UX in Object Migration tool

What UX options are in the Object Migration tool? Our foundation IBM® TRIRIGA® Object Migration tool enables you to "migrate the objects such as business objects, forms, and workflows" to other IBM TRIRIGA environments. From there, you can use your migrated objects. Within this foundation tool, you can select a UX option such as the Application or Web Component option.

Contents

I. Application

To support our UX framework, you can select the Application option to search for and add UX applications to your export package. During export, all UX metadata related to the application, such as the model-and-view, model, and data sources, plus all UX application view files related to the web view metadata with a Component Type of VIEW, such as HTML, JS (JavaScript), and CSS files, will be automatically added to the package.

By default, all foundation objects that the UX application depends on, will be automatically added. The foundation objects will include queries, workflows, lists, modules, business objects, and forms. For queries and workflows, any dependent queries and workflows will be added n-levels deep.

If you return to the export package at a later time, the navigation tree won't show the UX metadata and UX view files that were automatically added to the package. But if you select the package for import, the navigation tree will now show all of the UX metadata and UX view files.

II. Web component

Similarly, you can select the Web Component option to search for and add UX web components to your export package. By default, during export, only the selected web view metadata with a Component Type that is not equal to VIEW, such as APPLICATION, BUILDING_BLOCK, CORE, and PLATFORM will be added to the package.

As of IBM TRIRIGA Application Platform 3.6.0, if needed, you can show, search for, and add web view metadata with a Component Type of VIEW.

a. Description of web component types

Component type Description
APPLICATION These application "building blocks" are function-specific app-building components for use by any or all UX apps.
BUILDING_BLOCK These platform "building blocks" are generic app-building components for use by any or all UX apps.
CORE These core platform components are not shown to users.
PLATFORM These platform components are generic app-building components for use by any or all UX apps. They are more advanced than "building blocks".
VIEW These application view files are related to the web view metadata, such as HTML, JS (JavaScript), and CSS files, in a UX app.

b. Web View Metadata > Component Type

Web View Metadata > Component Type

III. Object export

To track your latest changes before you perform the export, you can create revisions for any UX metadata objects that you changed and saved, such as an Application, Model, or Web View.

The Create Revision action saves your changes and applies the In Progress object label to the UX metadata component and all of its dependent children components. For bulk changes to multiple UX metadata components, the Create Revision For Selected action and Create All Needed Revisions action are available on the landing page of the related UX app designer tool. Then you can apply a custom object label to these modified objects in the Object Label Manager.

Note: As of IBM TRIRIGA Application Platform 3.6.0, "snapshots" are called "revisions", and the Create Revision action also saves the UX metadata.

Here are the basic steps for an Application or Web Component export:

  • Open the Object Migration tool.

  • Create a new export package.

  • Search for objects with your parameters.

    • Select the Application object type. Click Search.
    • The Object Name is cleared so that dependents aren't filtered.
    • Or select the Web Component object type. Click Search.
  • Select and add objects to the export package.

    • If needed, create revisions by drilling down into the highlighted objects and clicking Create Revision.
  • Perform the export.

Note: Be aware not to confuse the Application object type in the Object Migration tool with the APPLICATION component type in the web view metadata.

a. Object Migration > Search for objects

Object Migration > Search for objects

b. Object Migration > Component Type

Object Migration > Component Type

c. Object Migration > Revision needs to be created

Object Migration > Revision needs to be created

IV. Search for dependents

As I mentioned earlier, you can select the Application object type to search for and add UX applications, including all UX metadata and foundation objects that they depend on, to your export package. If your search finds the Application object type, the Include Dependents check box is selected by default. If your search finds other foundation object types, this check box will not apply.

Here are more advanced steps to limit the dependent foundation objects:

  • Open the Object Migration tool.

  • Create a new export package.

  • Search for objects with your parameters.

    • Select the Application object type. Click Search.
    • The Object Name is cleared so that dependents aren't filtered.
  • Clear the Include Dependents check box.

  • Select any search results. Click Find Dependents.

  • Select and add dependent foundation objects to the export package.

    • If needed, create revisions by drilling down into the highlighted objects and clicking Create Revision.
  • Perform the export.

Note: Be aware that the Object Name is automatically cleared after each search, so that dependent foundation objects aren't filtered and they're all available if needed. Meanwhile, you cannot limit the dependent UX metadata of the application, because it is always added to the package.

a. Object Migration > Search for dependents

Object Migration > Search for dependents

V. Object import

Here are the basic steps for an Application or Web Component import:

  • Open the Object Migration tool.

  • Select a new import package.

  • Review or remove any unwanted objects from the import package.

  • Validate the package.

    • Select Wait to perform the validation synchronously.
    • Or select Background to perform the validation asynchronously.
  • If the validation passes, compare the uploaded and existing objects.

  • When the comparison is completed, perform the import.

Note: During import, if an Application or Web Component object exists in the target environment, a revision of the object will be created in the target environment. Also, to prepare a clean target, all UX metadata that is related to the specific Application or Web Component object in the target environment, but isn't included in the import package, will be deleted.

VI. Object compare

Here are the basic steps to compare uploaded and existing UX metadata:

  • Open the Object Migration tool.

  • Select a new import package.

  • In the Navigation panel, select or open a UX metadata folder.

    • Select Application, Model, or Model and View.
  • In the Objects panel, select a UX metadata object. Click Compare.

  • Expand any UX metadata object levels if needed.

    • Red text means the object is in the target, but not the package.
    • Green text means the object is in the package, but not the target.
Note: Be aware that while the binary files attached to the Web View File metadata object, such as HTML, JS (JavaScript), and CSS files, are compared, the tool only shows whether the files are the same or different, nothing more.

VII. Object download

As of IBM TRIRIGA Application Platform 3.6.0, if differences are reported on the UX content files, such as HTML, JS (JavaScript), and CSS files, then to determine the exact differences, you can download the content files and compare the content file versions by using an HTML "diff" tool.

Here are the basic steps to download UX content files:

  • Open the Object Migration tool.

  • Select a new import package.

  • In the Navigation panel, select or open a UX metadata folder.

    • Select Web Component or Web View File.
  • In the Objects panel, select one or more UX content files. Click Download Content For Selected.

Note: The downloaded ZIP file includes the OM folder and System folder. The OM folder contains the source content files, while the System folder contains the target content files. Next, you can compare the content file versions by using an HTML "diff" tool. For information on comparing UX metadata, see Compare and merge HTML/JS views.

a. Object Migration > Download UX content

Object Migration > Download UX content