Issue Priority changes

[magomerlano]

Hi all,
Maybe I found something that can be considered a bug:

create a new issue from the "System" window and save it.
Then re-open it and try to modify the Priority value only. The Save button is still disabled, so i have to pretend to make some other change in order to get my new priority changed!
As a newbie, both to UML and EA, i surely may be wrong, but it seems a bug to me!  :-/  

Also, it's a shame that the "Issues" mask that pops up selecting Project --> Issues is rather different from the other one and does not include the Priority combobox..!

thanks,
matteo

[jaimeglz]

Hi matteo,

Can you give us a bit more detail on how you created the issue you are mentioning? I could not reproduce the bug: I opened the issue dialog for one of the issues in a project and have had no problem changing the priority. The issue in question was created by dragging the issue icon (in the "Custom" tool box) into a diagram.

Please be aware that project issues (Project -> Issues ) are different from issues that pertain to the model (like the one mentioned in the last paragraph). A project issues would be like the following: "Current project budget underestimates testing time: need to discuss this with sponsor".

A modeling issue, on the other hand, has to do with your subject area. Example: "Accounts Payable is requesting expenses control, but current budget is not ready yet".

Project issues have to do with your process in creating the model, whereas model issues have to do with your customers' or subject area's processes.

Hope this helps,

Jaime

[magomerlano]

I've tried these steps:

1) Create a new .eap file using EANew
2) NO CURRENT DIAGRAM SELECTED, just created my project
3) Alt + 2 --> System Window
4) Right Click and "Add new.." selected
5) Filled ISSUE, PRIORITY and DESCRIPTION controls and then click on SAVE
6) Closed the Issue Detail panel
7) Right click on the newly generated line in System Window and click on "Modify selected.." from the contextual menu
Issue Detail appear: select a different priority level from the drop-down menu, but either the SAVE and OK buttons are still disabled!

Thanks,
Matteo

[magomerlano]

Please be aware that project issues (Project -> Issues ) are different from issues that pertain to the model (like the one mentioned in the last paragraph). A project issues would be like the following: "Current project budget underestimates testing time: need to discuss this with sponsor".

Thank you for having made this difference clear to me, as a newbie i'm obviously a bit overwhelmed by all these concepts & options..!  

Nevertheless, i have to say that the way the GUI manages these two different concepts is a bit misleading: if you create a new PROJECT issue you find it in the list among all the others MODEL issues in the system window! And that's more... if you right click and modify it, you will see the ISSUE DETAIL form, just the same used to add a new MODEL Issue!  

On the other hand, the "Show Closed Issues" checkbox in the low left corner of the PROJECT ISSUE form seems to add all the MODEL issues in the listbox above: it seems a little buggish, since from the Project Issue form i should expect to be able to work on Project Issue only!

It seems  that  the system doesn't treat these two concepts in a different way only when you CREATE them, but not afterwards.

Last but not least, it still doesn't make much sense to me that a Model Issue has a (very useful) priority level as part of its state, while a Project Issue doesn't: following you example.. HOW CRITICAL is to meet the sponsor in order to have more testing time? Should I get it done ASAP, or can I work on other Issues I may already have in my issue list, before working on it?

bye,
matteo

[jaimeglz]

Hi again matteo,

With your instructions, I did reproduce the error you mention. Not only that, but found a couple of issues with "issues" as well:

1. If I display the project issues (created through Project -> Issues) by  Alt + 2, these are displated under a "Model issues" tab. I completely agree with you, this is misleading: these should not be named "model issues", since the Project -> Issues dialog clearly says on that these are "Project issues".

2. In the Project -> Issues dialog, there is no way of changing the priority of issues, which are always created with a "2: Medium" priority.

I have to admit that, although I have been using EA heavily during the last ten months or so, I had never displayed the project issues by Alt + 2.

I had always created model issues by dragging the "Issue" icon into a diagram. (By the way, I keep all model issues on an appropriately named package.) I do have to remark that these issues (which I consider as proper "Model issues") never appear together with project issues: they don't come out in the Project -> Issues  dialog, nor in the RTF document created in this dialog, nor in the Alt + 2 display.

So, although these are minor "issues on Issues" (albeit confusing ones, as you correctly point out), we should all thank you for raising them.

If you follow this forum for a minimum a ammount of time, you will see that Sparx is very responsive.

Jaime

[magomerlano]

Thank you, Jaime
i totally agree with you that these are really low-priority fixes. However, it  seems to me that the whole "Issues" management could get some real improvement from a general "clean-up" and revision.  
So, I'm not holding my breath, but i do hope to find something new about that in future builds.  

bye,
matteo

[Steve_Straley]

Matteo,

I understand where you are coming from which is why, we hope, to go into full beta cycle in March with EA-TraceControl.  This is integrated with EA and EA-VersionControl and will track "ticket" items for Enhancements, Defects, and Issues.   As soon as we're ready for beta testers, I'll let you know.

Cheers,

Steve