Linked documents in a “report”

[Theo van der Donk]

I am trying to insert a “report” section in my document that contains all requirements from the document. This goes fine, as long as the requirements do not have linked documents.

I have generated the “report” for only a small part of the document, to reproduce the issue. It is a package with 5 requirements. If I generate the package itself (not in report mode), it all works fine with linked documents, they are nicely included.

However, for the report, every time it encounters a linked document within a requirement (even the simplest one-line plain-text linked document causes this issue) it refuses to include the linked document, and regenerates the report all over again. So, in my case, the report is generated 5 times: first time with only first req, second time with first+second req, et cetera.

The relevant logging is:
eaDocX Trace Information
==========================
23-1-2013 9:32:30 – Generator started: eaDocX Version 3.2.9.6
23-1-2013 9:32:30 – Generator setting: Full
23-1-2013 9:32:30 – Deleting existing bookmarks from document
23-1-2013 9:32:30 – Starting generating section Section3
23-1-2013 9:32:30 – Generating Section: Section3
23-1-2013 9:32:30 – Gen>>CommonInlinePackage, PM Features
23-1-2013 9:32:31 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-03: Show component logging
23-1-2013 9:32:31 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-04: Show online statistics
23-1-2013 9:32:31 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-00: Test
23-1-2013 9:32:31 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-01: Show component status and health
23-1-2013 9:32:32 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-02: Start & stop component
23-1-2013 9:32:32 – No content to print for package: PM Features
23-1-2013 9:32:32 – Section generated OK: Section3
23-1-2013 9:32:32 – Starting generating section Section2
23-1-2013 9:32:32 – Generating Section: Section2
23-1-2013 9:32:33 – Inserted diagram CoMa MMS Solution
23-1-2013 9:32:33 – Section generated OK: Section2
23-1-2013 9:32:33 – Starting generating section Section1
23-1-2013 9:32:33 – Generating Section: Section1
23-1-2013 9:32:33 – Gen>>Collection starting
23-1-2013 9:32:33 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-01: Show component status and health
23-1-2013 9:32:33 – Section generated OK: Section1
23-1-2013 9:32:33 – Starting generating element report My Report Name
23-1-2013 9:32:34 – Gen>>Collection starting
23-1-2013 9:32:34 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-00: Test
23-1-2013 9:32:34 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-01: Show component status and health
23-1-2013 9:32:34 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-02: Start & stop component
23-1-2013 9:32:34 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-03: Show component logging
23-1-2013 9:32:35 – Gen>>CommonInlineRequirement, FT-PM-04: Show online statistics
23-1-2013 9:32:35 – Generating cross references
23-1-2013 9:32:35 – Finding forward refs
23-1-2013 9:32:36 – Adding references
23-1-2013 9:32:40 – CrossRefHelper>>Unload Project: Failed to update footer fields
23-1-2013 9:32:40 – CrossRefHelper>>Unload Project: Failed to update header fields
23-1-2013 9:32:40 – Generate successful
23-1-2013 9:32:42 – Saved XML Profile in the CustomXML

The table of contents of the generated document:
As can be seen, the “My Report Name” section is repeated 5 times with different number of requirements.
Contents
PM Features 3
Feature : FT-PM-03: Show component logging 3
Feature : FT-PM-04: Show online statistics 4
Feature : FT-PM-00: Test 5
Feature : FT-PM-01: Show component status and health 6
Feature : FT-PM-02: Start & stop component 7
Feature : FT-PM-01: Show component status and health 9
My Report Name 11
Feature : FT-PM-00: Test 11
My Report Name 12
Feature : FT-PM-00: Test 12
Feature : FT-PM-01: Show component status and health 12
My Report Name 12
Feature : FT-PM-00: Test 13
Feature : FT-PM-01: Show component status and health 13
Feature : FT-PM-02: Start & stop component 13
My Report Name 14
Feature : FT-PM-00: Test 14
Feature : FT-PM-01: Show component status and health 14
Feature : FT-PM-02: Start & stop component 15
Feature : FT-PM-03: Show component logging 15
My Report Name 15
Feature : FT-PM-00: Test 16
Feature : FT-PM-01: Show component status and health 16
Feature : FT-PM-02: Start & stop component 16
Feature : FT-PM-03: Show component logging 17
Feature : FT-PM-04: Show online statistics 17
My Report Name 17
Feature : FT-PM-00: Test 18
Feature : FT-PM-01: Show component status and health 18
Feature : FT-PM-02: Start & stop component 18
Feature : FT-PM-03: Show component logging 19
Feature : FT-PM-04: Show online statistics 19

I’d like to include the entire generated document, including the linked docs, but as this is confidential information, I’d not like to upload this to the public forum.

[eadocX Support]

Thanks for all the detail.
Would it be possible to mail your sample (doc and XMI) to support@eadocx.com? then I can look at it.
Also, what eaDocX version are you using ?

Thanks

Ian

[eadocX Support]

OK – problem found and fixed in v 3.2.9.8 now on the website.

Problem was a combination of three test cases, all happening together: (1)Element report, (2)with inline output, also with (3) Linked Documents. I test for each one, and even some pairs, but not all 3 at the same time!

[Theo van der Donk]

Thank you for your fix, works like a charm.

I may have discovered another issue, also related to “element reports”.

If I generate a report (for example, for all components in the model), and include a “table of attributes” of related elements (for example, related requirements), this does not work. The table is not included, and after editing the “table” again, I do not see the table anymore (instead it is converted into a “single attribute” type.

However, if I do not use “element reports”, but directly include the same component, it works (nicely generates the table).

I suspect a similar issue to the one before: that the combination of using “element reports” introduces this issue…

[eadocX Support]

Wow – another tricky one, and another test case to add to the growing pile!
Fixed this one in 3.2.9.9, now available on the website.

[Theo van der Donk]

Thanks for your fix. Sorry to bother you with another (related?) one: I have an overview of my components, and per component such an “element” report for all realized requirements. All requirements appear in the table, but only few of them are actually links (to a later section where all requirements referenced by from within the document are listed, as “element cross reference).

What I notice now, is that if I delete this cross-reference section, and try to add a new one, I get an exception (see attached). This also happens after restarting EA, and creating a new word document. So, starting with an empty document, choosing insert -> report -> element report, filling in the fields (I use element cross ref, but other options seem not to work), and then press ok gives the exception.

[eadocX Support]

If I understand correctly, you are adding an Element Report, of type ‘Cross Reference Report’ to a document which has no other content.
I haven’t tried this, but I can believe it will throw an error (should be a warning , not an exception) there’s nothing to cross-reference!
The idea of the cross-ref report is that it will look for un-resolved hyperlinks within the rest of the document, and document the elements they should point to.

[Theo van der Donk]

Adding Cross-element Report to empty document is just a show-case; adding them to a filled-in document gives the same exception. It is an exception about objects not being assigned, so it is not the warning you believe it to be.

Bottom line is that, for me, adding element reports doesn’t work anymore in the very latest update of your software. Please also see the error log attached to the previous message. Can you reproduce this in version 3.2.9.9?

[eadocX Support]

Whoops – looks like I broke something!

[eadocX Support]

Found it! Trying to go a bit too fast.
Fixed in 3.2.9.10 on the website – sorry!

[Theo van der Donk]

Thanks very much! Works now!

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