The major changes in this release include:
Other user requested enhancements include:
See the CHANGES and BUGFIXES files for a complete listing.
All of the following still applies to version 4.6 and was first in 4.5.1.
ClearDDTS 4.5.1 improves some minor issues in ClearDDTS 4.5 and adds an additional way to query in the web interface - String Query. See the CHANGES and BUGFIXES files for complete details.
Minor changes were made to the ClearDDTS documentation. Updated files in PDF format are provided on the ClearDDTS CD-ROM in the /doc/pdf directory. Doc changes include:
All of the following still applies to version 4.5.1.
ClearDDTS 4.5 offers several new features including updated web interface, enhanced distribution, enhanced email notification, and enhanced access control. Please review the "New Product Features" section for more details. Also, many enhancements have been made and various bugs fixed. See the file "BUGFIXES" in the ddts home directory for a detailed list of resolved bugs.
There have been some changes made to the user configuration files in order to support the new enhancements. Most things will function the same without any changes; however, the following will require changes to your configuration file to work properly:
the "Change Log" section of email notification gif reports on the web editfile in master.tmpl
For a full explanation of these changes with examples please consult the CHANGES document in the home directory.
This file contains the following sections:
Except as noted above, this release is fully backwards compatible with 4.x. In addition, it supports all the 3.1 commands and is interoperable with 3.x sites. This means your 4.5 server can be connected via adminbug conn to any 3.x server.
Customers running versions earlier than 3.1.0 should NOT use this release to upgrade directly. Instead, please contact Rational Technical Support at (408) 863-4000 for special instructions. You can determine which version of ClearDDTS you have by executing the command "whichddts".
ClearDDTS release 4.6 officially supports the following platforms:
Updated web interface
The interface has been updated and enhanced to be easier to use and nicer to look at. This includes updated icon images, more options for configuration, new query/report interface, and the ability to alter your class without the need to visit the defaults page.
New Query Interface
The query interface for the 4.5 release is now more capable and more flexible than previous releases. Queries can be heavily tailored to individual needs through a two-stage form similar to the ClearQuest web interface. This form is less cumbersome than the previous Query By Form, page while retaining access to field types and picklist values. Queries can be saved individually or site wide and can be created or modified using the same form. This replaces all query forms in the 4.1 release.
Note that some complicated saved queries will not be converted to editable queries in the new Query Builder interface. You can still run them, but you can only edit them as String queries. These queries will be noted by an asterisk (*) on the Saved Queries page.
Enhanced Reports
The reports page has been integrated into the query page. Now you can set up any query you desire and use that as input into any report you choose. Additionally, the gif images are made more efficiently without the need for ghostscript and netpbm tools. Note that as mentioned above, these changes require changes to your own customized reports. Please see the CHANGES file for more details.
Enhanced Mail Notification
Notification Mail has been greatly enhanced to allow for improved flexibility. You can now control the content of the Change Log section, use different templates for different actions, and include the enclosure differences in the notification, as well as lots of smaller enhancements. Note that as mentioned above, the Change Log will no longer be automatically put into email notification. You will need to update your master.tmpl file to include this. Please see the CHANGES file for more details.
Additionally, you can reply to notification messages or send additional information back to the ddts user and have that information added to the defect record. Any mail with a valid defect id in the subject line will be added to that defect record, and these changes will cause an additional notification to go out.
Required Enclosures
You can now use the editfile command the master.tmpl file to make enclosures required. When an enclosure is required, if a person tries to add an empty enclosure or does not change the initial text of an enclosure, an error will result.
Additionally all logic in the master.tmpl file for Related-file derivations will be honored to the limitations imposed by the parser (i.e. no dynamic dollar variables). Note: Honoring the template code conflicts with the limitations of the template parser, so you may need to change your template file. Please see the CHANGES file for more details.
Wrapping in Enclosures
You can specify whether to line wrap the text in enclosures. This option can be set on a per class basis by editing the web_conf file. The wrapping width is also customizeable per class. This change to the web complements the existing wrap function in the X interface.
Enhanced Distribution
The distribution mechanism has been enhanced to better detect potential collision problems. It is fully compatible with existing sites so you can upgrade your DDTS network as convenient. When a conflicting change is made simultaneously at two or more sites, the system will flag that, save the file, and notify the appropriate person of the conflict.
Additionally, the system now detects when defects exist at subscribed sites that have been lost or deleted at the owning site. These records will be automatically replaced on the owning site and broadcast to all connected sites. When you first upgrade your site, you may encounter messages with the subject: "Missing Bugs on Local Site". If you wanted these defects to be deleted, you will need to rerun rmbug to remove them. That program will now give you details on other sites that may have copies that also need removed.
Finally, the remote-mod-ok feature has been enhanced to allow local read/write access control. You are allowed to create a local proj.control file for a remote project (through adminbug asub/msub).
Webddts Field-level Help
Field level help is now available on the web. The help files specified for the other interfaces are now available to web users also.
Support for Dependent Picklist in Internet Explorer
Dependent picklists in MS Internet Explorer 4.0 and above are now supported.
Enhanced Access Control
You may now use variables in defining read/write access control for a project. For example, you could allow O-state transitions only by the assigned engineer by answering "$Engineer" to the project question "Who is allowed to OPEN defects for this project". All fields in the defect record and the project control file whose contents are a user id may be used.
You can also set up local groups in ddts similar to /etc/group. This allows groups to be created without root access and without Unix user accounts, to make the web interface easier to use for PC users.
Enhanced web configurability
Several options were added to make the web easier to use. These include user defined field defaults (similar to .ddtsrc), enclosure expansion, two-stage submit (like xddts), toolbar animation, date output formats, and more.
Querying for National Characters
The webddts interface allows the user to enter, edit, and query using 8-bit national characters.
About Page
Finally, we have added an about page that lists information about the product and your particular installation. This should help administrators and users keep track of their site's information, especially in a multi-ddts environment.
Binary Compatibility with Previous Releases
Although DDTS is still compatible with older DDTS sites in a distributed environment, the binary interface to connect SQL clients to the default internal database server has changed in an incompatible way. This means that you will not be able to use the older SQL clients (ddtssql, xddts, bugs) with the new SQL database server. This is not an issue when using the Oracle database. The change was necessary to support larger record sizes.
Date input fields must be strings
Dates in ClearDDTS are stored in yymmdd format. In the master.tmpl, date input fields should be specified as %6.6s (string) not as %6.6d (numeric), especially for dates past the year 2000.
For example, the date January 1, 2000 is stored as 000101, but if it is input as a number instead of a string, the leading zeroes are dropped.
Multiple postscript files from reports
If you run more than one report from the web interface or save more than one from the X interface, the software will put all the postscript graphs into a single file separated by %%Trailer comments. Some viewers have difficulty separating the pages when stored in this manner, making it hard to view more than the first page.
In PAGEVIEW, you can choose the Edit -> Properties dialog box and check the "Ignore PostScript Structuring Comment" checkbox and "Apply" the change. You will now see all of the pages in the multi-page files.
In GhostView, you can choose the Options -> Ignore DCS checklist item. Then choose Options -> Save Settings Now option. Then, choose View -> Redisplay and you will see all of the pages. Because of the "Save" step, the next time you bring up GhostView, you will not need to do this step again.
Running report scripts against a metaclass.
When you run some of the reporting shells scripts against a metaclass, the results can be incorrect if the result includes data from more than one "real" class. This is because the scripts in question figure out the class the first bug belongs to with the following line:
class=`findbug -fqdv $* $date_expr`
and uses this information for all the remaining bugs in the result set. In the shipped product, the following is a list of report scripts which have the above mentioned problem:
dawk02.sh, dawk03.sh, dawk06.sh, dgawk01.sh, dgawk02.sh, dgawk03.sh, dgawk07.sh and dgawk11.sh
SQL caveats
The SQL keyword BETWEEN does not work correctly when the 'between' dates span the century change. The workaround is to use '>' and '<'.
Secure Socket Layer
The web interface to ClearDDTS does not currently work with the Netscape Enterprise Server's Secure Socket Layer. You must use the standard mode when running under this server.
Long path names as script commands
On some older architectures, notably SunOS 4.x and HP-UX 10.10 and below, there is a limitation of 32 characters on the first #! line in a shell script. Commands longer than this fail to execute properly. This is an issue with the web interface as it uses the wt_perl program shipped with the product. To work around this problem, our setup scripts create symbolic links to wt_perl, first as ~ddts/w, and then /var/tmp/ddts/wt_perl. Please do not remove these links or the web interface will not work properly.
Oracle support on DEC
ClearDDTS does not support the Oracle database on the DEC platform. You must use the pure database shipped with ClearDDTS.
Irix 6.4 and FastCGI support
It has been reported by some customers that the FastCGI bridge mode does not operate correctly on certain versions of Irix 6.4. The workaround is to use standard CGI mode by running webconfigure and choosing option 1.
new date display format
The web interface now allows users to display dates in various formats. However, for this to work, the date field will need to be defined as datetime in the SQL database. An example of this is the Need-fix-by date.
Using URL id= and expanded enclosures
If you access webddts using the new id=
dependent picklists and user defaults
If you set a user default (in the Profile menu) for a field that controls
other fields in dependent picklists (perhaps Project as customized on your
site), the dependent fields' picklist values will not be set correctly.
To remedy this you can change the value in the first field (e.g. Project)
and then back again. Alternatively you can use master.tmpl based defaults
or none for those fields.
Page navigation
Certain standard frames and JavaScript code is not always handled
correctly with Internet Explorer. Specifically, changing your user
defaults or toolbar animation setting may sometimes bring up a second
toolbar temporarily. The next action you perform will correct the page
layout.
Viewing reports
When using ClearDDTS Management Reports, you have the option of
viewing the reports in the current browser window or in a second
browser window. Viewing reports in a second window allows you to
return to the original window to continue using ClearDDTS while the
reports finish processing. With Internet Explorer, the New Window
option does not work, so you must view reports in the original window.
Queries with Version 5.0
We have had reports of customers running into problems when running
queries in IE 5.0 when using Netscape Enterprise Server.
Netscape is aware of CGI problems with IE 5.0. See Netscape's knowledge
base at http://help.netscape.com/kb/corporate/19990923-4.html for details.
Version 4.0 and accessing links
Version 4.72.2106.8 on Windows 95 has a problem that prevents access to
links that launch a new browser window. If you are unable to access the
online help or links on the webddts About page, you may have this version.
Upgrading to the latest version of Internet Explorer fixes the problem.
Dependent picklists
Version 4.72.2106.8 on Windows 95 also has a problem with dependent
picklists. The dependent picklists are displayed blank and entries
cannot be made into them. Upgrading to the latest version of IE fixes
the problem.
When you click back to correct forms when submitting changes, IE will
sometimes select incorrect values on dependent fields. You will need
to change the primary fields to get the correct choices in the dependent
fields.
Version 3.01 and continue button
Most error message pages in webddts have a "Continue" button to take you
back to the page you were on before the error occurred. It is basically
a back button. In Netscape version 3.01, the Continue button does not
work until you press a key or move the mouse. Other versions of
Netscape work correctly.
Version 4.05 and text entry fields
In version 4.05 of Netscape, problems have been found where text entry
fields are missing (this is especially true with enclosures). The work
around is to try resizing the screen or exiting and restarting your
Netscape session. Other versions of Netscape work correctly.
Internet Explorer Caveats
Netscape Caveats