How to create an attrDXL column with dxl script

SystemAdmin - Tue Jul 05 12:19:22 EDT 2011
What you are creating is a Column with Layout DXL. I tried it and is working ok. If you are talking about Attribute DXL, then is a different story. You need to create the DXL Attribute first and then display it into a column.

I am probably misunderstanding you.

FYI. There is a support tool that convert Layout DXL Scripts into DXL Attributes. Go to Tools > Support Tools > Convert Layout DXL to Attribute DXL.

vasgyuszi - Tue Jul 05 13:03:29 EDT 2011
Thanks for your answer.

What have You tried out? The code sequence I've copied? For me doesn't worked...

Okay, I was misleading in my wording. There is a difference between "layout DXL" and "DXL attribute".
In my case doesn't matter how I do solve the problem.

I converted the layout DXL to a DXL attribute (as you proposed) but I can't run it from a script. I have to embed it into a DXL script, that's my problem to be solved.

Best regards,
vasgyuszi

vasgyuszi - Tue Jul 05 13:03:29 EDT 2011
Thanks for your answer.

What have You tried out? The code sequence I've copied? For me doesn't worked...

Okay, I was misleading in my wording. There is a difference between "layout DXL" and "DXL attribute".
In my case doesn't matter how I do solve the problem.

I converted the layout DXL to a DXL attribute (as you proposed) but I can't run it from a script. I have to embed it into a DXL script, that's my problem to be solved.

Best regards,
vasgyuszi

llandale - Tue Jul 05 17:32:07 EDT 2011

The other comments seem to be appropriate; you are creating a layout column.
I'd be tempted to simply:
... code = readFile(filename)

Don't work much with views, but I'm pretty sure you need to have a ViewDef with a name, in order to save it. Since your code has no name of view, it appears to be trying to save the "Standard view" which won't work.

You want Attr DXL? Your filename will need to contain appropriate code, specifically "obj.attrDXLName" instead of "display" (for layouts). It may look like this:

Module mod = edit(the module)
current = mod
AttrDef ad = create(object type string dxl tempStringOf(code) attribute "MyAttrDxlName")
if (null ad) then definition didn't take

Then insert that attribute into your view.

• Louie

llandale - Tue Jul 05 17:32:07 EDT 2011

The other comments seem to be appropriate; you are creating a layout column.
I'd be tempted to simply:
... code = readFile(filename)

Don't work much with views, but I'm pretty sure you need to have a ViewDef with a name, in order to save it. Since your code has no name of view, it appears to be trying to save the "Standard view" which won't work.

You want Attr DXL? Your filename will need to contain appropriate code, specifically "obj.attrDXLName" instead of "display" (for layouts). It may look like this:

Module mod = edit(the module)
current = mod
AttrDef ad = create(object type string dxl tempStringOf(code) attribute "MyAttrDxlName")
if (null ad) then definition didn't take

Then insert that attribute into your view.

• Louie

vasgyuszi - Wed Jul 06 11:02:34 EDT 2011

Hi Louie, and all the nice Mates here,

I've just made tihs mods on your code to get it work:
 

AttrDef ad = create object type "String" attribute "MyAttrDxlName" dxl tempStringOf(code)
if (null ad) then errorBox "Attribute wasn't created!"

No the script runs but won't eat my previously extracted attribute DXL file, which I've generated with DOORS convert utility from the working layout DXL. It looks like:
What do I miss?

THX,
vasgyuszi

Mathias Mamsch - Thu Jul 07 03:37:58 EDT 2011
I already told you: the code that you use to read the file does not work. See my previous post. Regards, Mathias

vasgyuszi - Thu Jul 07 07:28:14 EDT 2011

Sorry Mathias, I have forgot to respond on it:

well, I've changed the routine as follows:

const string filename = "C:\\temp\\trac_attrDXL.dxl"
Buffer code = create
Stream input = read filename
string tStr = ""
while (!end of input) {input >> tStr; code += tStr "\n"}
close input

The only problem remains that the code won't be executed. When I open the attribute properties and hit on current, I get back the dxl code. But no results will be displayed within the column... ?

Previously I've attached the file I'm reading in. (trac_attrDXL.dxl)

Thank you again,
vasgyuszi

llandale - Thu Jul 07 10:30:54 EDT 2011
That is a layout because it contains "displayRich" and contains no "obj.attrDXLName =". The various 'display' functions only do something in a layout.

Insert that code into a layout column, then use the utility to convert it to an attr DXL. Edit that attr and get it to do what you want, then copy the DXL into your file. You will notice the difference is that the various "display" functions are re-coded at the top to accumulate the results in a buffer, allowing it to be assigned the value at the bottom.

• Louie

vasgyuszi - Thu Jul 07 07:28:14 EDT 2011

Sorry Mathias, I have forgot to respond on it:

well, I've changed the routine as follows:

const string filename = "C:\\temp\\trac_attrDXL.dxl"
Buffer code = create
Stream input = read filename
string tStr = ""
while (!end of input) {input >> tStr; code += tStr "\n"}
close input

The only problem remains that the code won't be executed. When I open the attribute properties and hit on current, I get back the dxl code. But no results will be displayed within the column... ?

Previously I've attached the file I'm reading in. (trac_attrDXL.dxl)

Thank you again,
vasgyuszi

llandale - Thu Jul 07 10:48:23 EDT 2011
That attr-DXL will display the "Req.ID" attr value of objects that source links to the current object, so long as the source object is in this one specific module with ID "3daadaf404585fe2-000127a1".

If you are linking from some other module, or that module has no such attribute named "Req.ID", or all the values are blank, then this attr-DXL won't display anything.

Open a DXL windows and run this:

Item itm = itemFromID("3daadaf404585fe2-000127a1")
if (null itm) //
then print "no such module\n"
else print "Source name: " name(itm) "\t" fullName(itm) "\n"

• Louie

vasgyuszi - Thu Jul 07 13:36:32 EDT 2011

Dear Louie,

what does it mean that number?
 

string limitModules[1] = {"3daadaf404585fe2-000127a1"}

I wanna use my dxl script for many different modules. If this number an ID for that one module where I got the attrDXL script, that I can't use it for other modules, isn't it?

THX,
vasgyuszi

vasgyuszi - Thu Jul 07 13:36:32 EDT 2011

Dear Louie,

what does it mean that number?
 

string limitModules[1] = {"3daadaf404585fe2-000127a1"}

I wanna use my dxl script for many different modules. If this number an ID for that one module where I got the attrDXL script, that I can't use it for other modules, isn't it?

THX,
vasgyuszi

llandale - Thu Jul 07 13:49:47 EDT 2011
That's the unique ID of the module you defined as being the only one you care about when you used the Wizard to create that layout originally. I can see why that notion was implemented this way (you can rename and move the module and the layout still works) but I don't like it; the layout is destroyed when you archive-restore and you cannot use it for other purposes. Restoring and re-use are FAR more common than moving and renaming.

Create another layout with the wizard allowing for all source modules. If you only want SOME other modules then it gets trickier, but we can modify the layout to ignore modules that lack the "Req.ID" attribute, which I suspect is what you may want. Also perhaps ignore null "Req.ID" values which I think is better. Get the layout working, then convert to attrDXL would be fastest.

• Louie

vasgyuszi - Fri Jul 08 10:07:12 EDT 2011
Hi,

wow, now does work. I've made exactly as you proposed and now I see the results in the attribute DXL column.

There is only a little problem remaining: it will be always only three links evaluated and displayed within the attribute. If the object has =< 3 inlinks, than works fine, but at objects with more than 3 inlinks it displays only the first three hits and not anymore.

As I'm surfing between the objects I got some interesting error message:

-R-W- DXL: <Line:14> value assigned to string attribute 'MyAttrDxlName' truncated
Backtrace:
<Line:125>

The accordant script lines were (taken from the converted version):

14: obj.attrDXLName = richText tempStringOf(bsz)
125: endAttributeDXL()

Any idea why this happens?

Best regards,
vasgyuszi

llandale - Fri Jul 08 11:09:15 EDT 2011
Type 'String' attributes have a maximum length of 968 characters, but I hear tell it varies a little on different servers. Looks like you need to change the type of your DXL attribute to 'Text'. But since you cannot change the type of an attribute you will need to make a new one:
o Rename the existing 'string' attribute.
o edit and copy its DXL
o Create new attr with the old name type 'Text'
o Paste the copied DXL.
o OK attr
o Delete the old attrDXL
o save module.

• Louie