Rename an existing attribute

llandale - Tue May 05 09:20:00 EDT 2009
Looks like this:
AttrDef adOld = find(mod, "MyOldName")
AttrDef adNew = modify(adOld, setName, "MyNewName")

SystemAdmin - Wed May 06 09:03:45 EDT 2009
Hmmm, gave me an exception error in v8.3 louie (which I helpfully added to your compendium of errors in the other thread). However will play with this tomorrow again, could be I just got something else wrong.

I did find another workaround in the meantime, Just create a 'shadow' attribute of the same underlying type but with the new name, copy accross all the values, delete the original. Simplissimo.

If you are wondering why I want to do this, it's because the Word import macro that comes with DOORS (the one that adds an import icon to the word doc) can helpfully import the Word paragraph styles into DOORS, however it puts them into a string attribute called 'Paragraph Style' - however all my modules already have a 'Parargaph Style' enumerated attribute.

This is Ok most of the time, but for instance if my word doc has been to france and back (which many of mine do), then 'body text' is now 'corps something-or-other', most annoying.

So I have to rename 'my' attribute before import, let the importer do its thing with the string based 'Paragraph Style' attrib, then monkey around with a post processing script to normalise everything afterwards.

Fun fun fun.

I'll say one thing for DOORS admin work, it never gets boring.

llandale - Wed May 06 11:57:48 EDT 2009
Its working for me in v8.3. Getting null attrdef if the attr doesn't exist; getting 'no access' errors if the module is open read.

Its 'Simplyannoyingo': you have to reinsert the attribute in all the views.

I think you should change your 'Paragraph Style' attribute name in your modules and let the importer do its thing. That's sort of a 'system' attr, like 'RTF Header'.

>Louie

SystemAdmin - Fri May 08 04:47:22 EDT 2009
Works just fine today, obviously I had ham fists when I typed it in the other day.

Thanks Louie, and yep, I do need to go rename that attribute in my 5,000 or so modules,and then update all teh sctipts that use it, arrrrgh!

llandale - Fri May 08 09:17:25 EDT 2009
The script to update your modules is pretty easy, and can probably finish overnight so long as you periodically close all residual open modules in the database.

Turns out searching *.dxl files using Windows Explorer stopped working for me last month. Security here says it wasn't them. Cannot find it on the Windows update site. Anyway, I played with the Registry and figured out how to make it search those files.

>Louie

Ben_Sharples - Mon May 11 01:04:19 EDT 2009
where you have a common set of attributes across many modules in the databse, it may be useful to house the attributes names within a separate dxl include file that you can reference in all you dxl programmes - saves on modifying all of them everytime an attribute name changes.

I usually define my attribute names as strings to use in the programme parts of the dxl - that way its easier to update.

llandale - Mon May 11 12:07:18 EDT 2009
Or have a template module that has your attributes in it.

Martin_Hunter - Thu Apr 17 02:45:00 EDT 2014

I want to rename an attribute, however I also want to update all views which contain the old attribute. 

I think I have to first rename 'old' attribute to 'new' attribute, then temporarily recreate 'old' attribute to enable me to update any affected views, after which I can delete the temporary 'old' attribute.

Or is there a simpler way?

Martin_Hunter - Thu Apr 17 02:45:00 EDT 2014

I want to rename an attribute, however I also want to update all views which contain the old attribute. 

I think I have to first rename 'old' attribute to 'new' attribute, then temporarily recreate 'old' attribute to enable me to update any affected views, after which I can delete the temporary 'old' attribute.

Or is there a simpler way?

llandale - Wed May 06 11:57:48 EDT 2009
Its working for me in v8.3. Getting null attrdef if the attr doesn't exist; getting 'no access' errors if the module is open read.

Its 'Simplyannoyingo': you have to reinsert the attribute in all the views.

I think you should change your 'Paragraph Style' attribute name in your modules and let the importer do its thing. That's sort of a 'system' attr, like 'RTF Header'.

>Louie

ChrisHardy68 - Thu Mar 12 17:33:53 EDT 2015

Hi,

i had a similar issue where i had to rename a number of attributes that were all used in multiple views. Luckily the change impacted only a few modules.

I worked around the issue by:

Creating a dummy attribute

For the attribute to be renamed find the views and the related columns where it is used

For those columns replace the attribute with the dummy attribute

Save the view

Rename the attribute

For those columns replace the dummy attribute with the renamed attribute

Save the view

Not very elegant but it worked for me. I have attached the file for reference