You can generate a document from Launcher and Document
Studio.
Before you begin
Every template is associated with a blank document
specification by default. When you preview or publish a template from
the Document Studio application, this blank document specification
can be customized or used without customization to generate the output.
The Document Studio keeps the template in sync with the default document
specification when you open or save the template.Note: These
instructions apply to most data sources, but not all data sources.
For data source specific instructions, see the
Integrating documentation for your data source.
About this task
There are several different methods for generating documents:
- You can generate documents from both the Launcher and Document
Studio applications. The task below outlines how to generate documents
from the application user interface.
- From the location of a document specification on a file system,
you can right-click the file and click Publish with Rational Publishing Engine.
All errors are suppressed to generate the document.
- You can also publish documents from the Rational DOORS® and Rational Tau user
interfaces when you have the add-ins installed.
There is no difference in generating documents from the Launcher
application or the Document Studio application. When you use the wizard
to generate documents, the same options are provided in both applications.
However, in the Launcher application, you have the ability to configure
details for the document generation in the Document Specification
and Properties views without using the wizard.
Procedure
To generate documents from either the Launcher or Document
Studio application:
- In the Launcher or Document Studio, click .
You can also click the
Configure and generate document icon
in the toolbar.
A configuration wizard opens
to allow you to make additional selections for the document generation
before generating the document. The progress bar displays the information
that must be configured in five sections:- Templates
- Data sources
- Variables
- Output
- Summary
You can click a section or an item in the progress bar to jump
to that page in the wizard. Tip: As long as there is at
least one data source and one output format selected, you can click Finish at
any time to begin the document generation or click Next to
continue with the configuration wizard.
- In the Templates section,
the templates already listed in the document specification display.
To add a template:
- Select the location of the templates to add:
- From the central library: To select templates
stored in the Central Management component
- From local or remote file: To select a
local or remote templates, you can either enter a URL to a template
or click Browse to select a template.
- Select one or more template to add.
- If you selected From the central library and
selected templates from the Central Management component, click Add
selected to add the templates to the document specification.
- If you selected From local or remote file and
entered a URL to an individual template, click Add URL to
add the template to the document specification.
- If you selected From local or remote file and
browsed to add templates, when you click Open,
the templates are added to the document specification.
- Optional: Repeat to add additional templates
from other locations.
- Optional: Reorder the templates in the document
specification by selecting a template and clicking Up or Down.
- Click Next.
- In the Data sources section,
configure each data source.
Note: - If a default value exists for a data source or a default
URI value has already been entered, the data source displays
as configured and the default value is used in the output unless another
value is selected.
- If you move past the Data sources section and then click Back to
make additional changes to a data source, the section always opens
to the first data source in the list.
- Select a data source from one of
the following locations:
- Manual configuration: To select a local
or remote data source because no other configuration information exists
for this data source in the configuration layer or Central Management
component
- Using data source values from the Central Library:
To select a data source stored in the Central Management component
- Load from Configuration Layer: To select
a value from the configuration metadata that was entered for the data
source in the template
- Depending on the selection you made in
the previous step, you can either select a value for the data source
by entering a URL, clicking Browse to select
one, or select a value from the configuration layer.
- Enter a user name and password to authenticate with
the data source application.
- Select an authentication type. If you do
not select a type, each type is tested until the correct type is found,
which might increase document generation time.
- Auto
- Basic
- Form
- OAuth
- OAuth-OSLC
- Optional: Enter an accept
header. The default value is application/xml,
*/*.
- Optional: If you want to
apply the credentials you entered to each data source, select the Apply
these user name and password values to every configured and unconfigured
data source option.
- Click Next
- In the Variables section,
configure each variable.
Note: - If a default value exists for a variable, the variable displays
as configured and the default value is used in the output unless another
value is selected.
- If you move past the Variables section and then click Back to
make additional changes to a variable, the section always opens to
the first variable in the list.
- From the drop-down menu, select one of the following
options:
- Manual configuration: To enter any value
for the variable because no other configuration information exists
for this variable in the configuration layer or Central Management
component
- From Configuration Layer: To select a value
from the configuration metadata you entered for the variable in your
template
- Using variable values from the central library:
To select a variable stored in the Central Management component
- Enter or select a value for the configuration.
- Click Next.
- In the Output section,
select the output types to generate:
- Microsoft Word
- PDF
- HTML
- XSL-FO
- Legacy PDF
- Optional: For the Save location,
click Browse to select a path to save the file
for each output type. If the save location for the output
is not specified, the file is generated in the temporary location.
- Optional: For the Style sheet,
click Browse to select a style sheet to use
for each output type while generating the output.
- Optional: Microsoft Word
output only: For the Macro, enter the name
of the macro that is contained within the style sheet.
- Optional: To enter additional metadata or
configure other document properties that are not included in the wizard,
click Edit metadata properties.
- Click Next.
- Verify that the template and output information
in the summary window is correct.
- Select which action to take when you
click Finish:
- Run the document generation: Generates
the output types you specified.
- Run the document generation and close RPE:
Generates the output types you specified and closes the Rational Publishing Engine application
after you exit the Results window.
- Close this wizard and open the RPE client:
Opens the document specification with the details you entered in the
Launcher application.
- Click Finish.
Tip: If you are generating the document remotely, you can close
the Document Studio or Launcher application before the document generation
completes without interrupting the generation process. If you are
generating the document locally, do not close the Document Studio
or Launcher application until the document generation completes.
Results
The document specification is loaded in the Launcher and generates
or saves the document, depending on the selections.