Serialization¶

XML Export¶

Write a model to the Open Group ArchiMate Exchange Format:

from etcion.serialization.xml import write_model

write_model(model, "architecture.xml", model_name="My Architecture")

For in-memory serialization, use serialize_model() to get an lxml.etree.ElementTree:

from etcion.serialization.xml import serialize_model

tree = serialize_model(model, model_name="My Architecture")
xml_bytes = lxml.etree.tostring(tree, pretty_print=True)

XML serialization requires the xml extra: pip install etcion[xml].

XML Import¶

Read an Exchange Format file back into a Model:

from etcion.serialization.xml import read_model

loaded = read_model("architecture.xml")
print(f"Loaded {len(loaded.elements)} elements")

For an in-memory ElementTree, use deserialize_model():

from lxml import etree
from etcion.serialization.xml import deserialize_model

tree = etree.parse("architecture.xml")
loaded = deserialize_model(tree)

Round-Trip Guarantee¶

Diagram layouts, visual styles, and folder organization from tools like Archi are preserved as opaque XML. They survive a read/write cycle even though etcion does not interpret them.

JSON Export / Import¶

A lightweight JSON format for web tooling and data pipelines:

import json
from etcion.serialization.json import model_to_dict, model_from_dict

# Export
data = model_to_dict(model)
with open("model.json", "w") as f:
    json.dump(data, f, indent=2)

# Import
with open("model.json") as f:
    data = json.load(f)
loaded = model_from_dict(data)

No additional dependencies required for JSON.

Archi Compatibility¶

etcion produces XML files compatible with Archi.

Importing a etcion model into Archi:

Export: write_model(model, "model.xml", model_name="My Model")
In Archi: File > Import > Open Exchange XML Model
Select the .xml file

Importing an Archi model into etcion:

In Archi: File > Export > Open Exchange XML Model
Save as .xml
Load: model = read_model("exported.xml")