| Viewing the relationships among files in a project |
In Navigator, right-click the project, and choose Show Relationship Overview. The report editor displays a project model diagram, as shown in
Figure 22‑5. The diagram shows all the BIRT files in the project, and the relationships among them.
Figure 22‑5 Project model diagram
The diagram in
Figure 22‑5 shows the following files and relationships:
ProductSalesDetails.rptdesign does not depend on any files.
Employee.rptdesign depends on MyLibrary.rptlibrary.
SalesByProductLine.rptdesign depends on MyLibrary.rptlibrary and ClassicModels_Sales.datadesign.
You can zoom the diagram, print it, or save it as an image. Right-click in an empty space in the diagram to access these options. You can edit the layout of the diagram by moving objects.
You can also add notes to any item in the diagram. For example, if a report depends on a library, it would be useful to list the specific element or elements in the library that the report uses. Hover the mouse pointer over the item. When you see two arrows with boxes, as shown in
Figure 22‑6, click one of the arrows and drag the line to an area in which to create a note. When you release the mouse button, a Create Note Attachment button appears. Click it to create a note.
Figure 22‑6 Creating a note in the project model diagram
Figure 22‑7 shows a note created for Employees.rptdesign. If you add notes, save the diagram as an image file or print it. The notes are lost when you close the view or regenerate the diagram.
Figure 22‑7 Note added to the project model diagram
The impact-analysis tools can be used in a BIRT project only. They are not available in other types of projects, such as Java or plug-in projects. In Navigator, a BIRT project is identified with a B symbol in the corner of the project icon.
Furthermore, the project model diagram and impact report show the file dependencies between BIRT files only, such as data objects, information objects, libraries, and reports. Non-BIRT files, such as JAR, CSS, and image files, that reports might use are not included in the project model diagram or impact report.
