Latest revision as of 11:24, 23 May 2011

Launching Model Comparison

Both Model Compare methods (numeric and graphic) can be launched from Global Folder View using mouse popup. It works almost in a same way than Beyond Compare tool. First user has to select first model to be compared (Select Side To Compare) and then other model to be compared with (Compare to... / Numeric Compare of Models...).

Also currently active model (visible in the graph) can be straightly compared by selecting another model from the Global Folder View via mouse popup and choosing 'Compare Loaded Model Against...'. This method compares currently active model with chosen one.

Model Compare Wizard

Model Compare Wizard is a user friendly help tool to obtain the wanted comparison style. Wizard appears on the screen immediately when two model has been selected to be compared. UI of the Model Comparison Wizard looks like following:

File:AgileBrowser MC.jpg

Switching models and/or selecting local models

Model Compare Wizard automatically selects older model to be Model A (compare) and newer to be Model B (compare to). This is because then added/removed indications for elements will go as they should. Despite of this automatic swapping user can swap the models ('Swap models...' button in the middle of models). Also from the wizard user is able to select some local model to be as model A or model B. Later on also selecting another model from the model repository (Global Folder View) to be as model A or model B will be supported.

Including dependencies and/or attribute files

Default is that no other settings are included in model compare. This is because reducing the time spent to processing the model comparison. But it is possible to add dependency comparison by selecting 'Include Dependencies' and also attribute files can be included in comparison. Wizard automatically offers all the attribute files that can be found from the model repository (Global Folder View).

D in last column stands for default attribute files and O stands for optional attributes. Optional attribute files are located under 'optional' folder in model repository and default attribute files are located in a same folder than the model is.

Attribute files are in pairs (if the same attribute file can be found from both models). If one is selected, then the matching attribute file is automatically selected, but user can deselect the other pair if needed.

A in second column means that the attribute file was found for model A and B means that the attribute file was found for model B. If compared models are swapped then also the table for attribute files will be updated.

Also it is possible to choose some local attribute file ('Import Local Attribute File'). User chooses the wanted attribute file (.csv) from local directory and then selects the models where selected attribute file will be injected. See Attribute File Format for detailed information about attribute files.

Model Comparison Results

Results from model comparison are displayed in two ways for the end user. Results are in textual format (combination of tables) and in graphic format (displayed in graph view). In both ways user is able to "dig in" to see more detailed information of the results.

Table based results

Table based results appears on the screen when model comparison is ready. Results looks like following:

File:AgileBrowser mctable1.jpg

Red color indicates that there is some difference between elements in model A and model B (attribute and/or dependency and/or element changes). Textual style indicates what is different between elements.

• Bolded red means that SW element contains attribute changes.
• Italic red means that SW element contains dependency changes.
• Underline red means that SW element contains element changes (child changes).

Table results contains two ways for filtering result data from the table: dropdown filtering and normal filtering.

Dropdown filtering includes following ready-made filters:

• Show all displays all the SW elements found in the comparison.
• Show no orphans displays all the SW elements that can be found from the both selected builds. Ignores elements that can found only from other build.
• Show left orphans displays all the SW elements that are only found from the left-hand side model.
• Show right orphans displays all the SW elements that are only found from the right-hand side model.
• Show orphans displays all the orphan SW elements (that can only be found from other build.
• Show differences displays all the SW elements that differ in the comparison (attribute differ, dependency differ, child element differ). Including orphan elements.
• Show differences but no orphans displays all the SW elements that differ. Excluding orphan elements.
• Show only differences due to element attribute changes displays all the SW elements where has been some attribute changes.
• Show only differences due to element content (children) displays all the SW elements where has been some changes in element content (children content).
• Show only differences due to dependency changes displays all the SW elements where has been some changes in dependencies.
• Show elements with major differencies displays the most changed 20% of all SW elements (uses change_count attribute which is counted as a sum of all changes in element (attribute, dependency and element children).

Normal filtering filters only the items that contains the typed text.

Info Field (lowest text field) displays summary of the selected comparison row. It displays what attributes has changed, what dependencies has been changed and what element content changes has been made.

Mouse Actions:

• Single mouse click on a item selects the current comparison row and displays the summary of the comparison in the Info Field.
• Double mouse click on a item shows the clicked element as a graph in Agile Browser's graph view.
• Mouse popup menu is used for getting Single element comparison. First again by selecting element 'Left Side to Compare' and then another element 'Compare to'.

Single element comparison

Single element compares two SW elements. It gives more detailed information about the comparison than the Model Comparison's Info Field. It displays all the attributes, all the child elements and all the dependencies of the selected SW elements and compares those to each other in very detailed level. As a result it calculates Total Match percentage to inform user how close the elements are for each other.

Following image shows how Single element comparison looks like:

File:AgileBrowser mcsingle1.jpg

Green color indicates that the attribute and/or child element and/or dependency is same in the both elements. Red color indicates that there are some differencies. By double clicking attribute row or dependency row, user can see even more detailed information about the elements how they differ from each other. Figure below indicates detailed attribute information (double clicked the red attribute row from the single element comparison).

File:AgileBrowser mcdetailedattribute.jpg

Graphical results

Graphical model comparison results are displayed immediately after comparison is ready. Graphic results work in a same way than a normal graph. User can dig into model by double clicking element, by entering some search query to Search Field and maybe increase/decrease detail and dependency level.

Only differ to the normal graph model is that in comparison model colors are used by default. Different color are used to indicate if element is added/removed/moved/changed from the other model. Symbols and meanings for colors can be found from the Legend View.

Figure below illustrates how graphic results are displayed in the graph view.

File:AgileBrowser mcgraphic.jpg