Report Wizard
Element lists are keyed by stereotype
In a SysML model, $Class can come back empty while $Block, $Requirement or your own stereotype's list holds the elements. Loop over the stereotype you applied.
Free tutorials · Cameo Report Wizard · VTL · Metachains
Cameo Report Wizard and VTL: generate documents from your SysML model.
Every Report Wizard, VTL and metachain tutorial we’ve published, in the order we’d learn them. When the model changes, you regenerate the document instead of editing it by hand, so what you deliver always matches the model.
These are the original CameoMagic videos and project files. This page is their home.
## one table row per requirement #forrow($req in $Requirement) $req.id | $req.name #endrow
2 Requirements
| Id | Name |
|---|---|
| EV-1 | Driver Authentication |
| EV-2 | Charge Power |
| EV-3 | Connector Interlock |
| EV-4 | Session Pricing |
Tools › Report Wizard › Generate
9 videosReport Wizard, VTL, metachains and custom columns
About 7,000 viewson our metachain and structured expression video
5 project filesDownload the finished model behind a video
Word, Excel, PowerPointand HTML output from one template language
Learning path
Learn Report Wizard in six steps
Start with the templates that ship with Cameo, then build a model that is ready to print, then write your own VTL. Metachains come last because they make your tables and templates answer bigger questions.
Run a built-in template
Open Tools › Report Wizard and pick a built-in template, such as the activity diagram Word report. Set the variables, scope it to a package, choose the output file, and click Generate.
Video: Report Wizard & VTL tips →Read the VTL behind it
Open the same template to see the Velocity Template Language that produced the output. The built-in templates are the best examples of loops, macros and tables. The MagicDraw Report Wizard template creation tutorial (31 pages) covers the basics.
Get the model ready to print
Give requirements a stereotype with the attributes your document needs, add the Report profile to the project, and store the title, author and revision as Report Data variables.
Video: Report Wizard model build →Write your own template
Create a new template in Word, then loop over the elements, repeat table rows with
#forrow, and insert diagram images. Word is the easiest place to troubleshoot: turn on line numbers so an error message points to a line.Navigate with metachains
A metachain follows a chain of relationships from one element to another, for example from a block to the requirements it satisfies. Use one as a custom table column or as a derived property.
Video: simple navigation vs metachain →Debug what you built
Check the gotchas below before you search forums. Most "the whole template failed" errors come from a few well-known quirks.
Report Wizard gotchas →
Videos
Every tutorial in one place
Report Wizard and VTL
Report Wizard · 14 minReport Wizard & VTL tips, resources and troubleshootingRun a built-in template, read its VTL, and the troubleshooting habits we use when a template fails.
Report Wizard · 19 minReport Wizard model buildSet up stereotypes, the Report profile and Report Data so a requirements model generates a specification.
Metachains, custom columns and derived properties
Metachains · 12 minMetachain and structured expressions in tables and legendsTwo worked examples, including a dynamic legend.
Metachains · 9 minSimple navigation vs metachain in tablesConvert a simple navigation column into its metachain form, on a toaster example.
Metachains · 5 minMetachain filter operationTwo short examples of filtering a metachain's results.
Custom columns · 5 minCustom columns and filtering with the scope queryBuild custom columns with metachains, using the scope query button.
Metachains · 36 minFind unused signals with a generic tableAudit signal usage across a model with metachains, tables and legends.
Metachains · 61 minLogical to physical custom columnsA long-form walkthrough of metachain columns across logical and physical architecture.
Metachains · 13 minProbability assignment with a dynamic legendCustom columns and a dynamic legend built with metachains.
Gotchas
Report Wizard and derived property gotchas
We found these while building and testing report templates against a real model with Cameo’s own report engine. We build templates in Cameo 2022x, 2024x and 2026x.
Report Wizard
One quiet reference can kill the template
$!ref.method($otherRef), a quiet reference with a $ argument, is a syntax error ("Encountered <") that stops the whole template. Drop the !, or pass a plain string argument.
Report Wizard
Table rows need #forrow
A plain #foreach inside a Word table row runs inline and crams everything into one row. Use #forrow … #endrow. It adds a row for every item, even ones an #if skips, so build the list first with $array.createArray().
Report Wizard
Dates and images
$report.currentDate no longer works: use $date or $date.get("MMMM dd, yyyy"). Diagram images come from $d.image. In an HTML template it returns a file path, so wrap it in an <img> tag.
Report Wizard
Blank lines print
Every blank line in a template becomes a blank line in the output. Keep the VTL tight, and use Word's highlight color to mark where a loop or macro ends.
Derived properties
Groovy scripts in derived properties
The element arrives as arg1, not THIS. == doesn't compare model elements by identity, so use a.is(b). A debug column must have Type = String, or the text it returns won't show.
Project files
Download the model behind the video
Each file is the finished Cameo project from a tutorial, so you can open it, inspect every template, column and expression, and reuse them.
Report WizardReport Wizard & Velocity Template Language$18.99The requirements model and template from the model build video: stereotypes, Report profile, Report Data and the verification matrix.
MetachainsSimple navigation vs metachain$2.99The toaster example with every column from the video.
MetachainsSignal usage audit$4.99Find used and unused signals with metachains, tables and legends.
Custom columnsUsing the scope query$3.99A table for each query built in the video. Made in CATIA Magic 2024x.
MetachainsProbability enumeration assignment$4.99The dynamic legend and custom columns from the probability video.
Learn it live
Advanced Topics teaches this in one day
Our 6-hour Advanced Topics course covers derived properties, metachain navigation, model libraries and custom Report Wizard (VTL) templates, hands-on in Cameo on our cloud VM. No license needed.
- $1,250 remote, $1,500 in person
- With SysML Fundamentals: $3,600 remote, $4,500 in person
- Report templates built up step by step against the Robot Mower model you build in Fundamentals
Reading
- What are derived properties in Cameo, and why should I care?Live
- What are the biggest gotchas writing Groovy scripts in Cameo?Publishes Dec 1, 2026
- How do I debug a derived property that returns nothing?Publishes Feb 2, 2027
- How do I generate a document from my SysML model?Publishes Mar 16, 2027
- What is a metachain in Cameo, in plain English?Publishes Mar 30, 2027
Questions
Report Wizard and VTL questions
What is the Cameo Report Wizard?
A built-in tool in Cameo Systems Modeler and CATIA Magic that generates documents from your model. A template decides what goes in the document, and the Wizard fills it with the model's current data, so people without Cameo can read the result.
What is VTL?
The Apache Velocity Template Language. Report Wizard templates are written in it: variables start with $, and directives such as #foreach, #if and #macro start with #.
What formats can Report Wizard produce?
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML and text templates, among others. Report Wizard has no native PDF output, so print a Word or HTML report to PDF.
Where should I start?
With the templates that ship with Cameo. Run one, then open it and read its VTL. They are the best examples of loops, macros and tables. Write your own after that.
Why is my $Class list empty?
Report Wizard lists elements by their stereotype. In a SysML model, blocks show up in $Block and requirements in $Requirement, so $Class can be empty.
Why does my whole template fail with "Encountered <"?
Look for a quiet reference with a $ argument, such as $!ref.method($otherRef). Remove the ! or pass a string argument instead.
What is a metachain?
A chain of navigation steps from one element to related elements, for example from a block to the requirements it satisfies. It powers custom table columns, legends and derived properties without any scripting.
Can you build our report templates for us?
Yes. We build templates for specifications and CDRL deliverables from your model as consulting work, in Cameo 2022x, 2024x or 2026x, and teach your team to maintain them.
CameoMagic is an independent company with no affiliation with, sponsorship by, or endorsement from Dassault Systèmes. CATIA and Cameo are trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries.
Stop copying model data into documents.
Start with the free videos, download a project file, or learn Report Wizard and metachains hands-on in Advanced Topics.
Prefer email? Write to consulting@cameomagic.com
Ask about report templates
Tell us which documents you need from your model, and we’ll follow up to scope the templates.