Dependent or "referring" elements

Sequence diagrams contain certain elements that are not dependent on the presence of any other element, for example, classifier roles. Sequence diagrams also contain elements that require the presence of other elements, for example, messages, which require the presence of the sending and receiving elements. Dependent elements such as these are referred to here as "referring" elements.

When you are making merge decisions, referring elements can be included in the merge only if all the elements they refer to are included in the merge. For example, a message can be included in the merge only if the sending and receiving classifier roles are included in the merge.

If you choose to exclude an element which other elements require, then these dependent elements will be excluded from the merge as well.

Note: If a menu command to include an element in a merge is disabled on a pop‑up menu, be sure that you have not previously chosen to exclude an element upon which the selected element depends.

In general, IBM® Rational® Rhapsody® DiffMerge does not check whether the diagram resulting from a merge is correct. It is the user's responsibility to ensure that merge decisions result in a correct sequence diagram.


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