Structure a Document's Work Items

Creating hierarchically structured Work Items is as easy as using different indent levels. For example suppose you have two paragraphs marked as Requirements, and the second paragraph is a subrequirement of the first. Simply indent the second paragraph. Behind the scenes, Polarion automatically takes care of linking the two Work Item artifacts with the correct link role, and people viewing them in the integrated Tracker will see the links and the relationship.

If you change your mind and decide the two paragraphs are not hierarchical, simply unindent the child paragraph and save the Document. Again, all linking operations of the underlying artifacts are handled automatically. You simply keep working with your document.

Suppose you have two paragraphs marked as Requirements and you decide that the second Requirement is neither a subrequirement, nor a separate requirement, but rather part of the first. Simply merge the two paragraphs just as you would with paragraphs or bullet-list items in Word. The content of the second Requirement is automatically unmarked as a Work Item, any structural linking is removed, and the content appears as part of the first Requirement. If the Document was saved after the second Requirement was created, then after the merge the underlying Work Item artifact is still maintained in the underlying repository and appears in the Recycle Bin pane of the Document sidebar. This enables maximum flexibility during the Document's development process. For example, you may later decide that a merged Requirement actually belongs in a different Document. You could delete the relevant paragraph from the combined Work Item, and move the original Work Item (now in the Document's Recycle Bin) to the other Document. When the Document is near completion, you can clean up any Work Items in the Recycle Bin that you are sure you no longer need. For information, see Recycle Bin.

You can also move content marked as a Work Item within the document via Cut/Paste. It works just like moving content in Word. Simply select the entire text of the marked Work Item, cut it to your clipboard, and paste it back into the Document wherever you want it.

Modify structure using the Tracker interface

You can also modify the structure of the items using the Table view of the Work Items topic, which you can open from the Document Editor toolbar.

Using that interface, you can:

  • Move an existing Work Item so that:

    • It is the first or last child of another Work Item in the same Document.

    • It is placed before or after another Work Item in the same Document, under the same parent item.

  • Create a new child Work Item as the last child of the current Work Item in the same Document.

  • Create a sibling Work Item on the same hierarchical level as the current Work Item in the same Document.

To move an existing Work Item:

  1. Select it in the Table view.

  2. On the Work Item Editor toolbar invoke Move.

  3. In the Move Work Item(s) dialog, use the In Document Structure option to specify where you want to move the current Work Item.

Note:

The move operation moves any existing subtree, not just the selected item(s).

Both contained and referenced Work Items can be moved within a Document using the Table interface.

See also Move Work Items.

To create a new sibling Work Item:

  1. Select an item in the Table view that is on the same hierarchical level as the new item you want to create.

  2. On the Work Item Editor toolbar invoke Create Sibling Work Item

  3. On the submenu, select the type for the new item. The menu enables you to select only the type(s) configured for the Document that contains the currently selected Work Item. For example, if the Document is configured to contain only Requirements, that will be the only submenu item. If it is configured to contain Requirements and Tasks, both will appear as submenu items.