned view, all selected models are listed and shown as Assigned items assigned.

    5. Decide whether users can only assign one model of this type to the object or if multiple models of this type can be assigned.

      1. Selected items Select the editable model type and click Configure More.

      2. Click Enable 'Unique' or Disable 'Unique', as required.

    6. Decide whether an occurrence of the object to which the model is assigned is inserted to the assigned model or if the assigned model should be empty.

      1. Selected items Select the editable model type and click Configure More.

      2. Click Enable 'Insert object' or Disable 'Insert object', as required.

    7. Check the assignment. Click Remove assignment # s_icon_conn_remove_assignment.png Remove to delete selected models from the object type.

    8. If the assignment is OK, click Apply.

  7. Click Connections to see which connections are available between model objects. You cannot modify the set of connections.

    If you want to change the connection types that users can use to connect object symbols or objects of a certain type, you must modify the set of connection types in the related model type.

  8. Click Apply.

  9. Add the object type to the method filter that users will use for login.

The object type is changed and is available for all users of this tenant who logged in with a method filter that contains this object type.

If you want to use a different symbol for a model object, you must first derive the object symbol and change the symbol graphics.

Use other attributes in object types

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Object types.

  2. Click the entry that you want to change. You cannot modify entries of the Default (not configurable) type. Use the Filter filter to find a list entry.

  3. Click Attributes to select the attribute types that you want to make available for this object type. If you just created the object type but you have not yet assigned any attributes, the Show only types assigned view displays all locked attributes. Locked items # Locked items are mandatory items. That means that you cannot remove or modify them.

  4. Select the Show all view.

  5. To assign the required attributes,Selected items enable the controls in the Assigned column.

    Use the Filter filter to quickly find attributes or sort the columns. If you are looking for attributes you configured, filter the list using the User-defined keyword. If you click a header, the column entries are sorted.

  6. Click Assign # s_icon_conn_assign.png Assign. In the Show only types assigned view, all selected attributes are listed and shown as Assigned items assigned.

  7. Check the assignment. Click Remove assignment # s_icon_conn_remove_assignment.png Remove to delete selected attributes from the object type.

  8. If the assignment is OK, click Apply.

All selected attribute types are available for objects of this type.

Assign other models to object types

If you want to change the set of models that can be assigned to objects, proceed as follows.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Object types.

  2. Click the entry that you want to change. You cannot modify entries of the Default (not configurable) type. Use the Filter filter to find a list entry.

  3. Click Assignments to select the model types that you want to provide as object assignments for objects of this type. If you just created the object type but you have not yet assigned any model types, the Show only types assigned view displays all locked model types. Locked items # Locked items are mandatory items. That means that you cannot remove or modify them.

  4. Select the Show all view.

  5. To assign the required models,Selected items enable the controls in the Assigned column.

    Use the Filter filter to quickly find model types or sort the columns. If you are looking for model types you configured, filter the list using the User-defined, Derived, or Customized keywords. If you click a header, the column entries are sorted.

  6. Click Assign # s_icon_conn_assign.png Assign. In the Show only types assigned view, all selected models are listed and shown as Assigned items assigned.

  7. Decide whether users can only assign one model of this type to the object or if multiple models of this type can be assigned.

    1. Selected items Select the editable model type and click Configure More.

    2. Click Enable 'Unique' or Disable 'Unique', as required.

  8. Decide whether an occurrence of the object to which the model is assigned is inserted to the assigned model or if the assigned model should be empty.

    1. Selected items Select the editable model type and click Configure More.

    2. Click Enable 'Insert object' or Disable 'Insert object', as required.

  9. Check the assignment. Click Remove assignment # s_icon_conn_remove_assignment.png Remove to delete selected models from the object type.

  10. If the assignment is OK, click Apply.

All selected models can be assigned to objects of this type.

Change Insert object settings for object assignment

You can decide whether an occurrence of the object to which the model is assigned is inserted to the assigned model or if the assigned model should initially be empty.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Object types.

  2. Click the entry that you want to change. You cannot modify entries of the Default (not configurable) type. Use the Filter filter to find a list entry.

  3. Click Assignments to select the model type for which you want to change the setting.

  4. Selected items Select the editable model type and click Configure More.

  5. Click Enable 'Insert object' or Disable 'Insert object', as required.

  6. Click Apply.

The setting is changed.

Change Unique setting for object assignment

Decide whether users can only assign one model of a type to the object or if multiple models of a type can be assigned.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Object types.

  2. Click the entry that you want to change. You cannot modify entries of the Default (not configurable) type. Use the Filter filter to find a list entry.

  3. Click the entry that you want to change. You cannot modify entries of the Default (not configurable) type. Use the Filter filter to find a list entry.

  4. Click Assignments to select the model type for which you want to change the setting.

  5. Selected items Select the editable model type and click Configure More.

  6. Click Enable 'Unique' or Disable 'Unique', as required.

  7. Click Apply.

The setting is changed.

Rename object type

You can either change the name of an object type in the current language or you can change the names and descriptions in multiple languages.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Object types.

  2. Selected items Select the name that you want to change. You cannot modify entries of the Default (not configurable) type.

  3. Click Rename Rename to change the name in the current language. To change the name and description in multiple languages, click Edit Edit, select the languages, and overwrite the current name or description in each language as required.

The names and descriptions are changed. For default ARIS Method items, the original names always remain so that you can easily reset your modifications to the default state.

Reset object type name

You can reset the name of user-defined and customized object types in the current language.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Object types.

  2. Selected items Select the name that you want to reset.

  3. Click Rename Rename. The current name is displayed.

  4. Click Reset. The original name is used in the current language.

  5. Click Save.

The name is changed in the current language.

Reset object type

You can replace one or several of the customized object types on this tenant with original object types from the standard ARIS Method.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Object types.

  2. Enter Customized as a keyword and Filter filter the list to find all customized types that you can reset.

  3. Selected items Select the items that you want to reset to the default state.

  4. Click Reset items Reset.

    Warning

    All selected customized method items are deleted and replaced by default ARIS Method items. Make sure that you exported method filters containing customized method items before you proceed. Then you can restore customized method items by importing the filters again.

  5. Click Reset to confirm the action.

All selected items are reset to the default state.