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March 4, 2026
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Codebeamer 3.2 – Word export: joined test cases not respecting tracker outline order

  • March 4, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 101 views
Hi all,
I’m working on a Word export report in Codebeamer 3.2 where I want to list Requirements together with their linked Test Cases.
The requirement from the report user is that the Test Cases associated with each Requirement must appear in the same sequence/order as in the Test Case tracker outline (i.e. respecting the tracker’s hierarchy/ordering).
However, this order is not respected in the join when I export to Word. The joined Test Cases appear in a different sequence(issue ID desc) and I haven’t found a way to enforce the tracker outline order.
What I have tried so far:
  1. Custom field for sequence number
    • I created a custom field on the Test Case tracker intended to store the sequence/index from the tracker outline and then use that field for sorting.
    • The problem is that this would require a custom API/script to populate and maintain the sequence values, since a computed field does not seem to have access to the item’s position in the tracker outline.
  2. Including the outline in the second query of the Word template
    • In the second query (for the linked Test Cases) I tried to include and sort by the outline field.
    • But the outline order still isn’t respected in the final joined result.
  3. Playing with rendering parameters
    • I tried enabling and disabling the rendering parameter checkbox.ignore.outline.
    • This did not have any visible effect on the order of the joined Test Cases in the Word export.
Question:
Is there a known workaround in Codebeamer 3.2 to ensure that joined items (in this case Test Cases) are exported in the same order as in their tracker outline?
For example:
  • A recommended way to sort joined items by outline or by a stable “sequence” field?
  • A known limitation/bug in 3.2 regarding outline order in Word exports?
Any hints, best practices, or template examples would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

 

Best answer by pshashipreetham

Hi, 

 

This behaviour is actually a known limitation in Codebeamer 3.2 Word exports.

 

When a Word template joins linked items (like Requirements → Test Cases), the export engine does not preserve the tracker outline order. Instead, the joined items are typically returned in internal ID order, which is why the sequence differs from the tracker hierarchy.

A couple of practical workarounds are usually used:

 

1. Sort explicitly in the template query
In the second query (the Test Case query), try sorting using the outline fields, for example:

ORDER BY tracker_outline ASC

or

ORDER BY outline_position ASC

Depending on the schema used in the report query. This sometimes restores the hierarchy order during rendering.

 

2. Use a stable sorting field
If outline sorting still does not apply after the join, the common workaround is to introduce a custom sequence field in the Test Case tracker and populate it with the intended order. Then use that field for sorting in the template query.

 

3. Alternative approach
Instead of relying on the join order, retrieve Test Cases through a separate query already sorted by outline and reference them from the template loop.

So short answer:


The export engine in 3.2 does not automatically respect the tracker outline during joins, and explicit sorting in the template query or a dedicated sequence field is usually required to control the order.

 

Thanks,

1 reply

P
18-Opal
pshashipreetham18-OpalAnswer
18-Opal
March 10, 2026

Hi, 

 

This behaviour is actually a known limitation in Codebeamer 3.2 Word exports.

 

When a Word template joins linked items (like Requirements → Test Cases), the export engine does not preserve the tracker outline order. Instead, the joined items are typically returned in internal ID order, which is why the sequence differs from the tracker hierarchy.

A couple of practical workarounds are usually used:

 

1. Sort explicitly in the template query
In the second query (the Test Case query), try sorting using the outline fields, for example:

ORDER BY tracker_outline ASC

or

ORDER BY outline_position ASC

Depending on the schema used in the report query. This sometimes restores the hierarchy order during rendering.

 

2. Use a stable sorting field
If outline sorting still does not apply after the join, the common workaround is to introduce a custom sequence field in the Test Case tracker and populate it with the intended order. Then use that field for sorting in the template query.

 

3. Alternative approach
Instead of relying on the join order, retrieve Test Cases through a separate query already sorted by outline and reference them from the template loop.

So short answer:


The export engine in 3.2 does not automatically respect the tracker outline during joins, and explicit sorting in the template query or a dedicated sequence field is usually required to control the order.

 

Thanks,

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