Manually setting absolute number

Hello,

I want to set the absolute number of an object manually as it's created. Could someone tell me how to do this? Thanks in advance.

Regards
Nicholas Lan
niclan - Wed Sep 26 10:43:45 EDT 2012

Re: Manually setting absolute number
kbmurphy - Wed Sep 26 11:57:41 EDT 2012

Not possible.

Re: Manually setting absolute number
OurGuest - Wed Sep 26 12:41:29 EDT 2012

If you absolutely must do this. There is a way however cumbersome.
  

The way:  
  -created a bunch of object 
  -delete the objects
  -as you need to add an object then
    o. select the deleted object then undelete the object
    o. move the object to correct location and modify to meet your needs


What ever you do have fun doing it or you won't do it for long.

Re: Manually setting absolute number
Mathias Mamsch - Wed Sep 26 16:33:50 EDT 2012

Well I can think of a couple of reasons why you could want to do this:

  • Make a 1:1 Module copy with keeping identifiers in tact->Go with the sugggestion of OurGuest
  • You want to roll back to a previous baseline -> accept that you cant for purged objects. Go with the suggestion of OurGuest.
  • You want to to have the automatic DOORS requirement identifiers to a) be fancy or b) match with some other identifiers or c) manipulate them in some other way -> Depending on Absolute Number for requirement identifiers is simply not always a good thing. In this case you want to introduce a manual identifier that replaces or overrides the default DOORS identifier and use an attribute DXL instead of the DOORS identifier as a requirement identifier, that takes into account this new identifier.

Maybe that helps, regards, Mathias
Mathias Mamsch, IT-QBase GmbH, Consultant for Requirement Engineering and D00RS

Re: Manually setting absolute number
niclan - Thu Sep 27 11:14:11 EDT 2012

Mathias Mamsch - Wed Sep 26 16:33:50 EDT 2012
Well I can think of a couple of reasons why you could want to do this:

  • Make a 1:1 Module copy with keeping identifiers in tact->Go with the sugggestion of OurGuest
  • You want to roll back to a previous baseline -> accept that you cant for purged objects. Go with the suggestion of OurGuest.
  • You want to to have the automatic DOORS requirement identifiers to a) be fancy or b) match with some other identifiers or c) manipulate them in some other way -> Depending on Absolute Number for requirement identifiers is simply not always a good thing. In this case you want to introduce a manual identifier that replaces or overrides the default DOORS identifier and use an attribute DXL instead of the DOORS identifier as a requirement identifier, that takes into account this new identifier.

Maybe that helps, regards, Mathias
Mathias Mamsch, IT-QBase GmbH, Consultant for Requirement Engineering and D00RS

Thanks for all your replies. However, I'm reasonably sure there's an easier way to do this since I already have a database where the person who made it said the object identifiers (and hence absolute numbers) had been defined manually, which makes sense since the numbers include high numbers and are widely spaced. Unfortunately I didn't clarify at the time how to do this.

Re: Manually setting absolute number
SystemAdmin - Thu Sep 27 11:34:58 EDT 2012

niclan - Thu Sep 27 11:14:11 EDT 2012
Thanks for all your replies. However, I'm reasonably sure there's an easier way to do this since I already have a database where the person who made it said the object identifiers (and hence absolute numbers) had been defined manually, which makes sense since the numbers include high numbers and are widely spaced. Unfortunately I didn't clarify at the time how to do this.

> object identifiers (and hence absolute numbers)

These "identifiers" are not those provided by DOORS and are not related to the automatically given absolute number.
Of course it's possible to define an attribute called "ID" that your developers fill manually and that you treat as the identifying attribute in your reports.
Often in these scenarios such an attribute is called "Requirement ID" and you will find objects that do not have an identifier at all, e.g. supplementery information and chapter headings, only the objects representing an actual requirement will be given a manual ID.

Re: Manually setting absolute number
llandale - Thu Sep 27 13:10:52 EDT 2012

niclan - Thu Sep 27 11:14:11 EDT 2012
Thanks for all your replies. However, I'm reasonably sure there's an easier way to do this since I already have a database where the person who made it said the object identifiers (and hence absolute numbers) had been defined manually, which makes sense since the numbers include high numbers and are widely spaced. Unfortunately I didn't clarify at the time how to do this.

The other posters are correct; when you create a new object you ALWAYS get the next un-used AbsNo available for that module. To assign a specific one you'll need some kind of "pool" of unused objects at the ready.

A birdie is telling me that this attribute you THINK is the "Object Identifier" is really a string "Requirements ID" which can be set manually.

Anyway, I once saw a script that created a new module featuring the exact AbsNos of another module in the exact order. Thus, Requirement "Req_22" would have a sibling object "Comment_22" in the other module. I did not approve of what they were trying to accomplish and was slammed down rudely when I pointed out they'd have to regenerate their sibling module fairly often.

This highlights one of the difficulties of equating "Object ID" with "Requirements ID"; which only works when "Requirements" originate in a single DOORS database and have no external references outside of DOORS; and nobody will oops purge a requirement object.

-Louie

Re: Manually setting absolute number
niclan - Fri Sep 28 03:51:31 EDT 2012

llandale - Thu Sep 27 13:10:52 EDT 2012
The other posters are correct; when you create a new object you ALWAYS get the next un-used AbsNo available for that module. To assign a specific one you'll need some kind of "pool" of unused objects at the ready.

A birdie is telling me that this attribute you THINK is the "Object Identifier" is really a string "Requirements ID" which can be set manually.

Anyway, I once saw a script that created a new module featuring the exact AbsNos of another module in the exact order. Thus, Requirement "Req_22" would have a sibling object "Comment_22" in the other module. I did not approve of what they were trying to accomplish and was slammed down rudely when I pointed out they'd have to regenerate their sibling module fairly often.

This highlights one of the difficulties of equating "Object ID" with "Requirements ID"; which only works when "Requirements" originate in a single DOORS database and have no external references outside of DOORS; and nobody will oops purge a requirement object.

-Louie

Hi,

thanks again for your replies. I had the suspicion myself that these are not the automatically generated numbers but the object identifier numbers always match the absolute numbers, which as I say are widely spaced and so unlikely to have been generated by creating and deleting objects. In addition I see no additional Object Identifier or absolute number attributes.

Re: Manually setting absolute number
niclan - Fri Sep 28 09:03:02 EDT 2012

niclan - Fri Sep 28 03:51:31 EDT 2012
Hi,

thanks again for your replies. I had the suspicion myself that these are not the automatically generated numbers but the object identifier numbers always match the absolute numbers, which as I say are widely spaced and so unlikely to have been generated by creating and deleting objects. In addition I see no additional Object Identifier or absolute number attributes.

OK then indeed it seems there was some confusion over whether these numbers in the existing database were automatically generated or not. Thanks very much for your help