Messages

1

Suggestions and Requests / Sort model search results (virtual documents)

« on: November 04, 2009, 10:58:56 pm »

Hello,

I have the following request for the ability to sort model search results for virtual documents:

When creating a Model Document, a Model Search can be defined via Tagged Values. This works fine, but the order of the resulting list is not predictable (as documented in the EA help). This makes the feature useless for some types of documents, especially if there is no possibility to sort the report later in Word.
Unfortunately, the Element Order options of the RTF generator dialog do not have an effect on the report. But these options are not stored with the specific Model Document anyway. (Build 848)

It would be good to be able to define a sort order (via the TaggedValues of the Model Document) for the search results, similar to the ability to manually sort search results by clicking on a column header or similar to the Order options of the RTF generator dialog.

Feel free to comment. (Request will be posted to Sparx via HTML form, too).

Best regards,
Nils

2

Suggestions and Requests / Tabular read/edit view for maintaining documents

« on: October 20, 2009, 02:57:07 am »

Hello,

I have the following request (will be posted to Sparx via HTML form, too) for an extended "tabular read & edit view" feature:

A key feature for handling documents (e.g. requirement documents or specifications) is missing in EA: Working with the elements of a package within a fully flexibly configurable table.
(Working style similar to the standard view of the Requirements Management tool DOORS.)

The element list for a package is a first step, but is has several disadvantages:

• Cells cannot be edited in this view. It should be possible to directly edit the contents (necessarily with an undo-functionality to avoid slips of the keys) of every single cell.
• The fields available for being displayed as columns is very limited. It should be possible to display (by manual configuration):

* A defined property of the element (also the ones typically only available via the automation interface)
* A defined "Tagged Value" Value
* A defined "Test" Name/Input/Notes/TestResults...
* Any property of an extended element property (e.g. DateReported of an Issue named "ATP")
* Connector properties (read-only): e.g. Names of all linked Requirements
* ... (somehow flexibly configurable)
* [icing on the cake] Use an EA script (JScript, VBScript...) in order to display (read-only) or insert (externally triggered once, results editable) the results of a used defined script.

• Diagrams and their content is not contained in the list (e.g. for inserting explanatory pictures). An image should be directly visible, editing obviously only in the separate window.
• Main text of the elements is not in the same line as the other attributes, which interrupts the text flow when reading a whole package.
• Operations available to an element (right-click) are not all available in this view. Often, "find in project browser" and another right-click on the found element has to be conducted to e.g. execute Add-In functions.

This feature would greatly improve the usability of EA for Requirement Engineering. At the moment, it is quite hard to tell the user that he has to write a document within EA, but he has no possibility to view the complete contents in a single view (text together with the images in the correct order).

The correct order is dependent on the feature request for the extended sorting possibility (diagrams & packages), see http://www.sparxsystems.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1255963826.

Feel free to comment.

Best regards,
Nils

3

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Free sorting of diagrams and packages in brows

« on: October 27, 2009, 06:55:34 pm »

So how would you handle the case where you have multiple reports for different users with different structures.  It still wouldn't be possible to reflect every report structure at the same time in the browser.

IMO the report is a specific view of the model not the model itself.

For hierarchical text documents, I only know the structure as shown above (text always belongs to the last written heading, not to a superior heading), but with a more general approach (also creating tables etc.), you are probably right.

4

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Free sorting of diagrams and packages in brows

« on: October 27, 2009, 03:19:25 am »

Again, you can do this in the RTF template by specifying the child packages section to reside at the desired location.

Yes, the sorting can be defined in the RTF template, but at the moment, the resulting document order (sub-packages subsequent to the elements/requirements of the parent package) is not represented in the EA GUI.

Example for the EA structure (current situation):

• Package X
• Subpackage 1
• Requirement N
• Subpackage 2
• Requirement A
• Requirement B
• Requirement C

Example for the resulting report (current & intended situation):

Package X (heading)
Requirement A (text)
Requirement B (text)
Requirement C (text)
Subpackage 1 (heading)
Requirement N (text)
Subpackage 2 (heading)

Do you see what I mean? A normal user may get confused by the different structure.

Regards,
Nils

5

Suggestions and Requests / Re: Free sorting of diagrams and packages in brows

« on: October 26, 2009, 09:50:09 pm »

Are you aware that even if this was implemented, the diagrams appear in a different section of the rtf report, so you can't mix diagrams and elements at the same level no matter what you do?

I would instead recommend (although I don't use the reporting feature much) embedding diagrams under different elements.  This would allow you to have the diagrams in the appropriate place in the report.

Oh, I see. Ok, placing of diagrams always below another item (e.g. a requirement) as a nested item would be an acceptable procedure.

Nevertheless, displaying sub-packages at the end of a package as in the export would still be desirable, as well as the project-related free sorting option.

Regards,
Nils

6

Suggestions and Requests / Free sorting of diagrams and packages in browser

« on: October 20, 2009, 01:50:26 am »

Hello,

I have the following request (will be posted to Sparx via HTML form, too) for an "extended free sorting" feature:

• For maintaining complete documents (e.g. requirement documents or specifications) within EA, it is necessary to freely position a diagram (or any other object) within a package. This means, it should be possible to position a diagram in between two requirements on the same package level.
• Going along with this, sub-packages should be (able to be) displayed at the bottom of a package, just as the document structure is in reality (compare document structure in a word processing tool).
• Furthermore, it would be nice to set the "extended free sorting" option for a project, not (only) for the local EA installation. Otherwise, document structures would not be seen with the wrong setting. Modifications would then lead to a corrupted document structure.

Current (Nov. 2009, build 848) situation and it's restrictions:
With the correct setting of the project browser options ("allow free sorting"), it is possible to freely sort all objects - except diagrams and sub-packages. These are always positioned at the top of the package (first diagrams, then sub-packages), which is not acceptable when writing reports. In typical reports, it should be possible to insert images (positioned in the diagrams) at every point of the structure. Sub-packages are exported at the correct position in the created document, but this is not apparent for the user when looking at the structure in the project browser.

When the project is opened without the "free sorting" option, the sorting is not displayed, but still saved in the project.

Feel free to comment.

Best regards,
Nils

7

Bugs and Issues / Tagged Values and Security

« on: April 26, 2010, 11:46:45 pm »

Hello,

I activated Security for a project and created a user with only "Generate Documents" permissions (no lock required for changes).

If the user now accesses a requirement element, he is not able to change any attributes like name, notes etc., because the "Apply" button is not available.

In contrast, the user is able to fully change the tagged values in the Tagged Values view!

I know that as a workaround I can activate "lock required for changes", but this changed the complete editing behaviour in EA. I expected from the security features that the user cannot change any data without permissions and the Tagged Value "hole" seems to be a bug.

Do you agree on the opinion that this is a security bug? I will then forward a bug report to EA.

Cheers,
Nils

[Tested with EA 8 and EA 7.5]

8

Automation Interface, Add-Ins and Tools / Re: RTF Generator - missing diagrams

« on: April 08, 2010, 10:48:29 pm »

Hi Rob,

I experience the same problem with EA build 848. My diagrams are childs of requirement elements.

Regards,
Nils