Numbering in reports

[cfc01]

I have a composite report (master report) made up of many model documents. Whne the report is generated the numbering does not flow from one model document report to the next consecutively. I have used list overrides. Any ideas?

[skiwi]

I'm sorry all I can say is that this problem is an ongoing theme.
EA RTF document does not handle multi level numbering well.

Ensure that you are using only one style sheet for all documents, and that all styles in all documents are exactly the same.

After that, good luck. And report any repeatable issues as bug reports.

[Sunshine]

I found the best way to handle this problem is as follows.
1. In MS Word/Open Office create an RTF file with all the styles etc with numbering. Sometimes organisations have templates with this all set up. Save it as normal.rtf. Most folk find it easier to use their preferred word processor than the RTF editor in Sparx EA.
2a. Copy the normal.rtf and overwrite the normal.rtf located somewhere under the "program files/sparx systems/Enterprise Architect/..." folder - Sorry I can't remember the exact path and I'm writing this from a Mac system. This is the preferred method as it is there for all models.
2b Import the Normal.rtf into sparx ea model.
3. When creating rtf templates use the normal.rtf so numbering is consistent for headers, lists etc.

If you search the forum you should find similar posts. Tried to find it but the search timed out on me. Hope that helps a bit.
 

[cfc01]

Thank you. I will try this.

The master report I have crafted have over 60 model documents, each with different formatting which is complicating the effort. Well, whatever the client wants.

[skiwi]

I'm not convinced Sparx support creation of, or editing, normal.rtf with Word, although I take this approach myself.
The problem I have had is that EA is quite buggy in the way it imports normal.rtf.
The specific problem I have is that when the heading (multi-level lists) are loaded in they end up with the following issue:

The issue is that you have not chosen two separate lists for level 1 and
2 headings.
This is present through out the user defined templates.

One example on...

GENERIC-Text
Select Element.Name and form its context menu go to Paragraph->List Numbering

Notice the list chosen is "List Override #001"

If you select PKG.Name and from its context menu go to Paragraph->List Numbering

Notice the list chosen is "List: list670593188 Override #002"

Both of heading lvl 1 & 2 should belong to a common list if you need the numbering based on those levels.

These multi-level lists work fine in word, and EA generates document where the list numbering is broken.
Word really sucks when it comes to multi-level numbering, and I can see no way of fixing this issue in the work document, and neither is there a way I can see to fix it in EA.

EA Reference

[Dermot]

In reply to the original question:
With numbering across Virtual documents these need to be pre-defined in the original Normal.rtf used by each template. By defualt it does include MasterList - preset for this.
For more detail see the help topic:
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/9.3/reporting/section_numbering_in_virtual_d.html
If you have set up your own Normal.rtf then you need to define an equivalent List numbering in this and re-use it across any templates used in Virtual documents.

[Robert Sheridan]

I identified a but relating to this a while back (followed all the steps and the numbering still was not sequential) which Sparx accepted, do not know where it is on the Sparx fix list though.

[Dermot]

Update: with this topic the best link is to:
http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/9.3/reporting/user_defined_list_numbering.html
The point with Master Documents is that the common List Item needs to be in all the model Document Templates pre these being populated e.g. derived from say Normal.rtf that has a List Item defined (e.g. MasteList).
The feature: File | Upload Styles - cannot be used for importing List Items. We will ammend this help topic. However it still stands that List Numbering can be sequentaily used across a number of Model Documents that are contained in a Virtual Document.

[skiwi]

The feature: File | Upload Styles - cannot be used for importing List Items

Will Sparx fix this though?

[skiwi]

And how does that fit with

Within each of the other templates used in the virtual document, using the template editor, select File | Update Styles to update the templates to include the common List Overrides.

from http://www.sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/9.3/reporting/section_numbering_in_virtual_d.html

[RoyC]

From Dermot's post:

The feature: File | Upload Styles - cannot be used for importing List Items. We will amend this help topic.

No, it cannot be fixed. Upload Styles, apparently, cannot modify list overrides, as confirmed by the third-party developers of the RTF Reporting product. That is why we are deleting the incorrect Help and replacing it with a more direct procedure that does work, to be published with a future release. Dermot has already outlined the procedure that works, above.