Prevent DXL attributes from refreshing in baselines

llandale - Thu Feb 02 17:24:35 EST 2012
The values of attr-DXL is not saved with the module, so if a baseline doesn't refresh then you see nothing.

You will need to copy all the attr-DXL attributes, perhaps "Baselined_xyz", then change the definition of these new attribute removing the "Attr-DXL" property. Setting the values can be done in various ways, perhaps have some simple DXL script that reads the attr-DXL and sets the "Baselined" copy. Or it seems if you just read all the values for all objects you can then change the properties and the values are retained.

-Louie

GaborMoizes - Fri Feb 03 02:34:50 EST 2012
Hi Louie,

Thank you for your answer. But this solution needs an extra step before every baselining. I can't persuade the users to do it before they create a baseline, especially when they use baseline sets and they baseline several modules in one step.
Is there an other, more user-friendly solution?

Gabor

GaborMoizes - Fri Feb 03 02:34:50 EST 2012
Hi Louie,

Thank you for your answer. But this solution needs an extra step before every baselining. I can't persuade the users to do it before they create a baseline, especially when they use baseline sets and they baseline several modules in one step.
Is there an other, more user-friendly solution?

Gabor

llandale - Fri Feb 03 10:46:55 EST 2012

I'm going to think outloud; hopefully someone will get inspired and fix the holes.

Lets keep a sibling attribute with up-to-date values for all these attr-DXL.

Each such important Attr-DXL has a sibling text (non-attr-dxl) attribute, lets say the sibling attribute's name is always "Baseline_" and the name of the attrDXL. e.g. you have attrDXL "dxlTrace" and sibling "Baseline_dxlTrace".

These attr-DXL look like this:

Module mod = current
string NameAttrBase = "Baseline_" attrDXLName
 
if (baseline(mod))
{              // We are displaying a Baseline
   obj.attrDXLName = probeAttr_(obj, NameAttrBase)  // Display the value when baseline occurred, don't re-calculate
   halt
}
        // At this point we are displaying the current version of the module
string Results = whatever I want to display for this AttrDXL.
 
AttrDef adBaseline = find(mod, NameAttrBase)
if !null adBaseline and canModify(obj.NameAttrBase))
{              // Module edit, or shared and section locked.  Update the Sibling value.
   obj.NameAttrBase = Results
}
obj.attrDXLName = Results

I'm thinking that perhaps you want a project-wide post-module-open trigger that when the module is open for Edit it looks through all the attributes, finds all the attr-DXL, and if that attr-DXL has a baseline sibling it then queries that attr-DXL value for all objects, automatically forcing an update to the baseline value. Since you cannot baseline a module unless its open Edit, I think you have solved your problem.

I see that you will be forced to save a module whenever it's open Edit, and often when open Shared, even if you make no actual changes.

-Louie

I think this falls into that gap "OutOfBox" but not yet "OutOfDOORS".

GaborMoizes - Wed Feb 08 08:11:37 EST 2012

You are a genius. And so I am (nearly), because the same solution started to outline in my head. :)

Maybe this addition helps solving the forced save issue.
 

if(obj.NameAttrBase "" != Results "") obj.NameAttrBase = Results

Thank You!