How to import values into RQM custom attribute fields from Excel using RQMExcelWordImporter 6.0
How do you import custom attributes? There seem to be a number of unanswered questions and responses lacking any detail on this subject and I am at a loss as to how this is done.
A lot of the responses reference RQMUrlUtil as the tool needed to extract the xml data that you can then read to find the Attributes identifier, but even this is an overly complex method that requires you to dig even more into RQM to find the relevant and necessary URL parameters! (Example I was using: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21679142)
Please can someone explain to me in plain, simple terms, how you import custom attributes - is this process currently defective? I cannot for the life of me understand why this process is so complex compared with custom categories - least of all due to the ridiculous, apparent need to 'dig' into the tool to find an identifier that should be visible on the Project Properties -> Custom Attributes screen if it is so vital to the import process.
If I have missed any other literature that details everything about this process then do please link me to that - everything I have read thus far has had me going in circles or throwing exceptions when running the importer.
Thank you.
Accepted answer
Hi, James
The info in https://jazz.net/wiki/bin/view/Main/RQMExcelWordImporter
[Adding custom attributes to an artifact] is all we need here.
For example, I tried
testcase.customAttributes identifier="TestAttribute".name="TestAttribute".type="SMALL_STRING".value="this is test Attribute to find out identifier"
and it works for me.
We know the identifier is based on the URL encoded form of a custom attribute initial name. This identifier is never changes once created. hence if
custom attribute is created via ExcelImporter, you can give any name of identifier for it and provide a value.
if you want to update the value of this custom attribute, you should use the same identifier because it will not change.
If custom attribute is created via RQM GUI and you want to assign a value to it, then you need to find out the identifier of that custom attribute. In that case, for example, you can create a test case and then use firefox plugin poster or other REST client to GET the test case xml file(example:
https://localhost:9443/qm/service/com.ibm.rqm.integration.service.IIntegrationService/resources/JKE+Banking+%28Quality+Management%29/testcase/urn:com.ibm.rqm:testcase:32
), in which custom attribute identifier will be included. Something looks like:
<ns4:customAttributes><ns4:customAttribute required="false" type="SMALL_STRING"><ns4:identifier>TestAttribute</ns4:identifier><ns4:name>TestAttribute</ns4:name><ns4:value>this is test Attribute to find out identifier</ns4:value><ns4:description/></ns4:customAttribute></ns4:customAttributes>
I hope this helps.
The info in https://jazz.net/wiki/bin/view/Main/RQMExcelWordImporter
[Adding custom attributes to an artifact] is all we need here.
For example, I tried
testcase.customAttributes identifier="TestAttribute".name="TestAttribute".type="SMALL_STRING".value="this is test Attribute to find out identifier"
and it works for me.
We know the identifier is based on the URL encoded form of a custom attribute initial name. This identifier is never changes once created. hence if
custom attribute is created via ExcelImporter, you can give any name of identifier for it and provide a value.
if you want to update the value of this custom attribute, you should use the same identifier because it will not change.
If custom attribute is created via RQM GUI and you want to assign a value to it, then you need to find out the identifier of that custom attribute. In that case, for example, you can create a test case and then use firefox plugin poster or other REST client to GET the test case xml file(example:
https://localhost:9443/qm/service/com.ibm.rqm.integration.service.IIntegrationService/resources/JKE+Banking+%28Quality+Management%29/testcase/urn:com.ibm.rqm:testcase:32
), in which custom attribute identifier will be included. Something looks like:
<ns4:customAttributes><ns4:customAttribute required="false" type="SMALL_STRING"><ns4:identifier>TestAttribute</ns4:identifier><ns4:name>TestAttribute</ns4:name><ns4:value>this is test Attribute to find out identifier</ns4:value><ns4:description/></ns4:customAttribute></ns4:customAttributes>
I hope this helps.
Comments
Thank you Don for an excellent answer; I finally got it working and it turns out I was using the correct Identifier (Attribute 'Design Reference' made via RQM GUI had an identifier of 'Design_Reference') but it was the Type parameter that was incorrect. After I changed it to 'MEDIUM_STRING' it imported correctly. Thank you!