The information in SystemWeaver can be displayed in various types of views, and also exported as reports and documents using a built-in report generator. Many of the views are configurable using a script that defines what and how the information is presented. This article provides an overview of the basic SystemWeaver scripting methods.

Basic SystemWeaver Script Language

With the basic SystemWeaver Script Language, a set of available XML tags is used to traverse a SystemWeaver model and print or display wanted information. The SystemWeaver Script Language is basically declarative, i.e., it tells what should be done, rather than how, for the input that is given. So, the output is controlled by both the input objects – item and part structures – and the configuration. 


A configuration, e.g., for a report, chart, mapping view, etc., starts operating on the specific item that the script is configured for, and can then start operating on that item’s part structure, i.e., traverse the model, going through the part structure, going to referenced issues, etc. At any given moment, an element operates on a "current item" (or "current object", "current issue", etc.).   When traversing the model, specific tags can be used for switching the current item. For example, the DefObj tag switches item to the DefObj item of the current part. In general, the current item defines the context of the view; the "world" that the script can access. The definition of the current item follows the script structure, and is a static property within the specific view element.


The available XML tags are applicable to either all views, or to a specific view. They are grouped accordingly in the reference manual in the application Help as shown below. 



You'll find explanations for how to configure views using the Script Language on the portal as well as in the application Help. We also offer training courses through SystemWeaver Academy.

SystemWeaver Contexts

Contexts can be used to generate information within a context which is not possible to do with the basic Script Language alone. With contexts, you build a virtual context tree with only the information of interest. 

<Context name="context1">
    <ItemGroup name="" select=""/>
    <ItemGroup name="" select=""/>
    <AddParts owner="" sid="" part="" defobj=""/>
    <AddParts owner="" sid="" part="" defobj=""/>       
</Context>

See Introduction to SystemWeaver Contexts to learn more.

Additional Configuration Elements

Aside from the XML tags mentioned above, there are a number of other configuration elements that you can use in the SystemWeaver Script Language where supported: 

  • Field codes
  • Filters
  • Functions
  • Path Queries
  • Path Query Language
  • Sorting

The XML Editor

SystemWeaver uses an XML adapted editor for viewing and editing of scripts.

A Note on Script Performance

When a view is loaded by a user, the script will read from the user's client cache whenever possible. It works from the selected item and always starts in a context. If data cannot be found in the cache, then it will need to retrieve data from the server. It is as if you are viewing something new in a structure, but is still handled within the context of the selected tree structure. To ensure you are scripting in a way that provides best possible performance for users, we recommend you review the Architect Guidelines for Optimizing Performance.

Reference Guide

Although we do publish configuration examples on our Support Portal, you'll find the complete reference manual in the application Help to be an important resource during configuration work.


What's Next? 

Learn more about view configuration.