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Linking to external information in IBM Integration Designer

You can include a link to an external source by pasting the link into the Description field of a business object.

When you work with a business object, you might need to provide a link to related information that is outside of the IBM Integration Designer environment.

For example, you might want to link to a website or a wiki page. You can also refer to a change request stored in a change management system or a test case in a quality management system. These kinds of links can be used to achieve traceability or provide details about the fixes and features that went into a new process application snapshot.

Documenting resources


Adding a link

You can add a link to an external resource in a process application or toolkit description.


Procedure

To add a link to an external source:

  1. Log in to IBM Integration Designer and then select a data (XSL) or interface (WSDL) file.

  2. Select the artifact for which you want to add a link to an external resource and click the Overview tab, or open the Properties editor.

  3. Click the Documentation Edit link.

  4. To add a link, click the Insert Link icon on the toolbar and complete the fields in the Add Link window. When you access a specific content source, you might be prompted to log in to the source. You must log in with a user ID and password that provides access to that content source. The link source must be registered as a remote content source with Process Center using the Create Registration option. For more information about registering a remote content source, see Use remote assets.

    In Process Center, the attachment link type is available only when you create a new snapshot, or edit an existing snapshot. When you create a new snapshot, you can create the attachment link either to an existing design file, or to a new file. When you edit an existing snapshot, you can create the attachment link only to an existing design file. Also, when you create an attachment link to a new file:

    • The files that you add must be 100 MB or less.

    • The name of the file that you add must be less than 64 alphanumeric characters.

    • The accumulated total file size for a process application must be less than 600 megabytes.

  5. Optional: You can specify the relationship type of the link and the asset type that the link is associated to. The asset types are determined by the type of content source that you are using in your project. When you select a link type, it can be modified by any asset type that you select.

    For example, if you select Implements as the relationship type and Defect as the asset type, the description of the artifact is modified with an option that defines the link as implementing a defect. The link displays as a defect. The following table identifies the default link and asset types.

    Link options
    Type Description
    Link Type  
    Unspecified No specific link type is specified
    Affected by Defines the link target as affected what is defined by the selected asset type
    Implements Defines the link target as implementing what is defined by the selected asset type
    Related to Defines the link target as associated to what is defined by the selected asset type
    Resolves Defines the link target as resolving what is defined by the selected asset type
    Tested by Defines the link target as tested by what is defined by the selected asset type
    Uses Defines the link target as using what is defined by the selected asset type
    Asset Type  
    Unspecified No specific asset type is specified
    Change Request Defines the asset type as a change request
    Defect Defines the asset type as a defect
    Requirement Defines the asset types a project requirement
    Service Defines the asset type as a service that can be implemented
    Test Defines the asset type as a test


Editing an existing link

When you have your link setup, you might need to update the link or change it to a new link.


Procedure

To edit an existing link:

  1. Log in to IBM Integration Designer and select a data (XSL) or interface (WSDL) file.

  2. Select the artifact for which you want to edit a link to an external resource and then click the Overview tab, or open the Properties editor.

  3. Click Edit in the Overview tab or the Properties editor.
  4. Place the cursor on the link and click the link text. You can now edit the link or the link name in the Edit Link window.