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Forgive us! These docs are a work in progress. Some pages may be incomplete or describe features that aren't quite finished yet. Farkitect is in early development and we don't recommend using it for real work just yet. Feel free to explore — just be aware that things are still being built.

Properties & Property Values

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how metamodel-defined properties work and populate property values on your Farquind application elements.

Prerequisites: You’ve completed Your First Diagram and have the Farquind Digital Systems project open with some Application Component elements.

What you’ll build: Fully populated property values on your Farquind application elements.

1. Understanding Properties

Section titled “1. Understanding Properties”

Properties in Farkitect come from the metamodel (M2 layer). When an M2 metamodel defines an element type, it can specify typed properties that every instance of that type carries. You don’t create properties on individual elements — you fill in the values that the metamodel says should be there.

For example, the ArchiMate 3.2 metamodel might define that an Application Component can have properties like lifecycle status or technology type. Every Application Component you create inherits these property definitions.

This is the M2/M1 relationship in action: M2 defines the structure, M1 provides the content.

2. View Properties on an Element

Section titled “2. View Properties on an Element”
  1. Select one of your Farquind elements — click on FQ Orders in the Explorer or on the Canvas
  2. The Properties panel (on the right) updates to show the element’s details

You’ll see:

  • Name — the element’s display name (editable)
  • Type — the M2 classifier (e.g., “Application Component” from ArchiMate)
  • Property fields — any properties defined by the metamodel for this element type, each with its data type (String, Integer, Boolean, Date, Enumeration)

Some properties may already have default values from the metamodel. Others will be empty, waiting for you to fill them in.

3. Edit Property Values

Section titled “3. Edit Property Values”

Click into a property field and enter a value:

  • String fields — type text directly
  • Number fields — enter a numeric value
  • Boolean fields — toggle a checkbox
  • Date fields — use the date picker or type a date
  • Enumeration fields — select from a dropdown of allowed values defined in the metamodel

Try filling in properties on FQ Orders. The available fields depend on what the ArchiMate metamodel defines for Application Component.

4. Required vs Optional

Section titled “4. Required vs Optional”

Properties can be required or optional, as defined by the metamodel:

  • Required properties are marked with an indicator. The element is considered incomplete until these are filled in.
  • Optional properties can be left empty.

The metamodel designer decides which properties are required and what data type each one accepts.

5. Properties on Relationships

Section titled “5. Properties on Relationships”

Relationships can have properties too. Select one of the Flow relationships on your diagram — the Properties panel will show any fields defined by the ArchiMate metamodel for Flow relationships.

6. Properties Across the Model

Section titled “6. Properties Across the Model”

Property values are part of the model, not part of the diagram. When you set a property on FQ Orders, that value is visible:

  • In the Properties panel whenever FQ Orders is selected
  • In Catalogs that include Application Components (you’ll learn about catalogs in the next tutorial)
  • On the diagram Canvas if the metamodel’s notation includes property compartments
  • In exported .farki files

7. Where Do Properties Come From?

Section titled “7. Where Do Properties Come From?”

To see which properties an element type has, you can inspect the M2 metamodel:

  1. In the Explorer, expand the M2 metamodel package (e.g., M2 ArchiMate 3.2)
  2. Find the element type (e.g., Application Component)
  3. Expand it to see its property definitions — each shows the property name, data type, and whether it’s required

This is read-only in built-in metamodels. When you create your own metamodel, you’ll define these properties yourself.

What You’ve Learned

Section titled “What You’ve Learned”
  • Properties are defined at the M2 level and filled in at the M1 level
  • How to view and edit property values in the Properties panel
  • The different property data types (String, Integer, Boolean, Date, Enumeration)
  • That properties apply to both elements and relationships
  • That property values are model-wide, not diagram-specific

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”