Attribute symbols

Attribute symbols are symbols that you use to specify the values for attribute types. You can place attribute symbols in the modeling area instead of the values of attribute types. Read more about attribute symbols?

If you have the ARIS Enterprise Admin license privilege and the Configuration administrator function privilege, you can create attribute symbols by deriving them from existing attribute symbols. In derived symbols, you can replace the default symbols of ARIS Method with your own user-defined symbols. You can design user-defined symbols in AMF format using ARIS Symbol Editor.

Use ARIS Symbol Editor to create user-defined symbols. To open ARIS Symbol Editor, start ARIS Architect and click ARIS > Symbol Editor Symbol Editor.

To manage attribute symbols, click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Configuration Configuration > Conventions > Attribute symbols.

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 Attribute symbols page, you can find all symbols that are included in ARIS Method on this tenant.

You can do the following:

Derive attribute symbol

Derive a default attribute symbol to replace the default symbol of ARIS Method with your own user-defined symbols. You can design user-defined symbols in AMF format using ARIS Symbol Editor.

Use ARIS Symbol Editor to create user-defined symbols. To open ARIS Symbol Editor, start ARIS Architect and click ARIS > Symbol Editor Symbol Editor.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Attribute symbols.

  2. Selected items Select the name of the symbol from which you want to derive your new attribute symbol.

    Use the Filter filter to find the most suitable symbol.

  3. Click Derive symbol Derive symbol.

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

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Change the used symbol graphic.

    1. Click Symbol and click Browse.

    2. Select the AMF graphic file and click Open.

    3. Click Apply. The selected symbol is displayed in the Symbol column.

  7. Click Apply.

  8. Add your derived attribute symbol to the method filter that users will use for login.

Your derived attribute symbol is available to all users of this tenant who logged in with a method filter that contains your new symbol.

Change attribute symbol

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Attribute symbols.

  2. Click the name of the derived attribute symbol that you want to change. Use the Filter filter to find the symbol.

  3. Click Symbol and click Browse.

  4. Select the AMF graphic file and click Open.

  5. Click Apply. The selected symbol is displayed in the Symbol column.

Users can use the attribute symbol in models to display attribute values as a symbol.

If you want to change the default browser symbol used for placed Link attributes, such asDefault browser icon, you must provide the required icon.

ARIS uses the default browser icon from your operating system (OS).

To change the icon used for placed Link attributes, system administrators can do the following:

  1. Create an icons folder in the ARIS installation directory of the abs_<s,m,l> runnable (…\work\work_abs1\base\webapps\abs). If multiple abs instances are configured, you must add the icons folder to each abs_<s,m,l> runnable.

  2. Add the *.ico file for each file format suffix you want to use, such as, html.ico or doc.ico.

    Warning

    Make sure to provide the correct icon file in the correct format. Otherwise, no icon will be shown at all.

  3. Restart the abs_<s,m,l> runnables.

The icon is changed.

To change the icon for ARIS Architect and ARIS Designer users, each user must change the icon in their OS. To do so, follow the official Microsoft instructions.

Rename attribute symbol

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

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Attribute symbols.

  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 attribute symbol name

You can reset the name of default, user-defined, and customized attribute symbols in the current language.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Attribute symbols.

  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 attribute symbol

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

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Attribute symbols.

  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.

Delete attribute symbol

If you no longer want to use a derived attribute symbol, you can delete it from the ARIS Method of a tenant. To prevent users from using an attribute symbol, you must remove it from the available method filters. In this case, you do not have to delete the attribute symbol from your extended ARIS Method of the tenant.

  1. Click Application launcher Application launcher > Administration Administration > Conventions > Attribute symbols.

  2. Selected items Select the derived object symbols that you want to delete.

  3. Click Delete Delete.

  4. To confirm the action, click Delete.

The selected attribute symbols are deleted from ARIS Method of this tenant.