Custom Menus on the server

llandale - Mon May 02 15:54:54 EDT 2011
It looks like the Nazis have not installed the DOORS Client on the server. In any case, you cannot install menus on the server and expect them to be built in all the clients.

Perhaps you can indeed use the client on the Server and are expecting to be able to modify menus just for that client. If so, run Help >About to find out where your DOORS is actually installed.

But you say you have no access, yet you know the server has no such directories. Perhaps its a matter of access rights, the Nazis won't let you even see the install folders.

• Louie

MattatWSMR - Mon May 02 16:10:37 EDT 2011
The DOORS Client is NOT installed on the DOORS server right now. If that fixes the problem, I'll be happy.

I can control the DOORS menus on one client from one client. What I want is to install a global menu that all users/clients will see. Loading menu files on each individual client is cumbersome and a version nightmare. I assumed DOORS routinely handled this from the server.

We have IT people controlling the servers, so I normally have no access. They allowed me to get a glimpse of what they see - this time - to show me there was no \lib folder.

MattatWSMR - Mon May 02 16:10:37 EDT 2011
The DOORS Client is NOT installed on the DOORS server right now. If that fixes the problem, I'll be happy.

I can control the DOORS menus on one client from one client. What I want is to install a global menu that all users/clients will see. Loading menu files on each individual client is cumbersome and a version nightmare. I assumed DOORS routinely handled this from the server.

We have IT people controlling the servers, so I normally have no access. They allowed me to get a glimpse of what they see - this time - to show me there was no \lib folder.

llandale - Mon May 02 16:40:54 EDT 2011
No, you cannot install Menus on the Server and expect the Clients to see them. The DOORS Server software does very little. It gets requests for retrieval and update of values and it does so in the database. It has NOTHING to do with the DOORS GUI.

Yes, installing updated menus on each client ranges from "cumbersome" to "nightmare". I surely have never attempted to go there myself. Besides, evil IT departments won't let you modify the installation of an approved program anyway.

If you want to make custom DXL available to various users go the "addins" approach and leave the existing menus alone.

If you find a good way to do this you will get the gold star.

• Louie

MattatWSMR - Mon May 02 16:48:04 EDT 2011
I'm really, REALLY disapointed with DOORS, but thanks for the information. I'll look at addins.

Yeah, our "evil IT department" does not like change.

MattatWSMR - Mon May 02 16:33:23 EDT 2011
Actually, installing the client on the server is another problem because it would cost me another client license. DOORS is not cheap! In no other client/server software that I'm aware of (e.g. SQL Server), do you install the client software on the server as well.

SystemAdmin - Wed May 04 08:18:40 EDT 2011
....I'm really, REALLY disapointed with DOORS....

Don't be disappointed, it's just a case of knowing how, that's what this forum is for.

I just want to back-up louie's recommendation to use the DOORS "Addins" approach, this at least allows you to deliver dxl functions to multiple clients from a central location. The prime down side to this approach is the need to use a network share and that all DOORS users need to have Read access to this share (don't give them Write access, only you should have write access so that you can add, modify and generally have control over the the dxl being delivered. You'll need the IT guys to help you here - good luck! Perhaps go to them bearing gifts - pizza, cola and tickets to the latest sci-fi film has been known to work :-)

Look for the section named "Rational DOORS window control" in the DXL Reference manual, this is where you will find some basic patchy info about this method - use this forum to help fill in the gaps. IBM have also posted tech notes on this - click here.

SystemAdmin - Wed May 04 08:18:40 EDT 2011
....I'm really, REALLY disapointed with DOORS....

Don't be disappointed, it's just a case of knowing how, that's what this forum is for.

I just want to back-up louie's recommendation to use the DOORS "Addins" approach, this at least allows you to deliver dxl functions to multiple clients from a central location. The prime down side to this approach is the need to use a network share and that all DOORS users need to have Read access to this share (don't give them Write access, only you should have write access so that you can add, modify and generally have control over the the dxl being delivered. You'll need the IT guys to help you here - good luck! Perhaps go to them bearing gifts - pizza, cola and tickets to the latest sci-fi film has been known to work :-)

Look for the section named "Rational DOORS window control" in the DXL Reference manual, this is where you will find some basic patchy info about this method - use this forum to help fill in the gaps. IBM have also posted tech notes on this - click here.

MattatWSMR - Wed May 04 10:19:57 EDT 2011
I've looked at the "Addins" approach and created a simple menu. But I believe this is for Module Menus and/or for adding to the DXL library. And it requires files and subfolders on the client (addins folder).

At the moment, I'm just interested in DOORS Explorer menus because my DXL scripts key off the current location and act on a few related modules in one folder. (We have many parallel folders with this module structure.) I now have an approach that will work for me, essentially what Paul suggests. I see the #include statement can refer to network shares, so I only need ONE file on each client (under baseWindowMenuFiles) that refers to the network share. I can modify the network share files from time to time. I even have it fine-tuned so that different users will see different menus.

Also, hazelw, I did not know that's how the client licenses work, so thanks for that. Thanks everybody (Louie, Paul, and hazelw) for the useful input. Oh, and Paul, the evil IT people here get their bribes higher up (I think). Sci-Fi would make a great bribe for me but I'm just a database manager/developer.