Appendix C: Glossary of Terms

Add-in — A COM-visible DLL (C# or VB.NET) that EA loads at startup, adding menus, toolbars, and event handlers.

API (Automation Interface) — The COM object model exposed by EA (Repository, Package, Element, Connector, etc.).

Attribute — A property of a Class element; accessed via Element.Attributes.

Connector — A relationship between elements (e.g., Association, Realisation). Access via Element.Connectors.

DiagramObject — A visual instance of an element on a diagram; stores coordinates and style, not semantics.

Dry Run (DRY_RUN) — A safety flag in scripts: simulate changes and log, but don’t commit updates.

Element — A modelled item (Class, Requirement, UseCase, Component, etc.).

GUID — Global Unique Identifier string assigned to every element, connector, and package. Prefer GUIDs for stable identification.

MDG Technology — A profile/extension package for EA (stereotypes, tagged values, toolboxes, etc.). Scripts must use StereotypeEx for full qualified stereotypes (profile::stereo).

ObjectType — Integer enum identifying what an object is (otElement, otPackage, otDiagram, etc.).

Package — Container for elements, diagrams, and child packages.

Repository — Root of the automation API; represents the current EA model (QEA/EAP file or DB connection).

SQLQuery — Repository.SQLQuery(sql) executes a SQL SELECT against EA’s database and returns XML. Use only for reads.

Update() — Method to persist changes to database; required after modifying any object.

WinHTTP — Windows COM object (WinHttp.WinHttpRequest.5.1) usable from JScript for basic HTTP requests.