Link by Attribute

SystemAdmin - Thu Apr 02 09:15:55 EDT 2009
The reason I remember this so well is because the response to the 'Drag n Drop' was so negative, with the safest method being that of 'Link by Attribute'. This from the Raytheon crowd and others who are longtime veterans of DOORS use. I agree with your point about the Link module being set up for exclusive use by the modules involved.
However, I still need to know: Does 'Delete All' only delete the links between the modules you've linked from THIS module? It doesn't make sense that it would delete all links in the database, but ALL is a very poor word for DOORS to use......The context could be This module or THIS project or THIS database.

SystemAdmin - Fri Apr 03 11:57:59 EDT 2009
Unfortunately, the message that pops up in DOORS 8.1 states: "This will delete all links to which you have access." I have access to many modules in many projects. So either the warning message is inaccurate, or I would indeed delete all links to which I have access. I assume they are referring to 'write access". In doesn't say, "Delete all links, only in these modules." And I don't have a test database separate from this one to chance that unhappy occurrence.

So , for DOORS 8.1, does that message refer to JUST the two modules I'm linking here, ALL the modules I'm linking from this module or "all the modules you have access to", as the message states?
Cheers,
Alice

dpechacek - Mon Apr 06 08:24:35 EDT 2009
It deletes all links going into or going out of the module you run it from. It does not delete all links in the database. Or all links in the modules that the current module is linked to.

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kbmurphy - Mon Apr 06 11:54:38 EDT 2009
Alice--submit a bug report to IBM, because you're right, that message is confusing.

In their defense, though, you run it from the current module, and not from the DOORS Explorer. Still, that doesn't mean that the message is clear.

llandale - Thu Apr 02 13:19:38 EDT 2009
Our Raytheon partners have the philosophy that engineers specify their desired links in some attribute, and Raytheon runs a custom script nightly that creates links based on those attributes, deleting links that don't match. This custom script is a glorified link-by-attribute.

Solid practical reasons to do this involve the need to archive and restore modules; links are lost when doing so. If you have attributes representing the links the info is not lost. Also, module corruption or accidentally purging an link module are no longer disasters to the program.

There are some practical engineering reasons to do this.

The problem is the need for a solid philosophy on what sorts of objects can link to other sorts of objects, and the need for a massive custom link-by-attribute script to implement it. For example, a text attribute 'Links_TechSpecs' means the ObjIDs therein are to link to any valid requirement in any valid Tech Spec. Well, 'valid requirement' and 'valid tech spec' are both highly program specific concepts, that may change from program to program, requireing a big script that can handle those difference.

I wish I had the time to write such a script, and implement the philosophy here.

>Louie

SystemAdmin - Thu Apr 30 10:38:52 EDT 2009
Having been a graduate of Raytheon Polytechnic Institute (Bedford, Sudbury, Waltham, Marlborough, Tewkesbury sites), I remember with fondness the excellent SD process we had there.
So, here's my question for you DOORS gurus: How do I get IBM/Telelogic/DOORS to make their 'Help' message clearer when they warn: "Delete all links will delete all links to which you have access." They don't really mean that, because I have access to links all over the database in many projects and folders. It means ONLY links from this module to any other module, as I have tested and found to be true in my test database.

Are there any gotchas toward this approach as we now only 'Link by Attribute'? The reason I ask this is because I discovered some old links showing up in our PRIME project because we were using one link module for several formal modules (a mistake). I have deleted those links from those test modules that showed up in our PRIME project, AND deleted the Link Attribute as well, trying to rid myself of the LINKS still showing up under Links. I cannot delete them, can't get rid of them, even thought the original links are gone. What do do?