Defining group properties

There are global and referencing groups:

Global groups are directly created in a diagram without a parent symbol. In a schema, they are directly linked to the <schema> tag (root element). They can be reused within any element or complex type of the model through references (See descriptionLines in Defining a group of elements)

Referencing groups are created in a diagram within an element, a complex type or a global group. You must select a global group for their Reference property (See the following table)

Groups in DTD and XDR files
In a model targeted with DTD or XDR language, there are no global or referencing groups, although they appear on the diagram.
Groups are expanded within their parent element and their child elements are declared individually as global elements. (See generated DTD and XDR files in Defining a group of elements)

To display a group property sheet, double-click its symbol in a diagram.

The General page of a group property sheet displays the following properties:

Property	Description
Name	Name of the group. It must be a no-colon-name (See Glossary). Required when the group is global
Code	Code of the group. It must be a no-colon-name. Required when the group is global
Comment	Descriptive label for the group
Stereotype	Sub-classification used to extend the semantics of an object without changing its structure. It can be predefined or user-defined
Reference	Name of a group in the current model or another model opened in the workspace. It must be a qualified name (See Glossary). A reference allows you to reuse a group with all its properties without having to define it again. Use the dropdown listbox to select a group in the current model. Use the Browse tool to select a group from any model opened in the workspace. If you select a group from another model, a shortcut is created with the referencing group. When a reference is defined, the name and code properties are grayed. The name and code are those of the target group
Group type	Indicator that specifies how child elements are to be used within the group. Select a group particle (all, choice or sequence)
Minimum	Minimum number of times the group can occur. To specify that the group is optional, set this attribute to zero
Maximum	Maximum number of times the group can occur. For an unlimited number of times, select unbounded
ID	ID of the group. Its value must be of type ID and unique within the model containing this group

Property

Description

Name

Name of the group. It must be a no-colon-name (See Glossary). Required when the group is global

Code

Code of the group. It must be a no-colon-name. Required when the group is global

Comment

Descriptive label for the group

Stereotype

Sub-classification used to extend the semantics of an object without changing its structure. It can be predefined or user-defined

Reference

Name of a group in the current model or another model opened in the workspace. It must be a qualified name (See Glossary). A reference allows you to reuse a group with all its properties without having to define it again. Use the dropdown listbox to select a group in the current model. Use the Browse tool to select a group from any model opened in the workspace. If you select a group from another model, a shortcut is created with the referencing group. When a reference is defined, the name and code properties are grayed. The name and code are those of the target group

Group type

Indicator that specifies how child elements are to be used within the group. Select a group particle (all, choice or sequence)

Minimum

Minimum number of times the group can occur. To specify that the group is optional, set this attribute to zero

Maximum

Maximum number of times the group can occur. For an unlimited number of times, select unbounded

ID of the group. Its value must be of type ID and unique within the model containing this group

Once you have defined the reference of a referencing group, you can locate the referenced group in the diagram by right-clicking the referencing group symbol and selecting Find Referenced Group in the contextual menu. The referenced group appears with handles in the diagram.

You can access directly to the Preview page of a group property sheet. Right-click a group (or a referencing group) symbol in the diagram and select Preview in the contextual menu.