Saving or Discarding Your Work
Multiple-Line Text and Log fields
The AccuWork Edit Form tab provides a familiar, easy-to-use interface for creating new issue records A data record, consisting of values of data fields, stored in a Dispatch issue database. and modifying the contents of existing issue records. The edit form also provides access to an issue record's change package A set of entries, each in the form of a basis-version/head-version pair, recorded on the Changes tab of an issue record. The change package records the changes to one or more elements, made to implement the feature or bugfix described in that issue record. Each entry in the change package describes changes to one element: the changes between the basis version and the head version. See patch..
To create a new issue record, choose Issues > New Issue from the GUI main menu, or click the button in the GUI main toolbar.
To modify an existing issue record, choose Issues > Look Up from the GUI main menu, or click the
button in the GUI main toolbar. AccuWork prompts you to enter the issue record's unique issue number (an integer).
Notes (click to view):
Multiple depots, multiple issue databases
A typical AccuRev repository The directory tree that stores all software configuration management data managed by AccuRev. This data is maintained by the AccuRev Server; responding to requests made through AccuRev client programs. Users never manipulate the repository directly. contains multiple depots The portion of the AccuRev repository that stores the entire history of a particular directory tree. See element, version.. Each depot can have its own AccuWork issue database A set of issue records, each of which implements a bug report, feature description, etc. Each depot can have its own issues database. Each issues database has its own schema.. In each issue database, the issue records are numbered sequentially: 1, 2, 3, ... The New Issue or Look Up command applies to the current depot CLI: the depot associated with the workspace that contains current working directory. GUI: the depot whose data appears in the currently visible GUI tab. The current depot’s name is displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the GUI window..
An AccuWork issue database can be configured to use a lookup field other than the default (field name issueNum, field label Issue). In this case, the label for the configured field appears in the prompt window, and you must enter a value that exactly matches (except for uppercase/lowercase) some issue record's value of that field.
Although each issue database has its own edit form, all AccuWork edit forms have these features in common:
The edit form consists of one or more pages, which appear as subtabs within the overall GUI tab. Typically, there's a header section, which always remains visible as you switch from page to page, using the mouse.
Each field in the issue database is represented by a simple text box, a multiple-line text box, a multiple-choice listbox, or a more complex user-interface "widget". To the left of this widget is a descriptive label for the field. (A red label indicates a required field.)
Every edit form has two special subtabs, which appear and work differently than the standard fill-in-the-blanks "pages":
The Changes subtab displays the issue record's change package A set of entries, each in the form of a basis-version/head-version pair, recorded on the Changes tab of an issue record. The change package records the changes to one or more elements, made to implement the feature or bugfix described in that issue record. Each entry in the change package describes changes to one element: the changes between the basis version and the head version. See patch., and provides commands for analyzing and manipulating the change package's entries.
The Issue History subtab displays a complete breakdown of how the issue record's field values have changed over time.
You can enter and change values in any number of fields, and visit different pages in a multiple-page form. Here are some notes, describing aspects of AccuWork edit forms that may differ from other fill-in-the-blanks forms:
To move from field to field, use the mouse or press Tab and Shift-Tab. To move from page to page in a multiple-page edit form, click the subtab name (there is no keyboard accelerator).
The Enter key confirms a menu choice or enters a line-break in a multiple-line text field. It does not perform field navigation. Within a multiple-line text field, the Tab key inserts a TAB character, rather than jumping to the next field.
Browsing multiple issue records
While you’re working with issue record, browse arrows are enabled in the edit form’s toolbar. This makes it easy to view a set of consecutive issue records. If you’ve made some changes that you haven't yet saved, AccuWork prompts you to save or discard those changes before switching to the previous or next one.
When an edit form appears after you invoke the New Issue command, you may notice that some fields already have values. An issue database's design can include any number of such field initializations.
If a field's label appears in red, it is a required field. You cannot Save the issue record until every required field has a value . Some of those fields may have gotten their values through an automated field initialization.
If you attempt to save the issue record when one or more required fields still need a value, a pop-up window prompts you to supply the value(s).
See also AccuWorkflow Required Fields.
Field initializations and required fields are implemented through AccuWork's field validations (or "edit checks") facility. As you work in an edit form, changing field values, you may notice these field-validation effects:
A text field, multiple-choice listbox field, or timestamp field has automatically been set to a specified value.
The set of required fields has changed.
A listbox's set of choices has changed.
The entire issue record, a particular page (subtab), or a particular field has been set to read-only status.
An issue record's unique identifier
Each issue record has an integer identifier, its issue number. This number is unique within the depot's issue database (but not within the entire repository). AccuWork assigns the issue number automatically the first time the issue record is Save'd, and it cannot be changed thereafter. The issue number is stored in field issueNum. By default, the label for this field in an edit form is Issue, but the edit-form designer can change the label for this field.
Your entries in an edit form are not stored in the issue record until you click the Save or
Save & Close button in the edit form toolbar. If you don't wish to save your work, just close the edit-form tab as you would any GUI tab.
When you save an issue record:
(for a new issue record) AccuWork assigns the next available integer issue number to the new issue record. This number cannot be modified.
The issue record is stored in the depot's issue database, within the repository. A transaction of kind dispatch records the creation or modification of the issue record. No matter how the issue record is modified subsequently, you can revisit the issue record in its current form on the Issue History subtab.
If you clicked Save, the edit form tab remains open, with the newly assigned issue number replacing the "New Issue" label and appearing in the Issue field. [note ]
If you clicked Save & Close, the edit form tab closes.
AccuWork supports special field types, which have special user-interface "widgets" on an edit form. These are described in the following sections.
A timestamp field value represents a point in time, with a granularity (set by the issue database designer) as large as one year, or as small as one second. You can fill in the individual subfields manually, or use the Select Date button to display choices ("tomorrow", "2 days ago", etc.) that fill in the subfields automatically. Once these subfields are filled in, you can revise them individually or by clicking the Select Date button again.
The issue database designer can specify that a text field can have multiple lines, and can also specify both the width and the height of the textbox on the edit form. When you use the form you can use the control at the top of the textbox to temporarily expand the height. Click the control again (it's now
) to contract the height. A scroll bar appears on the textbox whenever the current contents of the field are not completely visible.
A log field is a variant of a multiple-line text field. You can type directly into such a field. And if you click the Add Timestamped Text control, a timestamp text line is inserted at the beginning or end of the field.
An edit form can contain one or more attachment fields. In each such field, you can specify one or more files and/or Internet addresses (URLs) to be attached to the current issue record. AccuWork displays the attachments data as a table.
In addition to specifying the location of a file or Internet resource, you enter a name and optional comment. AccuWork automatically fills in your username, the date, and the size of the attached file. (Internet URLs are assigned a size of 0.) If the edit-form field is not large enough to show all these attachment parameters, use the scroll bar to see all the data. You can also resize and rearrange the columns of an attachments table.
An attachment field includes its own toolbar, with these buttons:
New Attachment
Define a new file attachment for this issue record. A New File Attachment dialog appears, in which you can specify one or more files, a name for the attachment, and a comment string.
You can specify multiple files at once -- each one becomes a separate file attachment. In this case, the Attachment Name input field is disabled; each filename is automatically assigned as the attachment name. The comment string that you specify is assigned to each file attachment.
New URL
Define a new attachment to be the address (URL) of an Internet resource. A New URL Attachment dialog appears, in which you specify a URL, a name for the attachment, and a comment string. AccuWork inserts the string http:// in the URL field. You can erase this if you want to specify a location accessed by another Internet protocol, such as ftp:// .
Open Attachment
Open the existing attachment that is currently selected, using the appropriate program.
Save Attachment As
Create a copy of the currently selected attachment on the client machine.
Properties
Launch a Properties window, displaying the definition of the currently selected attachment. You can use this window to change the attachment's Name or Comment value.
Delete Attachment
Remove the attachment from the issue record (and from the depot). A URL attachment can be deleted at any time. A newly added file attachment can be deleted if you haven't yet Save'd the issue record.
When you save the issue record, each file is copied to the depot, so that the data always remains available through the issue record, even if an original file is deleted.
AccuWork supports several kinds of relationships between a pair of issue records:
Duplicate: You can specify that issue record B duplicates issue record A, so that no work need be done on B. (Perhaps the same bug was reported twice.) Any number of records (B, C, D, ...) can duplicate a given record (A). The default AccuWork issue database schema requires that a Duplicate relationship be established when an issue record's State field is set to the value Duplicate.
Dependency: You can specify that issue record B depends on issue record A (for example, from a project management viewpoint). AccuRev imposes no further semantics on such dependencies; this is a good application for user-defined scripts or practices.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This relationship is independent of change package dependency A relationship between the change package of an issue record (A) and the change packages of one or more other issue records (B,C,D, ...), expressing the fact that promoting A would also cause some or all of the changes in B,C,D, ... to be promoted. relationships among issue records, which are maintained automatically by AccuRev.
Subtask: You can specify that issue record B defines a subtask of the work to be performed for issue record A. In this case, AccuRev considers issue record A to be "in" a particular stream only if issue record B is "in" that stream, also.
You cannot create "relationship chains": for example, if B duplicates A, you cannot make C a duplicate of B.
Issue record relationships can be viewed only in the AccuWork GUI. The edit-form tables that display issue relationships are not included when you export an issue record (for viewing or printing). These tables are not included when you use the AccuWork command-line interface to dump the contents of an issue record.
When you create or delete a relationship between issue records, the change to both issue records is stored in the issue database immediately. There is no need to invoke the Save command on the issue record.(The Save button is not enabled in the edit-form toolbar.)
The "duplicate" relationship is not symmetrical: "A duplicates B" is not the same as "B duplicates A". Accordingly, an edit-form field displaying a duplicate-type relationship consists of two tables: the top table shows issue records that are duplicated by the current record; the bottom table shows issue records that the current record duplicates.
Because of the "relationship chains" restriction, issue records can appear in only one of these tables, not both.
On the other hand, "A duplicates B" is the same as "B is duplicated by A". This means that when you add an entry to the top table of one issue record, AccuWork automatically adds it to the bottom table of the other issue record (and vice-versa).
A Duplicate relationship field has its own toolbar, with these buttons:
Link Issue
Create a relationship link with another issue record. AccuWork prompts you to enter an issue record number.
Remove Link
Remove the selected relationship link.
Notes (click to view):
Duplicate Relationship and Duplicate State
In AccuWork's default issue database schema:
There is a State field in the header section (AccuWork) The section of a multiple-page edit form that always remains visible as you switch from page to page., one of whose values is Duplicate. (The Status value must be Closed to enable the setting of the State value to Duplicate.)
There is a Duplicates field in the Relationships subtab.
An edit-form validation (AccuWork) A rule, specified on the Validations subtab of the Schema Editor, that controls a particular edit-form field. This can take various forms, including specifying a default value, making a field required, and modifying the list of choices in a multiple-choice listbox. specifies that when you set the State field's value to Duplicate, you must indicate which issue record is duplicated, by creating an entry in the Duplicates field.
At any time when you're using an edit form, you can print the issue record. For AccuWork, printing means "publish to the Web" -- which means either "create an HTML file" or "create an XML file".
Click the Export button in the form's toolbar.
Select the file type in the File Chooser dialog that appears.
Specify a pathname for the export file. You don't need to specify the .html or .xml suffix -- AccuWork adds it automatically.
When creating an HTML file, AccuWork outputs all the content of the issue record and approximates the form layout, too. Even if the edit form has multiple pages, you need to "print" only once. All of the pages are combined into a single HTML or XML file. [example]
On Windows machines, AccuWork automatically invokes a Web browser on the HTML file it creates. If you wish, resize the browser window to optimize the look of the issue record. HTML documents automatically adjust to changes in window width. Then, use the browser's print command to create a printout of the issue record.
If your issue database has a workflow A directed graph, defined in the Workflow subtab of the AccuWork Schema Editor. The graph's nodes are the 'workflow stages' that an AccuWork issue record can pass through. The graph's arrows are the 'workflow transitions' that users invoke to migrate issue records from stage to stage., set up using AccuWorkflow, each issue record moves through a set of workflow stages A node in an AccuWork workflow, representing one of the steps in the "lifetime" of an issue record. See workflow, workflow transition. during its "lifetime". A set of workflow transitions An arrow in an AccuWork workflow, pointing to a particular workflow stage. This represents one step that an issue record can take through the workflow. A transition has two components: a transition action (such as "Finish Dvt") and a workflow stage (such as "Implemented") that is the arrow's destination. Each workflow transition can be configured to start from any number of stages. controls the process of moving through the stages. The Workflow View toolbar button opens a pop-up window showing the issue database's workflow. Workflow stages appear in green; workflow transitions appear in orange.
Each workflow stage is defined in terms of the values of one or more issue record fields. But instead of setting field values directly in order to make a transition, you click a button in the edit form toolbar:
For example, clicking the Cancel button would change field value(s) in accordance with the definition of workflow stage Closed (the destination stage of the Cancel transition).
The definition of a workflow stage can involve one or more required fields. For example, the definition of the Scheduled stage might require that the issue record be assigned a target release; similarly, an issue record might need to be assigned to a particular developer and to have an estimated development time in order to be in the In Dvt stage.
When you click a workflow transition toolbar button, AccuWorkflow examines the required fields, if any, for the destination stage. If necessary, it prompts you to provide values for one or more fields before performing the transition to the new stage: