How to set object levels

llandale - Fri Oct 30 13:00:34 EDT 2009
While you can retrieve the 'level(obj)' its not a setable attribute. The 'level' of an object is determined by its current position in the hierarchy. You modify an object's position in the hierarchy by moving it either 'after' or 'below' some other object (with a clumsy exception to get it as the very first object in the module).

If your objects are like this:
Object Level
#1 1
#2 2
#3 2
#4 3
#5 4
#6 3
#7 2
#8 4
Then the following is how you get there: move(#2 below #1); move(#3 after #2); move(#4 below #3); move(#5 below #4); move(#6 after #4); move(#7 after #3); error(#8 cannot have level 4 since there is no level 3 object below #7 to hang it on).

Thus, an object's desired 'level' cannot be more than one greater than the one immediately preceding it. the first object must be level 1.

If your object's are already in the desired display order and you have an attribute reflecting the object's desired level, then you need a clever DXL to keep track of which object is the more recent at each level, erasing those that have been superceded by a lower level object. In the above example, when you are ready to deal with #6, your latest-vector would look like {null, #1, #2, #4, #5, null, null, null, null, null, ...}, where the first 'null' represents illegal level zero, object #5 is the latest level 4 object, and you have as many trailing null positions as max levels you may need. After dealing with #6, then "#6" replaces "#4" as level 3 and you erase #5 since there is no longer a valid latest level 4.

When its time to move the object to its position, you find the latest object at its level and insert it 'after' that object; if there is no object at its level you insert it 'below' the object one level higher.

Someone write a script to do this.

• Louie

llandale - Fri Oct 30 13:00:34 EDT 2009
While you can retrieve the 'level(obj)' its not a setable attribute. The 'level' of an object is determined by its current position in the hierarchy. You modify an object's position in the hierarchy by moving it either 'after' or 'below' some other object (with a clumsy exception to get it as the very first object in the module).

If your objects are like this:
Object Level
#1 1
#2 2
#3 2
#4 3
#5 4
#6 3
#7 2
#8 4
Then the following is how you get there: move(#2 below #1); move(#3 after #2); move(#4 below #3); move(#5 below #4); move(#6 after #4); move(#7 after #3); error(#8 cannot have level 4 since there is no level 3 object below #7 to hang it on).

Thus, an object's desired 'level' cannot be more than one greater than the one immediately preceding it. the first object must be level 1.

If your object's are already in the desired display order and you have an attribute reflecting the object's desired level, then you need a clever DXL to keep track of which object is the more recent at each level, erasing those that have been superceded by a lower level object. In the above example, when you are ready to deal with #6, your latest-vector would look like {null, #1, #2, #4, #5, null, null, null, null, null, ...}, where the first 'null' represents illegal level zero, object #5 is the latest level 4 object, and you have as many trailing null positions as max levels you may need. After dealing with #6, then "#6" replaces "#4" as level 3 and you erase #5 since there is no longer a valid latest level 4.

When its time to move the object to its position, you find the latest object at its level and insert it 'after' that object; if there is no object at its level you insert it 'below' the object one level higher.

Someone write a script to do this.

• Louie

SystemAdmin - Mon Nov 02 03:25:39 EST 2009
Here is the simpler DXL I was looking for (it's actually a simplified version of one of the example scripts). It assumes that there is an attribute called "Level" which contains the level nr.

#include <example/include/dbs.inc>

#include <example/include/tables.inc>
#include <example/include/levels.inc>
#include <example/include/sort.inc>
#include <example/include/attribs.inc>

// move objects to correct levels
menuStatus(current, "Placing objects at correct levels ....")
refresh current
fixObjectLevels
menuStatus(current)
refresh current

JayashreeRaddi - Thu May 05 05:08:40 EDT 2011
I am not able to use your code. My requirement is exactly same as yours.
What would be the preconditions?.in which column levels are mentioned? Could you please put complete code.
Thanks a lot in advance.

bullbala - Thu May 05 05:34:53 EDT 2011

I am assuming that we have to first create a new DXL attribute called "Level" with the code:
 

obj.attrDXLName = level obj

Am I right ?

bullbala - Thu May 05 05:49:43 EDT 2011

Alternatively, we could also create an attribute called "Level" of type "Integer" and then run the following script:
 

Object o
 
for o in entire current Module do
    o."Level" = level o

However, I still have not checked if this is the prerequisite we are looking for.

JayashreeRaddi - Fri May 06 02:22:32 EDT 2011
Hi,
Thanks a for the reply.
I want write in value is attribute "Object Level" so the hierarchy will be set automatically.
Ex in attribute "Object Level" i want to put
1-> 1st level
2-> 2nd level place child of the above object
3-> this the child of the 2nd object
3-> this is in same level as above 3rd level
2-> moves to the second level

I assume if i somehow write values in the attribute Object Level hierarchy will be set automatically!
correct me if i am wrong.

Mathias Mamsch - Fri May 06 04:43:36 EDT 2011
Nope ... :-) Your are wrong. Object Level is not even an attribute, but an automatically generated value from the hierarchy. So you cannot write in there. To change your object levels you need to use the move (below) perms in DOORS. Regards, Mathias

JayashreeRaddi - Mon May 09 02:16:17 EDT 2011
Hi,
Thanks a lot for correcting me..but it is so painfull to set levels manualy (copy paste one below the other for all lines). Hope there could be other/better way to set heirarchy :-)

bullbala - Mon May 09 03:03:51 EDT 2011
Manually, the best way to correct object levels is to use the following options in the DOORS GUI:

Promote Object (Ctrl+Alt+Left)
Demote Object (Ctrl+Alt+Right)

It is definitely much better than copy + paste !

llandale - Mon May 09 10:42:38 EDT 2011

Golly, how did I miss that.

Will someone please help me create a dialog with Promote and Demote buttons; where is as far as I got:

Sensitivity    clbkSensitivity()
{   return(ddbAvailable)
}
 
DB      dbPromote = create("Promote/Demote")
 
startConfiguringMenus(dbPromote)
// createButtonBar("Promote", clbkSensitivity, true, true)
createMenu(alwaysOn, "Promote/Demote", null char, null)
 
createItem objPromoteItem
createItem objDemoteItem
end menu
// end buttonbar
show(dbPromote)

• Louie

JayashreeRaddi - Wed May 11 10:47:33 EDT 2011
I found some DXL code set hierarchy. But i am not understanding how it is working.

May be it is help full to you. Please find the attached file..its too big :-(

bullbala - Wed May 11 10:59:40 EDT 2011
Did you upload the wrong attachment by mistake ? :-)

JayashreeRaddi - Thu May 12 03:54:17 EDT 2011
Hi,
No, it is correct one. This code helps you to set hierarchy. please check once again.

Mathias Mamsch - Thu May 12 07:23:56 EDT 2011

ok, lets make a function to 'set' the object level ... You need to make sure that filtering is turned off, and that table cells are not shown before. So this should get very close to the 'setting the object level' function that you wanted to have.

Regards, Mathias
 

// ***************** set levels function **************
void setLevel (Object o, int iLevel) {
   current = module o
   if (showTables module o) showTables false
   if (filtering module o) filtering false  
 
   print "Setting level of " (identifier o) " to " iLevel "\n"
   Object oPrev = previous o 
   if (null oPrev) {
    if ( iLevel != 1) 
                error "First object must have level 1!" 
        else 
                return // object 1 has alway level 1 so ignore that one
   }
 
   int iPrevLevel = level oPrev
   if (iLevel > iPrevLevel + 1) {
        error "Cannot set level of object " (identifier o) ". Previous level to low!\n"
   } else if (iLevel == iPrevLevel + 1) {
        // print "Moving " (identifier o) " below " (identifier oPrev) "\n"
      move (o, below oPrev)
   } else if (iLevel == iPrevLevel) {
      move (o, after oPrev) 
   } else {
      // find first object before with level = iLevel
      
        Object oSearch = oPrev; oPrev = null
      while (true) { 
                oSearch = previous oSearch
                if (null oSearch) break
                if (level oSearch == iLevel) { oPrev = oSearch; break }
      }
        if (null oPrev) error "Cannot find object with level " iLevel " before object " (identifier o) "\n"
        // print "Moving " (identifier o) " after " (identifier oPrev) "\n"
        move (o, after oPrev) 
   }
}
// ******************************************************
 
// Test it ... create a module with maxSize objects
int maxSize = 250
string errMsg
Module m = null
 
string sModName = "Object Level Test Module"
if (!null module sModName) { 
    softDelete module sModName
    hardDelete module sModName
}
 
if (!null (errMsg = create(sModName, "", "PREF_", 1, m) ) || null m) error "Cannot create module: " errMsg "\n"
current = m
showExplorer false
 
// create 1000 objects ...
refresh m
Object o
int i; for i in 0:maxSize-1 do {
    o = (i == 0) ? create m : create last m
    o."Object Text" = (i+1) ""
}
 
// now set the levels for the objects randomly
int curLevel = 1
for i in 1:maxSize do {
      // set the level for the object
      setLevel(object i, curLevel) 
 
      int mode = random(2) 
      // 50% change set it to a random level between 1..(curlevel-1)
      if (mode == 0) { 
            if (curLevel > 1) curLevel = 1+random(curLevel-1)
      } else if (mode == 1) {
            // 50% change to increase it by 1
            curLevel ++
      }
}
 
showExplorer true

Mathias Mamsch, IT-QBase GmbH, Consultant for Requirement Engineering and D00RS

ChrisAnnal - Thu May 12 09:53:54 EDT 2011
I'm attaching a DOORS Tech Tip regarding importing spreadsheets and creating an heirarchy of levels in DOORS, using the script that was included with the tech tip. I hope this helps!!

Chris Annal
SW Test Engineer / DOORS Database Administrator
Sensis Corporation, East Syracuse, New York
chrisa@sensis.com

ChrisAnnal - Thu May 12 09:53:54 EDT 2011
I'm attaching a DOORS Tech Tip regarding importing spreadsheets and creating an heirarchy of levels in DOORS, using the script that was included with the tech tip. I hope this helps!!

Chris Annal
SW Test Engineer / DOORS Database Administrator
Sensis Corporation, East Syracuse, New York
chrisa@sensis.com

ChrisAnnal - Thu May 12 10:01:50 EDT 2011
Doesn't look like the attachment made it through...trying again

Chris Annal
SW Test Engineer / DOORS Database Administrator
Sensis Corporation, East Syracuse, New York
chrisa@sensis.com

ChrisAnnal - Thu May 12 10:01:50 EDT 2011
Doesn't look like the attachment made it through...trying again

Chris Annal
SW Test Engineer / DOORS Database Administrator
Sensis Corporation, East Syracuse, New York
chrisa@sensis.com

rmoskwa - Thu May 12 13:00:12 EDT 2011
I believe the attachment has the old Outline Level dxl

-russ

rmoskwa - Thu May 12 13:04:41 EDT 2011
This attachment is a more involved solution.

-russ

SystemAdmin - Sun Sep 18 07:20:53 EDT 2011
Hi Mathias.

I am looking for a DXL which can set the Object Level. It seemed that the DXL you published would help to resolve my problem.

I tried it and got an error.

Attached is my spreadsheet (from one production module).

Would you please advise how to fix the problem.

Thanks.

Lynn
Melbourne

Mathias Mamsch - Sun Sep 18 08:56:10 EDT 2011
I am not sure, what you are trying to do and where exactly the problem was, but If it is just about importing the data from the excel sheet, then I would advise you to do so using the normal Spreadsheet Import and use the "Rebuild Hierarchy" script from the previous post. In any other case: What are you trying to do :-) Regards, Mathias

SystemAdmin - Sun Sep 18 21:55:00 EDT 2011
Hi Mathias.

Thanks for the reply.

I used the spreadsheet to import the requirments in DOORS and then used the attribute "New Object Level' to run the 'Rebuil Hierachy'. Error was detected. Pls see the attached doc.

Would you please advise.

Thanks.