Introduction

The Clone item view enables you to create copies of items and item structures. The new items retain all properties of the original items, but receive their own SystemWeaver IDs, their own versioning history, etc. and, by default, no connections to the original items and parts. This article describes how you can configure the view to provide a link or connection back to the item that was cloned so that you can, for example, compare the clone items with the originals in the future if desired. 


Prerequisites

  • Familiarity with SystemWeaver concepts such as Items, Parts and Attributes, and also with the GUI and common operations of the swExplorer.  
  • Knowledge of XML.
  • You must be assigned to the Architect role to configure the view.
  • The part type that will be used to link the original item to the clone item must exist in the database.

Configure View With Reference to Origin

The example XML seen below is available via Configure the explorer by clicking the View example XML button in the Clone item view configuration dialog. It includes the cloning of parts along with optional transformation elements. A simple example is used to demonstrate cloning in this article. For a more detailed explanation of transformation elements, see the Help.:

<Configs>
  <Config id="Id1">
    <ViewSettings>
      <Caption>Letter</Caption>
      <RibbonGroup>Templates</RibbonGroup>
      <Description>Hint shown in the ribbon</Description>
    </ViewSettings>
    <TopItemType>7PRA</TopItemType>
    <IsEditable>False</IsEditable>
    <TraceTopPartType>PPP</TraceTopPartType>
    <CloneParts>
      <Part sid="6PRR" action="clone" traceparttype="QQQ">
        <Include>@ABAN="include"</Include>
      </Part>  
      <Part sid="6REQA" action="include">
        <Ignore>1=1</Ignore>
      </Part>  
      <Part sid="ITLD" action="include"/>
      <Part sid="ADES" action="clone"/> 
      <Part sid="7ICU" action="clone"/>
    </CloneParts>
    <Transformations>
      <Part old="ADCF">DFRE</Part>
      <Part old="UGFS">SSRE</Part>
      <Item old="ADC">DFRE</Item>
      <NamePattern old="Template_%">Copy_%</NamePattern>
      <IgnoreAttribute>GDS</IgnoreAttribute>
      <IgnoreDescription>GDSS</IgnoreDescription>
      <IgnoreNonDefaultAttributes/>
    </Transformations>
  </Config>
</Configs>


To configure a view that includes a trace back to the original you will need to use the optional <TraceTopPartType> tag.

  1. Go to File > Configure the explorer. 
  2. On the Item views tab, select Clone item. 
  3. Click View example XML and copy the script (shown above) as a starting point for your configuration. 
  4. Click Edit configuration and paste the script in the Edit XML window. (If there are existing <Config> sections there, just add this new config below them within the <Configs> tag.) 
  5. Modify the script to meet your needs.
  6. Click OK. 
  7. When you are ready to test and make it available to users, checkmark the Active box.

    The below example is for cloning Architecture items (3PTA) only and only includes cloning one part type (XESX). Items A-D indicated below are important elements to configure at a minimum.

    id: This is required and must be unique within the configuration.

    Caption: Name the view. This will appear on the Items ribbon tab as a one-click option for users to use this view. (A)
    RibbonGroup: Enter a name (existing or new) for the ribbon group where the new view option button will appear. (B)
    TopItemType: Enter the SID for the item type for which this view will apply, i.e., be available. (C)
    IsEditable: Enter False if users will not be allowed to edit the view. Enter True if users should be able to edit the view.
    TraceTopPartType: Enter the part SID to be used to link the new item to the original item. This part will be created when the new item is created. (D)


Note: The part type specified in the TraceTopPartType should already exist in the meta model. If it does not, it must be added in order for the cloning to be successful. For example, if you are cloning an architecture item to create a new architecture item, a part type that links an architecture type item to another architecture type item must exist. 

View Link to Origin using the Clone Item View

Once the new Clone item view option is configured, users will see the option on the Items ribbon when they select an item of the type specified in the TopItemType tag. 

  1. Click the menu option on the Items ribbon. The example configuration provided above is shown below as Trace Clone.

  2. Select a library using the Select library or Use original library options. 

  3. Click Clone.

  4. The new item will load. (You can verify this by viewing the Creation Date in Overview.) 

  5. To view the part tracing it back to its origin, select the Parts view. The below screenshot shows the new TRAC part linking the new architecture item to the original architecture item.


Tip: You can also add a description reference link to the original item in the clone's Description by copying the original item and hitting Ctrl+V in the clone's description: 



Select Paste object as a description reference to create a link: 


What's Next? 

To learn about options for comparing the original item with the clone, see Comparing a Clone and the Original Using Compare View. In addition, you can learn more about the Clone view, and available optional elements such as Transformations in Configuring the Clone Item View or the Help: