Oct
28
28
Howto document your User Workspace Environment
In RES PowerFuse you can create documentation based on the Instant Report function. But what a lot of people don’t know is that you also can create your own reports based on XML content.
In this blog we want to show you how to use both way’s of creating documentation within RES PowerFuse
Instant Report
Instant Reports allow you to document any part of RES PowerFuse with a single click.
To document your entire RES PowerFuse environment, right-click the top node in the tree on the main screen of the Management Console and select Create Instant Report…
To document only a part of the environment, navigate through the tree displayed on the left side of the main screen and highlight the appropriate section. Right-click this section and select
Create Instant Report… (or right-click the right pane and select Create Instant Report)
Create Instant Report… (or right-click the right pane and select Create Instant Report)
Browsing through the Instant Report is quick and easy with the Internal bookmark links. The Table of Contents on the left side allows you to navigate through the bookmarks. Click a specific node and display the corresponding page on the right side. Saving the report enables you to create a .pdf file for quick delivery via e-mail or for viewing in the Adobe Acrobat Reader. This feature does not require additional software to create the .pdf file. If you open the .pdf file with Adobe Acrobat Reader, the same Table of Contents will be available as bookmarks.
The Create Instant Report… option does not allow you to select several sections or applications at once. To create a report with only certain sections, right-click the main screen and Select items for Instant Report. This will expand the view of the tree on the left side with check boxes where you can select or clear a portion of the tree. Every selected item will be included in the Instant Report. Additionally, the application list includes check boxes for each individual application. Clear any application that you do not want to be included in the Instant Report.
To create an Instant Report of the selected sections, right-click the main screen and select Create Instant Report of selected items… Again, a Table of Contents will be listed on the left side. To restore the tree to its previous view, right-click the main screen and clear the option Select items for Instant Report .
In addition, you may include the following items in the Instant Report:
- An extra page that contains the Table of Contents with a list of page numbers
- An extra cover page with a customized title
- Empty reports with non-configured settings
These items are configured in the Instant Report Settings option in the tree.
Self defined reports
Using Building Blocks
Use the Building Blocks feature to transport configuration settings from one RES PowerFuse environment to another, for example for backup or system integration purposes. A Building Block is an .xml file that contains all properties of a specific setting or feature. The Building Blocks feature allows you to:
- Use, reuse and edit an entire RES PowerFuse environment or specific parts of it
- Backup the configuration of an entire RES PowerFuse environment: paper backups become obsolete with Building Blocks
- Manage Change Management policies
- Create predefined Building Blocks, based on best practices
- Edit a
nd create Building Blocks manually by using an external XML-editor
How to create a Building Block of a particular setting or feature.
- Click in the active window and click Create Building Block.
- Alternatively, right-click the window and click Create Building Block.
- Specify a file name and location in the file save dialog and click Save.
How to create a Building Block of items in Application Management.
- Open the Application Management node.
- Right-click the item in the right pane, point to Building Blocks and click Create.
How to create a Building Block of selected items.
- Click Action in the menu bar and click Select items for Building
Blocks. This will expand the tree with check boxes. - Alternatively, right-click the tree and click Select items for Building Blocks.
- Select any item that should be included in the Building Block(s).
- Right-click the main window and click Create Building Blocks of
selected items. This will open the Building Blocks window. - Select whether to create a single Building Block file that contains all selected items or a separate Building Block for each selected item.
Use XML to create reports.
We just created a Building Block in an .xml file that contains all properties of a specific setting or feature. .xml files are a standard in the market. Because .xml format is a standard the content of an .xml files can be used in other applications.
Based on the Building Blocks documentation for RES PowerFuse can be created in Microsoft Excel (or with an other XML compatible program). How to import a Building Block in Microsoft Excel 2003.
- Open an Excel workbook
- Click Data in the menu bar and click XML.. Import
- Select a RES PowerFuse Building Block to import
- Select the Worksheet to import the data to
The data can be modified directly in Excel. With Excel format you can customize the layout to your own needs.
How to import a Building Block in Microsoft Excel 2007.
- Open an Excel workbook
- Click Data in the menu bar and click From other Sources and
click From XML Data Import. - Select a RES PowerFuse Building Block to import
- Ignore the message about missing schema
- Select the Worksheet to import the data to
The data can be modified directly in Excel. With Excel format you can customize the layout to your own needs.
When the XML content is imported in Excel you can create you layout for you documentation.
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