shared objects in different canvasses

Hi,

I'm reposting this message which I earlier posted on the forum. 

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I used to use ArgoUML for managing the inventory and deployment of our servers and applications. 

One feature of ArgoUML is that you can make several diagrams where the same objects can be used. This way you can have on the one hand a diagram with all hosts and on the other hand a solution diagram where some of these hosts are linked and also contain software components. 

These objects in ArgoUML don't have to look visually the same in the different diagrams but their meta data like their object name always stay the same and thus unique. 

If you work this way the outline of child components grows and but still stays clean without any extra work, because their is no redundant information. 

Another reason why this would be very usefull is that OmniGraffle could be used as data input interface for complex systems like CMS's or data center management tools. At this point OmniGraffle is only usefull for visualizing data coming from these systems. 

I know of linkback and I know of the shared layers feature, but both don't seem to fullfill above needs. The Shared layers seemed promising but their is no outline of shared objects and if you change the appearance of an object it changes everywhere.

Will this feature of sharing object meta data with different graphic appearance in different stencils ever be available in OmniGraffle?

Is their a way of working to achieve the above already in OmniGraffle Pro 5?

Regards,
Pim Snel

Lingewoud B.V.
Voorstraat 8
4147 CC Asperen
Tel. +31 (0)345 582222
Fax. +31 (0)345 820203