Copyright: Copyright © 1997 PierSoft
Citation: Copyright © 1997 PierSoft


Contents
LIFETIME PROJECT ASSISTANT

Lifetime Project Assistant (LPA) is a set of utilities to assist in Delphi application development. It is operated via a Toolbar that gives access to the following modules and utilities:

Features

ToolBar

ProbLog

Form and Unit Exploder

User Configuration is set via the following two buttons available from the ToolBar:

Options

Lookup table maintenance

The Event Log allows you to view run-time errors generated by LifeTime.

Tips

Other Notes

Glossary

Technical Support

Registration


ProbLog
USING PROBLOG

Problog enables you to easily log bugs, enhancements requests, and documentation notes that arise in the course of developing an application.

How to add problems

Resolving and Verifying problems

Using the filters

Preparing reports

Using Find and Find Next


FORM AND UNIT EXPLODER

Use these buttons to quickly open and close all the forms or units in a project.

This facility is useful for the following reasons:

1/ When developing across Delphi platforms the dfm form files may retain invalid properties until they are refreshed by opening them. Recompilation of a form without opening it first may succeed, but will cause a runtime error if an invalid property is found when the dfm file is streamed in.

2/ When database development is carried out without using BDE aliases (ie, db access is configured via a TDatabase component only) and the target platform is different to the development platform. Tables left open in closed forms will cause the database to be opened with the coded defaults prior to the database open code fires in your application. If the database


LPA OPTIONS

This dialogue allows you to configure the location of the LifeTime database.

It also allows you to disconnect and reconnect to the database.

If you fail to log in to LifeTime correctly when you first open the ToolBar within a session you can use this to check your configuration before trying to log in again.

Configuring the Database:

For single-user, single platform access the best performance is gained from a connection the Local Interbase server.

If you are connecting to a remote IB server from 16-bit Delphi you should use TCP/IP (or IPX/SPX for a netware server).

There are known performance problems with connecting to a remote server via NETBEUI and the 16-bit IB client dll's.

If you are connecting to a remote IB server running on NT from a 32-bit client platform then NETBEUI is recommended for the best performance. However, if the IB server is running on WIN95 then you must use TCP/IP.

Driver:

"INTRBASE" is the only option.

Protocol:

Choose from TCP/IP, NETBEUI, IPX or LOCAL depending on the location of your Interbase server.

Server:

If a remote server is used enter its' name here.

Path:

The path to the Lifetime database. eg: "X:\DATADIR\LIFETIMEDIR\". (No quotes.)

Name:

This contains "LIFETIME.GDB" by default. (No quotes.)

Priv Dir:

This must point to a directory that is exclusive of all other users of LifeTime.


LPA Lookup table maintenance
LOOKUP TABLE MAINTENANCE

This dialog allows you to configure the contents of the drop-down lists that appear in the main ProbLog form.

Notes:

1/ This dialogue encapsulates a transaction. Clicking OK will commit all changes to all lookup tables edited since the dialogue is started. Likewise Cancel will rollback all changes made.

2/ There are no explicit restrictions on deleting records, other than the referential integrity imposed by foreign key usage. However, deleting the values used for defaults in the ProbLog form may cause unpredictable behaviour.

Projects

Each time you open ProbLog on to a project that does not exist a new entry is automatically made in this table. The location and description fields are for your information purposes only.

Status

This is the list of values to mark the current status of a problem - LIVE, ONHOLD, RESOLVED, etc.

Type

This list allows you to classify entries by type. eg BUG, ENHANCEMENT, DOCNOTE etc.

Priority

Use this list to prioritise entries by importance.

Forms and Units

This list is automatically extended as you add a form or unit to a project. By default, it automatically adds a reference to the Project Name as well as 'N/A' for entries that are not applicable to a specific unit in a project. The list does not diminish if you remove a unit from your project. If you wish you may add items to this list that are outside of your Delphi project.

You are only presented with the list of forms and units within your currently loaded Delphi project.

Users

This list is created from the information provided be each new user.


OTHER NOTES

1/ ProbLog is intended for recording notes concerning Problems, Bugs, Enhancement requests and Documentation Notes. Throughout this Help file the word PROBLEM or the word ISSUE have been used as an abreviation of this phrase.

2/ IB is used as an abbreviation for Interbase.

3/ LPA is used as an abbreviation for LifeTime Project Assistant.

Lastly, all trademarks are recognised, but we are not obsessive about these things, so it is left to the reader to menatally insert Tm symbols where appropriate.

End of Other notes


TIPS

Quick access to any open window in the Delphi environment can be gained by using alt-0 to bring up the window list. When you have many windows open this is often the faster than navigating the menu to locate an already open window - whether a part of LifeTime or not.

Under 16-bit Delphi, the fly-by hints get swallowed. You just have to guess, play or check out the 32-bit version to see what things do. When using ProbLog, the filters can be set by the menu, and the menu items are in the same order as the filter buttons. Hopefully the graphics on the buttons give a clue as to their purpose.


TOOLBAR

The ToolBar gives quick and easy access to all the features of the LifeTime Project Assistant. It is accessed by choosing the LifeTime option under Help in the Delphi IDE.

When you open LifeTime you will be prompted for a valid Interbase user name and password. These need to be pre-configured via the Interbase server manager. For local interbase you may use "SYSDBA" as the username and "masterkey" as the password. If connecting to a remote interbase server you may need to speak to your database administrator.

The following options are available via push buttons:

ProbLog

Options

Maintain

EventLog

Form and Unit Exploder

In addition, you may also use mouse button two or shift-F10 to bring up a popup menu which has the following additional commands:

Count Lines

Help (This help file)

About (The About Lifetime dialogue box).


COUNT LINES

This option does a quick count of all the lines of all the files listed in your project uses statement. It does not discount white lines. However, it is useful as a rough and ready indication of how many lines are in your project.


FEATURES

LifeTime is:

o	Integrated into the Delphi IDE.
o	Multi-user.
o	Available for all Delphi and C++ Builder platforms for a single registration fee. (See registration details for multi-user pricing.)

ProbLog Features:

o	When a new problem is logged it 'knows' which form or unit you are working on.
o	Facility to classify problems and enhancement requests by priority.
o	Up-to-date indication of problem status.
o	Allows wide variety of filters to allow easy grouping of problems.
o	Detailed Reports and Listings available.
Intended Usage

ProbLog was conceived to be used primarily for the following situations:

While developing major portions of your application minor bugs are discovered that do not impact on current development work. ProbLog allows you to quickly note them and get on with solving the real show-stoppers. When your application is nearer to completion you can use it to systematically group outstanding issues and resolve them

When a client reviews the progress of an application they will almost certainly uncover a host of bugs and things that don't work quite right, as well as come up with a lot of enhancements and feature requests that they would like to see. ProbLog enables you to get all this down in one place and integrate it within your development cycle.

Design Philosophy

ProbLog is conceived to be a simple but functional tool to enable easy logging and retreval of outstanding issues in Delphi project development. It has not been developed to integrate with version control systems. Issues and their subsequent resolution are tracked by date only. There is currently no facility to record which build of your project the issue relates to. If there is a significant demand for integration with version control the addition of this option will be considered. However, until then, an issue is either live or it isn't. If it is live it needs to be dealt with. If it isn't it can be ignored.


EVENT LOG

This form enables you to view the events and errors that have been recorded during the use of LifeTime. If a persistent unsolvable error occurs please report this to PierSoft with a sample cutting of the error from this log.

Restrictions

Under the 16-bit version it is impossible to load event logs creater than 32K. In this case you will have to edit the file in a suitable text editor and save the most recent or relevant sections as required. It is stored as Lifetime.log in the temporary directory listed under the Options dialogue.


VCR Buttons
VCR Navigation Buttons


HOW TO ADD PROBLEMS

o	Open the ProbLog form. You will be presented with a grid.
o	Press the Insert button on the navigator bar.
o	The View Record page will appear and the defaults for a new record will be inserted. These include the project you currently have open, and the form or unit that is topmost.
o	Enter a short description of the issue.
o	Choose the type of issue being reported - a bug, or an enhancement request perhaps.
o	Enter in full details of this in the Details memo field.
o	Post the record with the Tick button on the navigator bar.


RESOLVING AND VERIFYING PROBLEMS

When an issue is resolved click on the Resolved On field and press the space bar. Today's date will be entered automatically along with your name. If you wish you may click on the Resolution radio button to bring up the Resolution memo field and enter in details regarding how there resolution of this issue was arrived at.

Follow the same procedure as above when you come to check that the issue really has been resolved.


USING THE FILTERS

The filtering options of ProbLog are a powerful and flexible means by which to review the progress of resolving problems in your project. They work by taking the current record you are viewing as a base.

You may set filters on the following columns:

o	Form and Unit
o	Problem Type
o	Priority
o	Status (live, resolved etc.)
o	User name

The filters are cumulative.

A typical use of them would be to drill down to all the most urgent bugs on a particular form that are unsolved and systematically go through them. Or, prior to releasing a project, to go through all the resolved issues and verify that they are still resolved. The filters help you to work the way you want to work.


PREPARING REPORTS

To produce reports choose File | Print from the menu, or click on the Prepare Report button on the speedbar. The configure report dialogue will appear. You have the following options:

Print current record as a single line

Print current record with full details.

Print all records in current view as a list.(The default option.)

Print all records in current view with full details.

Additionally you can specify the groupings in the report using the drag'n'drop dual list box.

For detailed reports you may also specify printing each record to a single page.

You can now preview or print the report.

You may also set up the printer from the Report Configuration dialogue


USING FIND AND FIND NEXT

This feature allows you to locate a value in a particular column.

It is accessed via Search on the Menu Bar, Ctrl-F and F3 on the keyboard, or from the buttons on the speed bar.


Preview
REPORT PREVIEW

The report preview window allows you to check that the report prior to printing it.

You may use the following keyboard shortcuts:

The arrow keys scroll (as you would expect)

Ctrl+Arrow key accelerates the scrolling.

Page Up and Page Down changes pages.

Esc cancels the preview

(None of this may seem remarkable, except that the functionality does not exist in the default Quick Report v1 Preview form, upon which this is based.)