If you want to use settings in your model, we recommend to always use one or more classes and mark the attributes as settings. It is not recommended to use the inline style definition of settings within action script.

This approach has the following advantages:

  • It is easy to find all settings of a service.
  • The same settings can be re-used in several diagrams.

Only exception of this rule: Use the inline style definition when having a single setting in a specific context.

Naming Conventions for Settings

ForUseExample
Single Settings
one class named Settings
Multiple Settings
multiple classes: SettingsSuffixSettingsCustomer
Documentationuse tagged value Setting Name to document how to use this setting.Put in timeout in seconds:

Setting vs. User Interface

Usage of a settings class is to be preferred, if the setting is a simple one, e.g "Customer:".

In place of settings, you could also implement a user interface. The usage of a user interface is preferable, in the following cases:

  • The settings need enhanced validation (enumeration etc.).
  • The settings are complex, e.g. three input fields which belong together.

If you want to use a user interface to change the settings, they should be adjustable without service stop.

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