RoAccess Home Page


Copy and Paste URLs

 
Automate Group Metadata Group Collaboration

 
Ever wish you could merely send a URL to an associate so they could easily view any part of your Repository to comment, approve or disapprove of it?

This is now as easy as Copy-And-Paste.  View a RoAccess screen, copy the URL and send it to your associate.

 
Why would you want to send a URL to a page that shows part of your Repository?
  • You may have a question about an Item (table, column, index, entity, object, view, key).
  • You propose changing metadata, but would like to have everyone comment, accept or reject the change.
  • Suppose you have a batch process that periodically imports the latest model.  It could  look for differences from the prior model and then send email to the group on changes it found so the group can immediately view the changes, containing the exact URL to display those Items.
  • You have a significant Path Report Graphic, such as for impact analysis, and you would like an associate to see it.
  • You have a RoAccess spreadsheet you just produced that shows some things that need to be changed in your model and you want others to be aware of it.
  • You have developed a new custom screen or custom report and would like to get the reaction of your associates to it.
  • You are creating a HTML page for non-technical, business users, and you want to embed several clickable URLs to make entry into several spots in your repository easy for them.
  • You want to add to a Favorites/Bookmarks link to a frequently used RoAccess page or report
There are hundred uses for being able to send a URL so someone can go directly to it in your Repository.

 
As an example, a scheduled process imports a scanned model every night.  It compares every Item that it imports against the current version of the model, and sends an automated differences report:  Note: the email has a clickable hyperlink (URL) that will bring up that Item in RoAccess.
 

 
One of the Metadata Administrators Group receives this message and sends a summary to another member: (Note: he added a second clickable hyperlink (URL) to the original version of the Item for convenience)
 

 
How do I get this "magic" URL?

Each screen has it embedded in itself.  You just copy it from the page itself?

 
Question:  Not all forms have URLs on the "Location Bar".  DHTML pages that do a POST type of operation do not put the arguments and special variables (like Subject Area or ItemName) on the URL line.  So how can you possible copy this URL to a remote viewer, because this URL does not have enough information.

Answer:  Easy.  Although some screens are passed information via POSTs, RoAccess internally converts these URLs into the "GET" equivalent, where all parameters are placed on an "equivalent URL". 

Question: What about security?  Will that "special URL" require a username/password?

Answer:  Full security is in effect.  If that user requires a password, then a small username/password box will appear.  But it will appear only once if you have several other URL links that were emailed.  The first URL link will pop up the password box, but the rest won't because you've already entered the password.