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Topic Title: getting started with wexp
Topic Summary: getting started with wexp
Created On: 20-Jul-2007 11:34
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 20-Jul-2007 11:34
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martin allman

Posts: 74
Joined: 25-Jul-2005

Hi
Would like to get started with wexp, not sure where to pick up the wexp template.  Also can anyone point me in the direction of a simple example containing module/template file?
Thanks for any help
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 20-Jul-2007 14:28
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Ron Moon

Posts: 1
Joined: 7-Apr-2005

Martin,
WEXP is a DOORS export tool which makes use of Microsoft WORD templates.
You'll need to create a WORD template (.dot file) which contains DOORS attribute names enclosed in chevrons and placed at locations of your choice on each template page.
Refer to WEXP User Manual for further information.

RTM
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 23-Jul-2007 09:26
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Peter Albert

Posts: 232
Joined: 30-Dec-2005

Hi Martin,

you have to a) set-up a MS Word template fill and b) populate the WEXP specific attributes in the DOORS module. And yes, you have to read the WEXP documentation. And then again. And again :-) But the following steps should get you started: (Note that in WEXP speech, the word "template" is used in two fashions: It is the Word template file, but it is also a set of attributes, defined in a certain style, and marked with a bookmark.)

In MS Word:

1) Create a new Word file.
2) Save as template (.dot). Do _not_ just change the filename, but use the "Save as" menu entry.
3) The template must have, as minimum, two sections. The first section is where your text goes, the second section is where you define the export templates. Therefore, create a new (continuous) section break. The first line after the section break _must_ just contain the following words:
OBJECT TEMPLATES
Note that this last section will be removed from the exported file.
4) In the new section, define any combinations of attributes you might want to use. Say, you want to display an attribute "Requirements ID" together with "Object Text" in one line, separated by a colon. Then the object template would look line this:
<<Requirements ID>>: <<InvalidTag text>>
5) Apply any formatting you like to this line. I highly recommend to strictly use format styles for two reasons: I sometimes observed that WEXP ignored settings that had been applied directly to the object template, and you can easily change the look of the exported file (or the template), if necessary, by just modifying the style. And it is just much cleaner.
6) Select the complete object template (which could include line breaks, by the way), and click on "Insert --> Bookmark". Define a name for the object template, e.g. OBJ_Requirement and click "Add". It is important that the bookmark covers the selection, not just the place where the template starts. You can check this by calling "Insert --> Bookmark" again, selecting your new bookmark and click "Go to". The complete object template should now be selected.
7) Define as many object templates as you need, i.e. for each possible combination of attributes, define a new template.
8) A side note. If you need a special formatting just for the Main column, I suggest not to use an object template just containing <<InvalidTag Text>> but to use the "Paragraph style" attribute on those objects, instead. It is a bit ugly, as it mixes different export schemes, but if you use it often, it speeds up the export.
9) Save the template.

In DOORS:

1) Open the module.
2) Call WEXP
3) Click "Cancel". The first call is just used for the creation of all the WEXP related attributes.
4) Create a new view, called e.g. "Export to Word". Start with the Main column only.
5) Create a new column containing the attribute "WEXP Template"
6) In the column header, add ":noexport" to the heading in order to prevent this attribute from export.
7) Set the "WEXP Template" for the appropriate attributes, i.e. where you want to use the defined style. Type "OBJ_Requirement" into the "WEXP Template" column for those objects, or any other name you defined for the bookmark. Be careful, as WEXP is case sensitive. If the export does not produce the right results, you mosl likely use different names in the template file and in the "WEXP Template" entries.
8) If you want to use "Paragraph Style", set the attribute for the objects where you need it.
9) Run WEXP again, select the template file you created previously, select the path and name for the file to be exported, click "OK", sit back and wait, and after a while you will have the exported Word file. Note that WEXP stores the settings for template file and export filename, so the next time you can just click "OK".

Some notes:

1) You can use column titles in the object templates in the same way as attributes. If you add e.g. a trace column to the Export View, containing layout DXL, you can use the column title "e.g. InLinks" like this in the template file "<<InLinks>>"
2) As you see, WEXP requires a very tight connection between the template file and the DOORS module. If you e.g. change the column title in the above note, the export will fail if you do not update the template file. Same is true for attribute names or the bookmark names. And of course, all paragraph styles you use in the "Paragraph Style" attribute must of course exist in the template file.
3) There is a lot more you can do :-)

Good luck,

Peter
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 25-Sep-2007 07:14
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Michael Pernkopf

Posts: 3
Joined: 24-Sep-2007

Hy there, seems that i got some curious problems when using the 'Object templates' feature. I read the wexp documentation step by step (since i got serious trouble with that i read word by word - not to miss anything) but i only get partial success. My first object template export i made from documentation section 6.4.3.9 Object Template and that worked (and as i saw afterwards, all the objects in the example are module attributes (last modified, created by,...) , but if i make my own object template definition (with my own attributes from a view (f.ex A_Checking, A_Status,...)) the template is blank after exporting the actual view with wexp, and there is a warning before the export starts: "The MS Word Template contains a reference <>. Nothing will be exported because the attribute 'A_Checking' is not a module attribute: it is an object attribute instead." So, is there a hidden feature/button/checkbox to tell Wexp object template 'Hello, i got my own attributes; please use these for export"? Do i have to use a specific view (like the wexp generated views)? Thanks in advance for your help Regards, Michael

Edited: 25-Sep-2007 at 07:16 by Michael Pernkopf
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 25-Sep-2007 09:09
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Peter Albert

Posts: 232
Joined: 30-Dec-2005

Hmm, there are some potential pitfalls: you are writing about "attributes from a view". There is no such thing as a view-dependent attribute. Attributes exist for the module and objects, and the view controls which attributes are shown on the screen (or the exported file, respectively).

For objects exported using object templates, the output is independent from the actual view, as the template defines which
attributes are to be exported. For all objects _not_ using an object template, the view does matter, of course.

I never saw the error message you report, so here are just a few guesses: Did you put the object templates in an extra section at the end of the template file? Did you enclose the attribute names in double brackets i.e. <<A_Checking>>; Does the bookmark cover the selection of the bracketed attribute names?

BTW, which WEXP version do you use? In the 11.4 documentation I use, there is no section 6.4.3.9. And finally, what do you mean with wexp generated views? WEXP generates additional attributes, but afaik no additional views.

Cheers,

Peter
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 25-Sep-2007 09:33
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Michael Pernkopf

Posts: 3
Joined: 24-Sep-2007

Hello Peter, thanks for your prompt reply. 'attributes from a view' != view-dependent attribute. The meaning was, that i want to export attributes, which are in a specific view (those attributes are not Doors standard attributs (like Object text, Object heading, and so on). Concerning the error message: seems that this is a specific message from our TREK (Req. Eng. Kit). Ok, the view doesn't matter in my case (there are 'only' requirements for export; no tables or anything else). The Object templates section is an extra section (it worked with the tutorial from the Manual (btw, it's a specific Documentation (TREK for Doors)), and my attributes have the 'in couble brackets'-style, also the bookmark covers the selectzion of the bracketed attribute names. OBJECT TEMPLATES <> End Requirement that's it. I don't know the WEXP version (have to ask our tooling group), but as i mentioned, our TREK documentation will differ from yours. Now i just tried to make an object template where i only wanted to export the object heading (a DOORS standard attribute), but this also didn't work. Hm, i'm out of ideas an the moment Best regards, Michael
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 25-Sep-2007 09:50
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Peter Albert

Posts: 232
Joined: 30-Dec-2005

I am sorry, but I can't help you with any TREK issues. From the WEXP point of view, it sounds o.k., but I don't know what TREK is adding to the scene.

Cheers,

Peter
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 25-Sep-2007 10:48
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Michael Pernkopf

Posts: 3
Joined: 24-Sep-2007

Hy, ok, thanks for your replies (and anytime i hope to figure out, how to bring a little bit 'styling' to my postings , not that 'single line' style). I will contact our TREK support, hopefully they have (at least one) ideas how to fix the problem Thanks again, Michael
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 25-Sep-2007 15:28
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Andrew Tagg

Posts: 151
Joined: 26-Oct-2004

Michael, some of our Guys at Thales use TREK (well it was originally a Thales tool to begin with after all), Will ask them for some advice for you. As I remember you need to add a specific thing to the attribute name, colon or underscore something like that.

-------------------------
Andrew Tagg
Thales Air Systems, Melbourne
Australia.
andrew.tagg@thalesatm.com
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 27-Sep-2007 09:17
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Karl Breuer

Posts: 66
Joined: 11-Jul-2005

 Hi Michael
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 27-Sep-2007 09:48
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Karl Breuer

Posts: 66
Joined: 11-Jul-2005

.. sorry, I try again .. :-)

Hi Michael,

I am trying to figure out what you are doing from what you wrote. I find it a bit confusing.
We are using WEXP from TREK, and I have never had the error message you report.
We used to use the "normal" WEXP before, but switched, because the T-WEXP does not have some of the bugs that WEXP has. But the general behaviour of WEXP and T-WEXP is the same.

I don't understand what you write here: "My first object template export i made from documentation section 6.4.3.9 Object Template". Are you referring to the WEXP user manual?
What you write about attributes ("all the objects in the example are module attributes (last modified, created by,...) ") is not clear. "Last modified" and "Created by" are module and object relevant attributes. Do you mean Doors standard attributes, when you write "module attributes"?`
Then "the view doesn't matter in my case (there are 'only' requirements for export; no tables or anything else)" is not clear, too. Of course the view matters, because everything (all attributes) that is visible in the view selected for export will be exported.
And: "OBJECT TEMPLATES <> End Requirement that's it." what do you mean here?

Anyway, Peter Albert has given a clear and detailed description of what needs to be done when using WEXP. 

DOORS module attributes can be used in the Word template in the main section before the Object Templates section. For instance you can put the module name or baseline number (or your own module attribute values) on the title page or in the header/footer.
DOORS object attributes (standard or your own) can only be used in the Object Templates section.

These object templates must be inside a bookmark in the Word-DOT. The name of the bookmark must
be identical with the value of the "WEXP Template"-attribute for the object you want to export
Such a template will look somewhat like this:

[
ID: <<Absolute Number>>
<<Object Text:richText>>
Priority: <<priority>>
Maturity: <<maturity>>
]

The square brackets are the bookmark delimiters. The attributes used need not be visible in the export view.

Here is what we do:
We always export from a view that only has the main column. No object ID, no other attributes.
We do not use Object Templates for headings.
We do use Object Templates for objects marked as requirements (some objects are only comments and need only be exported as plain text), defining their appearance (formatting, attributes to display) in the Object Templates section.
We use in-line views if desired (cf. Ch. 4.3.2 in Word Exporter User Manual (DOORS T-REK 5.0))

Hope that helps.

Karl
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