Preparing for DoorScope

Hi,

I'm new to DoorScope and this forum. We're preparing to try DoorScope, but I'm unclear how to provide multiple users with just the Viewer.

In my use-case, I would store the .dsdx files on a server and have other users view the files remotely. How would I deploy just the Viewer portion of DoorScope to the client stations?

--Keith

Hi Keith
Welcome to the forum.


I rather would recommend to setup a dsdb file with all modules needed by your users and a decent folder structure. You would then deploy this dsdb rather than a bunch of dsdx. Otherwise your users have to setup the dsdb and import the dsdx themselves which is possible but needs more skills.


DoorScope is a single binary executable (e.g. like WebEx). This means you can just download, unpack and double-click without any installation or admin privileges. If your users are proficient enough to do that themselves, you can simply send them the link (http://doorscope.ch/download/DoorScope_1.1.3_win32.zip) and the dsdb file (see above). If your users work on a common server/deployment, you could copy DoorScope.exe to the program folder and associate the dsdb with it, so it immediately opens when the user double-clicks the dsdb. I would recommend to have the dsdb on a local drive; even if it works well when on a network drive the local way is faster.

Hope this helps.

Thank you, Rochus.
At my company we are still studying how to implement DoorScope. After studying the existing documentation, I had to make a conceptual diagram for clarification.

Here is my understanding of the process:
We start from a workstation that is already running DOORS. Next, we install DoorScope on that workstation. At this point, two actions take place. First, we run the DXL script against our .DMA file(s). The second is to launch the DoorScope program. The DXL script ultimately produces the selected files as DSDX format. The DSDX files reside in a folder (we are unclear of the location of the DSDX repository ???). Running the DoorScope program enables us to create an empty folder and then to select DSDX files. Clicking "Open" in the dialog box coverts the DSDX file to DSDB. At this point, I would then copy the DSDB files to a file server so that other individuals could access those files using the DoorScope Viewer.

Thank you for your efforts to develop and support DoorScope.

--Keith

You're welcome.


Some minor clarifications. DoorScope consists of two executables: the DoorScope ETL tool and the DoorScope viewer. The ETL tool works together with the DXL script. You run the DXL in a DOORS client, either from within a module or from the DOORS explorer. The further produces one dsdx. The latter as many modules as are contained in the selected folder (including subfolders). By the way the DXL script operates directly on the DOORS database, not on DMA files.


The folder where the DSDX are put can be configured from within the ETL tool (see menues).


When you start DoorScope, you first see a file selector box. Either select an existing DSDB or simply type a name of a new one which then will be created in the selected folder when pressing the "open" button. Here is a tutorial which guides you through these steps: http://doorscope.ch/Tutorial%20-%20How%20to%20create%20a%20new%20repository%20and%20i mport%20documents.pdf. DoorScope works extensively with context menus (right click). The DSDX are imported by the context menu command "Import Document".

Hope this helps.