Another software code managing question

[STEVEG]

I was asked by someone if PDMLink can handle software code. Isaid I would look into it and get back to him.

I searched the archives. There was a suggestion for zipping all the files into one zip file to control it. Another suggestion was ClearCase. That same person asked about the integration into PDMLink. But that was back in 2006.

Has anyone managed their revision control of software code in PDMLink? Or is it something that is not worth pursuing? I heard a rumour that PTC might be coming out with some tools to manage software code.

Steve G

[ddemay]

Steve,



If you already have ClearCase, I would integrate it so you can have that
association between say your ECAD components and the software used to make
them unique. I have never personally worked on such a configuration.
Windchill with or without PDMLink and ProjectLink is cumbersome to manage
other types of software code. That's not to say someone couldn't build an
easy to use front end that stores it in the system in such a way. It would
and would not make sense for PTC to pursue this. I know that PTC GS onshore
shop in Uniontown, PA is using Subversion and JIRA to manage their
customizations that they deliver to customers engaging global services. A
hook for Subversion to update information in PDMLink is easier than one
might imagine: via a shell script that invokes a command line browser for an
Info*Engine webject.



I could see some long term use benefit to storing software code in the
system and creating some useful apps with their Arbortext suite, but in
principal, most places will choose another tool for this purpose. It would
be great for them to embrace Subversion and MKS like they did ClearCase so
others might benefit from their association without the "irrational"
licensing bill from Rational.





HTH,

Dave

[ptc-568593]

Dear Steve,

I have always found this an interesting question; as a software developer day-to-day source control work will always be with a specialized tool such as Subversion or Clearcase, it would be impossible with PDMLink and for it to try to ever operate at that level of granularity seems highly unlikely. That said the process of development should have a build step which will create a release e.g. v1.0, v1.1 etc. at this point I think PDMLink becomes a valid option. It is quite reasonable to consider the software release as a part of the product structure and so there would be a part and associated document that holds as content the released software. It is possible to even consider automating this, so the build tool (e.g. Ant) automatically updates PDMLink everytime a new build is created, but this is probably not required and could be done by hand.

In certain projects within PTC the software releases are held in ProjectLink so they are closely associated with other aspects of the software,

Best Regards,
Simon

[DerekPiette]

Windchill does not currently manage software source code information.There isan integration provided between Windchill andsource code management (SCM) systems. Currentlythe integrationonly supportsIBM Rational ClearCase, as was pointed out insome of the previous posts.PTC is in the process of expanding the integrations to other SCM systems, such as Subversion. In addition to SCM integrations, there are a number of other software development applications which make sense to interface with Windchill. These include defect tracking systems, build tools, testing applications, and task execution/management systems. The softwareindustry has coined the term "ALM" or Application Lifecycle Management"as a way to collect all of these (and other)applications under a single umbrella for the entiresoftware development process. One of the main intersection points between ALM and PLM is the software deliverable or executable. Making sure the correct software deliverable is accurately related to the product structure is critical when releasing a product.Managing the software deliverable in Windchill provides this capability.In order to improve the efficiency and usability of software deliverablemanagement, Windchill will be providing a software build application/tool integration. Lastly, interfacing the software change management process to the overall product change process is another intersection point. Tracking that the software gets completed when the hardware is completed is essential to managing the product release. This is planned to be done by building an integration between Windchill and common software defect tracking tools, such as Bugzilla or Atlassian JIRA. If you wantto learn more about Windchill’s integrations to software applications, please contact me @-