Something 2 GSN

The plugin converts models on Class diagrams, Activity Diagrams, Block Definition diagrams and Mindmaps created in Astah Products to GSN (Goal Structuring Notation) models.

Details

Compatible with
Astah Professional 6.6 or later and UML, SysML 1.2 or later
Latest Version
1.0.1 (June 25, 2018)
Developer
Astah
Support
No technical support is provided.

How to Install on Astah Professional

  1. Download the Plug-in file.
  2. Launch Astah and drag the downloaded .jar file to an open instance of Astah. A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm installation, choose [Yes]. If the pop-up opens, restart Astah and open any project.
    Astah Plugin Install
  3. Now you will have [GSN generator] item under [Tools] menu.
  4. Go to “How to Use”
    Choosing [GSN generator] menu

 

 

How to Install on Astah SysML

  1. Download the Plug-in file.
  2. Launch Astah and go to [Help] – [Plugin List].
    Choosing [Plugin List] on Astah SysML
  3. Click [Install] button and select the .jar file you downloaded.
    Astah SysML Plugin window
  4. Restart Astah and open any project.
    Astah SysML Plugin Relaunch
  5. Now you will have [GSN generator] item under [Tools] menu. (This is a screenshot of Astah Professional.)
    Choosing [GSN generator] menu
  6. Go to “How to Use”

 

 

 

How to Use

 

Diagrams to convert

  • Below is a sample MindMap before converting to GSN:
    Goal Structuring Notation in Mind Map
  • Each topic must have a suffix starting with a colon followed by strings like “goal” or “strategy”, which to specify the GSN model type to convert in to. All the supported model types are as follows:
    • goal
    • strategy
    • solution
    • context
    • assumption
    • justification

 

  • As I explain later, the plugin supports the following model types and diagrams other than MindMap:
    • Classes and Objects in Class diagrams,
    • Objects in Activity Diagrams and
    • Blocks in Block Definition Diagrams.
  • The plugin cannot convert to GSN/D-Case models correctly if the relations among models (structure in Mind Map) are incorrect in terms of the GSN syntax.

 

Generating GSN/D-Case from a MindMap

  1. Select a MindMap you want to convert to GSN/D-Case in the structure tree view.
    Opening Mind Map that you create GSN in
  2. Go to [Tools] – [GSN Generator] – [Generating GSN for the current diagram].
    Choosing [GSN Generator] menu from Astah
  3. A dialog appears to ask you to save this file, name it and save with “xmi” extension.

 

 

Import converted models in Astah GSN

  1. Launch Astah GSN and open an existing project or create new.
  2. From main menu, go to [Tool] – [XMI] – [XMI import].Choosing XMI Import Menu from Astah GSN
  3. A file chooser appears. Select the.xmi file you’ve generated by this plugin, then imported models will appear in the tree.
    Converting Mind Map topics to GSN models
  4. Create a new GSN diagram or open an existing one. Drag & drop the models from the tree to GSN diagram to depict them on the diagram.
    Importing Mind Map topics into GSN models
  5. Go to [Alignment] – [Auto Layout].
    Aligning GSN models in Astah GSN
  6. GSN-converted models would be aligned nicely keeping its structure.
    GSN models aligned in Astah GSN

 

Converting from other diagram types than Mind Maps

 

Objects in a class diagram

  • Objects and connected links in the following Class diagram can be converted to GSN. (Note the converted GSN models will Convert Objects into GSN models color setting.) To convert to GSN, all the objects need to have the following class type : “goal”, “strategy”, “context”, “assumption”, and “justification”, set to specify which GSN model type that you want them convert into.
  • Here’s a sample GSN that was converted from the Class diagram above.
    Converting Class Diagram Models to GSN

 

Converting Classes in a class diagram

  • Classes and all the associations would be converted to GSN models. Specify which GSN model type to be converted by adding the stereotype.
    Convert UML Classes to GSN

 

Converting Objects in Activity diagram

  • Objects and connected relations would be converted to GSN models. All the objects need to have the following class type : “goal”, “strategy”, “context”, “assumption”, and “justification”, set to specify which GSN model type that you want them to convert into, and same goes for Blocks in Astah SysML’s activity diagrams.
    Convert UML Activity Diagram to GSN
  • For the case of Astah SysML, the diagram can be as follows.
    Converting GSN models to SysML Blocks

 

Converting Blocks in a Block definition diagram

  • Blocks and all the relationships in Block Definition Diagram would be converted to GSN. Add stereotype to specify what GSN model type you want them to convert into.
    Converting SysML Blocks to GSN

Others

  • If necessary, you can re-order the ID number of GSN-converted models by choosing [Reset GSN ID] from the context menu which you can open by right-clicking on the diagram editor.
    Resetting GSN ID in Astah GSN

 

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