New RTF Generator - templates and heading levels

[mrelbe]

Heading levels do not work (as indicated by lots of other posters), i.e. nested packages do not generate nested headings in a generated RTF document.

This is a very serious drawback.

It does work when the pre-defined [basic] template is used, but it does not work when a new empty template is created from scratch, or when a working template (such as the [basic]) is exported and manipulated in MS Word and imported back.

Request:
Please correct this, and make it possible to
a) build a working template from scratch, and
b) allow export-import via use of MS Word
and generate nested packages as nested headings in the new RTF generator.

(I am using EA 6.1.792)
Thanks for reading,
Mikael Relbe
Combitech AB
Sweden

[mrelbe]

I reported this as a bug to Sparx.

[mrelbe]

I got a very fast and informative response from Sparx regarding the subject, which I'd like to share with you, since I think more than myself are interested in this.

From Sparx Support:

Thanks for passing this on, however the cause of this is due to the style in a new template not being defined.  It can be useful if you are wanting to use another Normal.rtf definition but it may not support the heading styles.

The best process for creating a new template is to copy an existing template and remove the text and Header Footer and use this as the base
template.   That way you can ensure the styles are correctly defined.

In terms of exporting out to Word and modifying a template - we don't recommend this - it is best you keep the template as the base and import text etc. from the Word onto this base template.

Regarding Nested Headings we have not provided direct support for this on the grounds that given the depth of nesting that can occur in a normal repository, the nesting on the page would easily be exceeded at an early stage - so we have kept the nesting to user defined but fixed nesting.

For more information on setting up the Normal.RTF see the whitepaper on RTF document "Document Generation" in: http://www.sparxsystems.com.au/resources/whitepapers/index.html

I hope this is of help.

Regards,
Mikael

[nick.hynes]

We can confirm that this is an issue, and is not resolved by the fix mentioned above.

The issue is that {child-elements} do not increase the heading level. So if you have several packags nested within eachother, your generated documentation shows all packages at a single heading level.

Example: create a project just two packages, one nested inside the other. Generate an RTF document using the basic template. Both packages are documented at the same heading level.

We are trying to move our entire IT department to using EA for all of our modelling and the majority of all our documentation. This requirement is a big hurdle for everyone trying to create accessible documentation.

Please make this a priority change.

Kind regards,
Nick Hynes
IAG (NZ)

[shaft]

I agree.  The fact that I can generate heading level appropriately using the default generator, but not using the templates is tremendously annoying and means I have extra work every time someone wants a report (i.e. daily).

[Jan ´Bary´ Glas]

Here are some reasons, why do I need this feature.

We mostly do, in our company, RTF reports in both czech language and our brand MS Word template.

In MS Word template we have our styles defined with czech names - that means we cannot use the predefined ones in EA RTF templates. We cannot use the templates and change them; the numbering is connected to styles, we cannot use.

The only work around I've found is to generate child packages separately. Toooo long and stresful for everyday use.

So,
1) if someone knows better way - tell me

AND

2) Sparxians please try thinking of us - nonenglish users.

Greetings from Czech Republic,

[nick.hynes]

I can't even get the heading levels to work correctly with the default template. It works for level 1 and level 2 headings, based on known relationships between packages and key elements, but I've never seen the default ('basic template') handle nested packages by increasing the heading level.

Does this work for others?

[Alessandro_C]

I've joined a similar request some time ago. I can only share with you that I've bypassed this "bug" through a bulky set of Word macros (don't ask me for them: I'm sure you'll be able to do them by yourself better than me!!!) that manipulate a tag that I've put in the template.

I've put in the template, as part of an element title, something like <parent: element.ParentPackage> and the macro use it to recurse backward to find the heading level of the parent package and set the current title heading level accordingly. Not smart but effective.

Honestly, I would like a lot to have something similar written natively in EA.

Ale