M2 Common
M2 Common provides utility elements available in every project alongside whatever M2 metamodels are in use. These are not specific to any notation — they supplement all metamodels.
Element Types (6)
Section titled “Element Types (6)”| Type | Shape | Fill | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | rectangle with a folded corner | #FFF9C4 (yellow) | A comment or annotation placed on a diagram. Connect to elements with an Annotation relationship. |
| Text | rectangle, no fill or border | none | A free-form text label on the diagram canvas. For titles, section headings, or any label that doesn’t need to be a formal model element. |
| Boundary | rectangle, dashed border, no fill | none | A visual grouping region that organises related elements on a diagram. No semantic meaning — purely visual. |
| Artifact | rectangle | #F5F5F5 (light grey) | A reference to an external document, file, or deliverable. Can carry a file attachment (Word, Excel, PDF, etc.). The node shows its name above the attached file’s name and size, a paperclip marker, and a plain “No file” when nothing is attached yet; double-click the paperclip to open the file. Bridges the gap between the model and supporting documentation. |
| Image | rectangle, no fill or border | — (the image is the body) | A bitmap image — a screenshot, photo, or diagram captured from another tool. The node body is the attached image, letterboxed to fit, with a paperclip marker in a corner: double-click it to open the image. Also serves as a backdrop for tracing (elements dropped on top are never nested inside it). |
| Hyperlink | rounded | #E3F2FD (light blue) | A link to a web address — a runbook, wiki page, dashboard, or ticket. The node shows its name in a title band, with its single URL property beneath as a live, clickable link (no URL: prefix — the band sets showPropertyLabels: false). Nothing about this is Hyperlink-specific: it is compartments plus a url-formatted property, available to any metamodel. |
Each fill is the same in the light and dark themes. Borders and text are on Auto.
Relationship Types (4)
Section titled “Relationship Types (4)”| Type | Line Pattern | Markers | Line colour | Constrained | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trace | dashed | arrow at target | green (light #16A34A, dark #4ADE80) | No | Traceability link showing that one element is derived from or corresponds to another. No dependency implied. |
| Realization | dotted | hollow triangle at target | green (light #16A34A, dark #4ADE80) | No | One element realizes or implements another. Source is concrete; target is abstract. |
| Annotation | dotted | none | green (light #16A34A, dark #4ADE80) | Yes — source must be a Note | Connects a Note to the element it annotates. Purely visual — carries no semantic meaning. |
| Dependency | dotted | arrow at target | green (light #16A34A, dark #4ADE80) | No | One element requires or depends on another to function correctly. Implies a runtime or structural need. |
Attachments
Section titled “Attachments”Two of the common types are backed by Farkitect’s attachment facility:
- Image carries an image payload (
image/*, up to 4 MB), shown as the node body. - Artifact carries a file payload of any type (up to 20 MB) — the referenced document itself, not just a name.
Attachments are a first-class element facility (each element can hold one), stored separately from property values. They travel with the model when you export a package with attachments as a .farki.zip archive. See How to attach files, images, and links.
- M2 Common is always present and read-only in every project
- Common types appear in the Palette alongside the active M2 metamodel’s types
- Common types are available on all diagrams regardless of which M2 metamodel the diagram uses
- All four relationship types use green lines to visually distinguish them from notation-specific relationships: #16A34A in light mode and a brighter #4ADE80 in dark mode, so they stay readable on the dark canvas