java access doors

MichaelGeorg - Wed Aug 31 05:20:28 EDT 2011
Also I've never checked it practice I think there is a commercial tool with which you can fully access DOORS data via Java.
See: http://www.model-engineers.com/en/our-products/tudoor.html

SystemAdmin - Wed Aug 31 06:57:44 EDT 2011
You could also fire DOORS from java in batch mode then capture DOORS's output via the standard out and standard error streams in DOORS "cout" and "cerr" respectively

kbmurphy - Wed Aug 31 09:10:47 EDT 2011
MDWorkbench lets you access DOORS via Java. I went through it and was very impressed.

http://sodius.com/mdw.php

I am not a Java Developer, but it was obvious that if I were, the DOORS model is exposed very nicely through here, and I may choose to only access DOORS via Java. Try the demo!

llandale - Wed Aug 31 10:16:17 EDT 2011
Is this to the DOORS client or to the DOORS service directly?

Mathias Mamsch - Wed Aug 31 11:47:28 EDT 2011
DOORS Service directly = nogo ... MD Workbench also works by creating dynamic DXL code, marshalling information over the COM interface in a very efficient, optimized way. Their DOORS connector (for reading data) is for free by the way, as far as I know (but I could be wrong). Regards, Mathias

llandale - Wed Aug 31 16:21:57 EDT 2011
Did you say they use the DOORS Client to communicate efficiently with the service using COM rather than the normal DXL perms?

Mathias Mamsch - Wed Aug 31 16:34:54 EDT 2011
No, I said they send dynamically generated DXL code through the COM interface to the DOORS client and the DXL efficiently transfers data back to java. And by efficient I mean as efficient as you can get, marshalling all data through the COM interface. Regards, Mathias

SystemAdmin - Fri Sep 02 03:39:45 EDT 2011
Hi,

I am using the "jacob" component to interface java/jython to DOORS with COM.
You have to write a "wrapper" library, to define a set of Java API to access DOORS, and then implement each API function as a DXL script to send to DOORS.

url http://danadler.com/jacob/

For example:

get the top level items in DB

dxl script:

bool db_get_items()
{
Buffer b = create()
Item i
for i in folder "/" do
{
string u = uniqueID i
string t = type i
b += u
b += ";"
b += t
b += "\n"
}
oleSetResult tempStringOf(b)
delete b

return true
}

jython/java wrapper:

from com.jacob.com import *
from com.jacob.activeX import *

class DOORSDB:
#
FOLDER = "Folder"
PROJECT = "Project"
LINK = "Link"
FORMAL = "Formal"
#
def __init__(self,app):
self.app = app
#
def send(self,oper):
try:
s = '#include <e:/tests/lib/doorslib.dxl>\n'
s = s + oper
self.app.app.invoke("RunStr", s)
res = self.app.app.getPropertyAsString("Result")
return res
except Exception,err:
print "** execution error: " + str(err)
return ""
#
def buildItemList(self,list):
items = []
if list == "" or list == None: return items
for i in list.split("\n"):
if i == "": continue
v = i.split(";")
u = v[0]
t = v[1]
if t == DOORSDB.FOLDER: items.append(DOORSFolder(self.app,u))
elif t == DOORSDB.PROJECT: items.append(DOORSProject(self.app,u))
elif t == DOORSDB.LINK: items.append(DOORSLinkModule(self.app,u))
elif t == DOORSDB.FORMAL: items.append(DOORSFormalModule(self.app,u))
else: continue
return items
#
def getItems(self):
s = 'db_get_items()\n'
res = self.send(s)
return self.buildItemList(res)
##

I have used this mecanism to write a mockup of a DOORS interface in java/swing
(attached file)

You need to have java and dxl skills for that, but when the java API is writen you can reuse it ...

luc

Mathias Mamsch - Mon Sep 05 08:55:03 EDT 2011
Uuuh ... A python DOORS interface ;-) My fingers are itching ... Any plans to make your code open source and improve it together? Regards, Mathias

SystemAdmin - Wed Sep 07 03:38:07 EDT 2011
No plan for such a thing ... But no problem to give information to anybody interrested to do it ....
Python is interresting because it's a complete OO language with all useful features for developper. I's interpreted, so you can adopt a development style very efficient similar to DXL, and Jython (the java implementation of Python) because you can reuse any Java code into your script without having to write wrappers.
luc

Mathias Mamsch - Wed Sep 07 04:15:18 EDT 2011
Yeah I know about jython, I am myself a python fanatic and also experimented with jython regarding Eclipse (plattform for DOORS 10?). I have quite some DXL experience and would find it an interesting challenge to design and implement an optimal interface for a) language wrappers in general and b) a proof of concept python/jython wrapper. I looks like you already did quite some work on that subject, so if you are willing to share the code and see if we can improve it together, send me a PM.

Regards, Mathias

SystemAdmin - Wed Feb 15 11:27:50 EST 2012

Hi Mathias/Luke,
Wondered how you two got on with this. I find I have reason to try and get the active instance of doors from a rhapsody java application, this looked like a good candidate to solve my problem.

Just had a stab at using Jacob and its very nice, but I am having trouble figuring out whether there is an active instance of DOORS running or not. The following works fine: -

ActiveXComponent runningDOORS = new ActiveXComponent("DOORS.Application");
runningDoors.invoke("RunStr","print(\"Is it Working\")");

but what looks like the correct command: -

ActiveXComponent.connectTOActiveInstance("DOORS.Application");

crashes java completely

if there is no running instance I want to fire it up using some specific parameters as we have many different data services: -

Process doorsProc Runtime.getRuntime().exec(doors.exe -d port@server);

Any words of wisdom?
Thanks for any help.

Richard

Mathias Mamsch - Mon Sep 05 08:55:03 EDT 2011
Uuuh ... A python DOORS interface ;-) My fingers are itching ... Any plans to make your code open source and improve it together? Regards, Mathias

Pankaj@Moog - Fri Jul 20 01:01:20 EDT 2012
Hi Mathias Mamsch

I need to create GUI for end user. I am very much new to DXL scripts but I know Python.
Can you please tell me how I can link DXL scripts to Python scripts.

Thanks :)

SystemAdmin - Thu Feb 16 04:47:33 EST 2012

The following seems a bit more stable than my first attempt, doesn't always detect when DOORS is open, but does most of the time, not sure why the standard answer to I cn't connect DOORS to Java isn't use JACOB?

import com.jacob.activeX.ActiveXComponent;
        import com.jacob.com.*;
                
                String dxlFile = "" + appDir + "\\dxl\\transferTraceInfoToDOORS.dxl";
        try{
            //Try and get the active instance of doors first
            ComThread.InitMTA();
            //ActiveXComponent runningDoors = new ActiveXComponent("DOORS.Application");
 
            ActiveXComponent runningDoors = ActiveXComponent.connectToActiveInstance("DOORS.Application");
            if( runningDoors ==null) {
                    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"This application needs an active running instance of DOORS to work, please fire DOORS up and try again");
                    System.exit(0);
            }
            else {
                runningDoors.invoke("RunStr", "print(\"Testing\");oleSetResult(\"Finished\")");
                //runningDoors.invoke("RunFile", dxlFile);
                System.out.println(runningDoors.getPropertyAsString("Result"));
            }
        }
        catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
        finally {
            ComThread.Release();
        }

zsombor90 - Tue Nov 12 09:24:26 EST 2013

Hi!

I want to script doors from Eclipse/Java, and I tried out your sample code. It worked fine, but if I wanted to run again I got this message: "This application needs an active running instance of DOORS to work, please fire DOORS up and try again");
and I don't no why. I found this documentation: http://pub.open-conflict.de/gui/java%20WIP/Sensors/lib/api/com/jacob/activeX/ActiveXComponent.html#invoke%28java.lang.String%29
but I want a specific doc for com doors interface, because it's too average. 

Is there any sample code or official documentation?

I would be really appreciate,

thanks,
Zsombor Egyed

Marina_Raf - Fri Nov 14 15:21:38 EST 2014

Hello,

I have a curiosity. It is possible to check with java if DOORS is running when DOORS is accessed via Citrix? And another point , from where I could download the safe jacob.jar, or more exactly what version, because I downloaded one, but 

runningDoors = ActiveXComponent.connectActiveInstance("DOORS.Application") does not work, because connect method is not recognized. I am struggling for almost one year with this issue, would be great if someone found a solution for this problem.

Mathias Mamsch - Sun Nov 16 16:51:04 EST 2014

I think what you are trying to do, is by design not possible ... Citrix is a "Remote Application" framework, i.e. you are starting the application on another computer (remote PC) and only displaying it on your computer (client PC). That means all the DOORS interfaces (COM, batch) cannot be used the same way as before.

If you want to interact with a running DOORS citrix session, then this must be done from the remote machine, i.e. for example by starting a DXL script from the DOORS menu. Of course using DXL you can also start your Java application - in this case you can use the normal COM api for interacting with the DOORS client. Normally Citrix will pop up child processes of DOORS (your java application) on the client PC as well, so it should be possible to deploy your java application inside the citrix environment and have it interact with DOORS from there.

The other possibility is, that you install a DOORS client outside the citrix environment and use that one for interacting with your DOORS server.

Regards, Mathias

Marina_Raf - Mon Nov 17 08:14:51 EST 2014

Ok, if I will proceed like this:

Object objDoors = createObject("DOORS.Application", "theServer");

Then Object should be the same ActiveXComponent? and the method is simply createObject()?

thank you!

Marina_Raf - Fri Nov 14 15:21:38 EST 2014

Hello,

I have a curiosity. It is possible to check with java if DOORS is running when DOORS is accessed via Citrix? And another point , from where I could download the safe jacob.jar, or more exactly what version, because I downloaded one, but 

runningDoors = ActiveXComponent.connectActiveInstance("DOORS.Application") does not work, because connect method is not recognized. I am struggling for almost one year with this issue, would be great if someone found a solution for this problem.

Mathias Mamsch - Sun Nov 16 16:51:04 EST 2014

I think what you are trying to do, is by design not possible ... Citrix is a "Remote Application" framework, i.e. you are starting the application on another computer (remote PC) and only displaying it on your computer (client PC). That means all the DOORS interfaces (COM, batch) cannot be used the same way as before.

If you want to interact with a running DOORS citrix session, then this must be done from the remote machine, i.e. for example by starting a DXL script from the DOORS menu. Of course using DXL you can also start your Java application - in this case you can use the normal COM api for interacting with the DOORS client. Normally Citrix will pop up child processes of DOORS (your java application) on the client PC as well, so it should be possible to deploy your java application inside the citrix environment and have it interact with DOORS from there.

The other possibility is, that you install a DOORS client outside the citrix environment and use that one for interacting with your DOORS server.

Regards, Mathias

Sana.Mejri - Thu Jul 20 07:23:31 EDT 2017

is it possible to get data from doors with java if DOORS is running  and accessed via Citrix? and when I open the task manager , i found the application of the doors .  Would be great if you found a solution for this problem.

Mathias Mamsch - Thu Jul 20 07:42:30 EDT 2017

Before even discussing this, you need to present a valid use case, that would require you to access DOORS inside Citrix from your local PC ... You should consider a DXL script inside citrix writing data somewhere and your java application reading it from that location. Unless you tell me a valid reason to directly access the DOORS instance inside citrix. Regards, Mathias

Sana.Mejri - Thu Jul 27 05:10:16 EDT 2017

My reason to directly access the DOORS instance is  generating a file text from data of a module using java application . I am in the process of developing this java application with Eclipse IDE . 

So is this possible or not  cause DOORS is runnig via Citrix ? WHat is the solution ? Should I just record DXL file inside Citrix?  Or can I use a web service ?