How to set up shareable access on a module

Answer

DOORS supports exclusive and shared modes for editing formal modules.
If many users need simultaneous write access to a module, then they require shareable edit.
Before you can share a module with other users, you must divide it into lockable sections.

A section can be a single object or an object tree.
A section is defined by a root object that has specific access rights set.
Typically you set specific rights on a chapter or a section heading, and those rights apply to all the objects within that chapter or section.

-- There are two ways of setting up editable sections:
1. Divide a module into editable sections based on its current object section levels. For example, you can make an editable section for each level 1 section. Or you can make an editable section for each level 2 section.

2. Create custom editable sections by stopping objects from inheriting their access rights. An editable section is created for each object that does not inherit its access, and its ancestors. The following illustration shows how custom editable sections work.

-- Instructions to setup the module in shareable edit:

1. Open the module in exclusive edit mode.
2. Click Tools > Setup for Sharing.
3. Select the section level that you want to make editable sections for, and then click OK.

Following is a link to the DOORS info center that has more detail:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSYQBZ_9.6.1/com.ibm.doors.requirements.doc/topics/t_createeditablesections.html?lang=en

Note: If you later add a section at the specified level, you must manually create an editable section for it. For example, if you made editable sections at level 1 and you add a level 1 section, you must make a custom editable section for the new level 1 section.

To create custom editable sections, open the module in exclusive edit mode, and select the object where you want a new editable section to start. Open the object properties sheet (right-click Properties) and select the Access tab. Clear Inherit from parent and click OK.

Note: Do not set up editable sections unless you need them. Performance gets poorer as the number of editable sections increases because each editable section is stored in a separate file in the database.

If you do not set specific object access rights, the module access is inherited by all the objects.
It is very cumbersome to manually set specific access rights to all sections of a module, especially where the module is large. There is a built in tool available from the Module Tools menu named Setup for Sharing.

An alternative solution would be to use the aclset.dxl script that is included with DOORS.
This can be found in $DOORSHOME\lib\dxl\example\aclset.dxl. This script respects the current display set (such as filtering or levels) and allows you to set specific access rights for those objects, enabling them to be locked in shareable mode.

After you have set up the display that you want to have specific access rights, run the script and the access rights will be set and the module will re-open in shareable mode.