Visual Basic 2005 Assemblies

An assembly is a collection of Visual Basic 2005 files that forms a DLL or executable. PowerDesigner provides support for both single-assembly models (where the model represents the assembly) and multi-assembly models (where each assembly appears directly below the model in the Browser tree and is modeled as a standard UML package with a stereotype of <<Assembly>>).

Creating an Assembly

PowerDesigner supports both single-assembly and multi-assembly models.

By default, when you create a VB 2005 OOM, the model itself represents an assembly. To continue with a single-assembly model, insert a type or a namespace in the top-level diagram. The model will default to a single-module assembly, with the model root representing the assembly.

To create a multi-assembly model, insert an assembly in the top-level diagram in any of the following ways:

Use the Assembly tool in the Visual Basic 2005 Toolbox.
Select Model > Assembly Objects to access the List of Assembly Objects, and click the Add a Row tool.
Right-click the model (or a package) in the Browser, and select New > Assembly.

Note: If these options are not available to you, then you are currently working with a single-assembly model.

Converting a Single-Assembly Model to a Multi-Assembly Model

To convert to a multi-assembly model, right-click the model in the Browser and select Convert to Multi-Assembly Model, enter a name for the assembly that will contain all the types in your model in the Create an Assembly dialog, and click OK.

PowerDesigner converts the single-assembly model into a multi-assembly model by inserting a new assembly directly beneath the model root to contain all the types present in the model. You can add new assemblies as necessary but only as direct children of the model root.

Assembly Properties

Assembly property sheets contains all the standard package tabs along with the following Visual Basic 2005-specific tabs:

The Application tab contains the following properties:

Property	Description
Generate Project File	Specifies whether to generate a Visual Studio 2005 project file for the assembly.
Project Filename	Specifies the name of the project in Visual Studio. The default is the value of the assembly code property.
Assembly Name	Specifies the name of the assembly in Visual Studio. The default is the value of the assembly code property.
Root Namespace	Specifies the name of the root namespace in Visual Studio. The default is the value of the assembly code property.
Output Type	Specifies the type of application being designed. You can choose between: Class library Windows Application Console Application
Project GUID	Specifies a unique GUID for the project. This field will be completed automatically at generation time.

The Assembly Information tab contains the following properties:

Property	Description
Generate Assembly Information	Specifies whether to generate an assembly manifest file.
Title	Specifies a title for the assembly manifest. This field is linked to the Name field on the General tab.
Description	Specifies an optional description for the assembly manifest.
Company	Specifies a company name for the assembly manifest.
Product	Specifies a product name for the assembly manifest.
Copyright	Specifies a copyright notice for the assembly manifest.
Trademark	Specifies a trademark for the assembly manifest.
Culture	Specifies which culture the assembly supports.
Version	Specifies the version of the assembly.
File Version	Specifies a version number that instructs the compiler to use a specific version for the Win32 file version resource.
GUID	Specifies a unique GUID that identifies the assembly.
Make assembly COM-Visible	Specifies whether types within the assembly will be accessible to COM.