intra-issue expressions can also retrieve information from an issue using external information functions, such as CPECount(), which counts the number of change package entries in an issue. Using external information functions in expressions allow you to retrieve metrics about your workflow. Once you define an intra-issue expression using external information functions, you can use queries, charts, reports, and dashboards to collect the metric data and report on it. For example, you can create a query that returns issues with a specific number of change packages and use that query in a report, chart, or dashboard.

specifies whether to confirm the setting of the --[no]multiValued option.

specifies whether to allow users to select multiple pick list values at one time or link to multiple issues in a relationship field.

specifies the user and name of the default Admin query to use when adding a related item by browsing. This option only applies to relationship fields.

specifies the name of the field to create. Names can be a maximum of 100 characters and cannot contain square brackets. This option is mandatory.

specifies a description of the field.

specifies the position in the list of fields.

specifies whether the field is used for test results only. For more information on using fields for test results, see the Integrity Lifecycle Manager Help Center.

specifies the field data type. Fields are categories of data that can be associated with issues. This option is mandatory.

specifies simple, countable items, such as call tracking numbers.

specifies items that should display in a drop-down list, such as predefined product codes.

specifies numbers with decimals, such as performance data.

specifies Boolean items (ones that are either true or false), such as whether an issue has been tested. Optionally, you can customize how true and false values display by specifying the --displayTrueAs=value and --displayFalseAs=value options. For example, the logical field can display yes or no values.

specifies dates, such as when a defect was fixed. For example, Feb 25, 2007. Optionally, you can include the time by specifying the --showDateTime option.

specifies miscellaneous information, such as a comment field. This data type allows you to define suggestions.

specifies miscellaneous information. This data type includes an option for displaying rows.

specifies users that display in a drop-down list, such as users in a specific group.

specifies groups that display in a drop-down list, such as groups assigned to a specific project.

specifies links to other issues.

specifies a named query that displays issues meeting the query criteria as a read-only relationships field. This field extends the concept of the relationship field by displaying a large number of related issues. For example, the Features field in a Project issue would display all the Feature issues that are returned by the Release_5_Features query.

specifies categorized numeric value ranges in an associated numeric field (integer or floating point). A range field is a computed pick list field associated with a numeric field: range limits and the associated field are stored in the computation expression and the range category name and icon are stored in the database as pick list items. When a value is entered in the associated numeric field, the appropriate range category displays in the range field. Range fields are useful for defining thresholds for numeric data and providing a broad overview of that data. For example, if a Project type has an integer field called Critical Defects that displays the number of Defect issues marked Critical,, you could add a range field called Defect Status that displays one of the following range categories based on the number of issues in the Critical Defects field:

Golden: "Critical Defects" = 0

Acceptable: 1 <= "Critical Defects" <= 6

Watch: 7 <= "Critical Defects" <= 19

Trouble: 20 <= "Critical Defects"

specifies categorized groups of states in a workflow, essentially creating states (represented by phases) and sub-states (represented by states) for an issue type. A phase field is a computed pick list field associated with states. When a value is entered in the state field, the appropriate phase category displays in the phase field. Phases are useful for organizing an issue type’s workflow if it contains a large number of states and provide users with a broad overview of an issue’s status independent of the workflow. For example, a Feature type could have the following phases (states are in brackets):

allows users to specify a related configuration management project, optionally including a checkpoint revision or development path. By creating a configuration management project field and a computed field that uses the SIMetric() external information function, you can retrieve metrics about the specified project, for example, how many lines of code are in the project. For more information on creating configuration management project metrics, external information functions, and computed fields, see the Integrity Lifecycle Manager Help Center.

specifies an issue backed pick (IBPL) list field that allows you to share information in one or more issues with other issues. By creating an issue type that acts as a table of information (known as the backing issue type), then creating issues of that type with a non-computed short text field containing the information you want to share, an IBPL field in another issue type can display the values of the short text field as pick text. Whenever a short text field is updated in a backing issue, all issues with IBPL fields that reference the short text field value update to reflect the new value.

For example, if you create a Department issue type with a Manager field, then create several Department issues to record the different departments and managers in your organization, Manager field values in all Department issues appear as pick text in the Department Manager IBPL field in the Defect issue type. If a Department issue's Manager field has a value of Fred and it changes to Ted, all Defect issues with a value of Fred in the Department Manager field automatically update to display Ted.

specifies a field value attribute (FVA) that allows you to share field information in an IBPL field's backing issue with other issues, displaying the field information as a value in the FVA field. An FVA data type is useful for maintaining field information in one issue and sharing the field information with other issues.

For example, if a Defect issue has an IBPL field named Department Manager and a value of Jim, the FVA field named Extension to Call displays x626 because the backing Department issue displays Jim in the Manager field and x626 in the Phone Extension field (the backing field for the FVA field). If the Department Manager field value changes, the Extension to Call field value updates to reflect the new field value.

allows users to add attachments to items, such as design documents.

specifies a source link field that allows you to create links to configuration management source files.

sourcelink fields can either be created with trace enabled or disabled.

For example, you could use a sourcelink field with --trace turned on (specifying --trace when creating the field), on a requirement item to track the changes made in order to satisfy that requirement. Viewing the sourcelink traces for a requirement helps you analyze the impact of changing that requirement.

If specified with --notrace (trace is not enabled) the sourcelink field contains one way links between items and source files that don't get updated when the source changes.

specifies an incoming external reference (IER) field, which indicates that a requirement has a trace relationship to an object in a product lifecycle management (PLM) system. This option is only valid when enabled by functionality to create traces between Integrity Lifecycle Manager and a PLM system.

When specifying this option, you must also specify the --incomingTraceProvider option. Optionally, you can set the --ierDefaultColumns option.

specifies the default value for the field.

specifies the default ColumnSet for the field. This option is only valid for the following field data types: Relationship and Query Backed Relationship. This option sets default columns for the relationship field pair.

specifies an alternate display for a logical field. By default, a logical field allows users to select true or false values. However, you can choose to display the field as a checkbox (a checkbox that is checked indicates a true value and a clear checkbox indicates a false value). To display a logical field as a checkbox, specify --displayAs=checkbox. To display a logical field with true or false values, specify --displayAs=default or do not specify the option. This option is only valid with the --type=logical option.

specifies the custom value that represents how the true value displays in a logical field, for example, --displayTrueAs=yes. The maximum number of characters is 100 and this option is only valid with the --type=logical and --displayFalseAs=valueoptions.

specifies the custom value that represents how the false value displays in a logical field, for example, --displayFalseAs=no. The maximum number of characters is 100 and this option is only valid with the --type=logical and --displayTrueAs=value options.

specifies the minimum value for the integer, float, or date type field. See the --default==value option for rules.

specifies the maximum value for the integer, float, or date type field. See the --default=value option for rules.

For long text fields, the maximum number of characters is 4,000.

specifies the field in the related issue type whose value you want to display in the FVA field, where value uses the format relationship-name.field-name.

relationship-name is the field that contains the backing issue for the FVA field. This field can be any of the following:

field-name is the field in the backing issue type whose value you want to display in the FVA field.

This option is used with the --type=fva option.

specifies a query as the query definition filter to populate the issue backed pick list with.

specifies active states to populate the issue backed pick list with. Populating an issue backed pick list with backing issues in specific states essentially allows you to “deactivate” entries in an IBPL. For example, if an Employee issue contains an Active and Inactive state, and you select Active as the active states, only Employee issues in a state of Active display pick text entries in the IBPL. This option is used with the --type=ibpl option.

specifies the non-computed short text field in the backing issue type that you want to use as pick text. For example, if you select the Manager field and James Riley, Sherry Robertson, and Dan Evans are field values in some of the backing issues, those names display as pick text in the issue backed pick list field. This option is used with the --type=ibpl option.

specifies multiple fields in the backing issue type that you want to link together to use as pick text. The format is similar to a JAVA MessageFormat string (that is, it requires { } to surround each field). For example:

specifies the issue type containing the short text field that you want to reference. This option is used with the --type=ibpl option.

specifies the sort order of the field on the backing item type in the IBPL. --[no]sortIBPLDescending sorts the field in ascending order. --sortIBPLDescending sorts the field in descending order. This option is used with the --type=ibpl and --sortIBPLField=field options.

specifies a visible field on the backing item type to sort by in the IBPL. For example, if an IBPL field uses a Build item as the backing item type, you could display the most recent build from the Build Number field at the top of the IBPL field. If this option is not specified, field values in the IBPL are sorted alphanumerically. This option is used with the --type=ibpl and --[no]sortIBPLDescending options.

specifies a string to define the picklist value constraints. This option is used with the --type=ibpl option. The <querydefinition> must be of the same format as the query definition for a query. For details of the query definition format, see the reference page for the --im createquery command.

specifies a computed expression. For a complete list of acceptable syntax, operators, functions, and operations, see the Integrity Lifecycle Manager Help Center.

specifies to record the computation value at the time of versioning and prevent further updates. By default, the computation value in versioned items continues to update based on the computed field definition. If you specify --[no]allowComputationUpdatesOnVersion on a non-computed field, an error message displays. If you specify --allowComputationUpdatesOnVersion on a non-computed field, the option is silently ignored.

specifies the computation type. --staticComputation performs the computation and stores it in the issue’s history based on the value specified in --storeToHistoryFrequency=value. PTC recommends a static computation if your expression involves expensive external functions, such as query or aggregate functions. --[no]staticComputation performs the computation every time field values used in the expression change. --[no]staticComputation is a dynamic computation and is selected by default.

indicates how often the computed field should be calculated and stored in the issue’s history. Acceptable values are daily, weekly, monthly, delta, or never. delta specifies to store the computed field's value to the item history only when a delta is detected. To specify a custom frequency, specify delta and create an event trigger that specifies the desired frequency. Selecting a frequency is useful for historical charting. delta is specified by default.

adds a phase or range field value.

For phases, value is specified as text:state,state,...:image;...., where text specifies the phase name, state specifies an included state, image specifies the file path and the name of a custom image, or none.

Note the following about adding phases:

For ranges, value is specified as label:lowerValue;upperValue,..., where label specifies the range category name, lowerValue specifies the lower range, upperValue specifies the upper range. For example, --addEntry=Golden:-Infinity;0,Acceptable:1;6,Watch:7;19,Trouble:20;+Infinity. Range category names can be 100 characters long.

Note the following about adding range limits:

specifies the phase name and the included states, where image can be none, or the file path and the name of a custom image. This option is used with the --type=phase option.

Note the following about creating phases:

specifies the name of the range category and the lower and upper range limits, for example, --ranges=Golden:-Infinity;0,Acceptable:1;6,Watch:7;19,Trouble:20;+Infinity. Range category names can be 100 characters long. This option is used with the --type=range option.

Note the following about setting range limits:

specifies the numeric field to associate with the range field. This option is used with the --type option.

displays the integer value as progress bar in the GUI.

displays the selected value in the item backed pick list as a hyperlink to the backing item. The hyperlink displays in the GUI and the Web UI.

If --trace is used with --type=relationship, sets the field as a trace relationship. Trace relationships are defined via field pairs and are presented to the user in domain-specific language, for example, Test and Requirements. To learn more about trace relationships, see the Integrity Lifecycle Manager Help Center.

If --trace is used with --type=sourcelink, sets the field as a source link field with trace enabled (stores a source trace). This can only be specified when creating the field, and cannot be changed using im editfield.

If --notrace is used with --type=sourcelink, or --type=sourcelink is specified without --trace, sets the field as a source link field. This can only be specified when creating the field, and cannot be changed using im editfield.

specifies an administrator query to use as the backing query for a query backed relationship field.

specifies a pair of fields to correlate between the type containing the query backed relationship field and the issues returned by the query. For example, if you create a query backed relationship field called Defects for the Feature type and specify Project as the source field and Project as the target field, the Defects field displays all Defect issues that have the same project as the one specified in the Feature type’s Project field. This option is not mandatory. However, if it is not specified, the list of relationships returned does not change with different issues.

specifies whether the attachment, relationship, sourcelink, or query backed relationship field displays in table format or in a comma separated values (CSV) format.

If you specify -g or --gui, the table format allows you to sort the issues and manipulate the columns that display in the table. For attachment, relationship and query backed relationship fields, the CSV format only displays the IDs of the issues. For sourcelink fields, the CSV format only displays the source file name, revision number, server and project.

specifies the list of valid active values for a pick list field, where image can be none, or the file path and the name of a custom image. Pick text must be 100 characters or less in length and empty values are not supported.

specifies a list of suggested values for a short text field.

specifies the maximum character length value for a short text, long text, or rich content field. The maximum character length is dependant on your database type and setup.

specifies the name assigned as the display name of the field.

specifies the number of rows to display for a long text, rich content, sourcelink, or relationship field. There is a maximum of 80 rows permitted for a long text, sourcelink, or relationship field, and 15 for a rich content field.

assigns a format to floating point or integer field values, known as a display pattern. Display patterns allow you to quantify numeric field values, for example, as currency or percentages. You can define a display pattern by combining a currency symbol, text that represents a measurement, and/or one or more of the following characters:

For example, if you specified a display pattern of $#,### and a user types 12345.123 in the associated numeric field, the numeric field displays $12,345. Similarly, if you specified a display pattern of # minutes and a user types 123 in the associated numeric field, the numeric field displays 123 minutes

specifies the rules that determine when users see the field. For the rule syntax, see Specifying Rules on the options reference page.

specifies a file that contains the field relevance rules. See --relevanceRule for notes on the option and obtaining rule syntx for the file format.

specifies the rules for when users are permitted to edit the field. For the rule format, see Specifying Rules on the options reference page.

To prevent the field from being edited, specify --editabilityRule="(false)". This option is useful for fields that are updated by event triggers and are not meant to be edited by users. For example, you could create a date field where the date is automatically specified when the issue enters a certain state.

specifies a file that contains the field editability rules. For the file format, see Specifying Rules on the options reference page.

copies the relevance rules of an existing field to the one being created.

copies the editability rules of an existing field to the one being created.

specifies the types of issues that can be linked using the relationship field. Specify the issue type that will use the relationship field, then list the issue types that can be linked to using the reverse relationship field. For example, for a one-way relationship showing the relationship between documentation issues and bugs, specify Docs:Bugs for the forward field, and Bugs:Docs for the reverse field.

For a two-way relationship, you need to specify allowed types for both sides of the relationship. For example, to allow the field to be used to create relationships between documentation issues and bugs, specify Docs:Bugs;Bugs:Docs.

defines the relationship flags that can be added to relationships in the relationship field.

specifies whether or not the system will prevent relationship loops from occurring in the relationship field. A relationship loop occurs when an issue has both a backward and forward relationship through an issue (or through multiple issues). For more information on relationship loops, see the Integrity Lifecycle Manager Help Center.

specifies whether to configure the long text field as a rich content field. Rich content enhances the display of text in long text fields by adding formatted text, tables, background colors, images, and hyperlinks. This option is enabled by default and does not support logging text fields.

Because rich content is expressed using a limited set of HTML elements and attributes, you can define screen and printer Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) that ensure a consistent look when viewing and printing rich content field data in different Web browsers. For more information, see the Integrity Lifecycle Manager Help Center.

specifies whether parameter references in this text field are replaced with parameter values when you view the item through a view or report that supports parameter substitution. For more information on how parameter values are determined, see the Integrity Lifecycle Manager Help Center.

specifies the default attachment field that images are retrieved from when inserting images into a rich content field via attachment field. The default is the default Attachment field

specifies to include the time with the date in a date field.

specifies the relationship browse style that is used for adding a related item. browseStyle can be either set to query or finder.

After you set the browseStyle to query or finder, the following options can be selected:

For example:

specifies whether queries against the field will be treated as word searches.

specifies whether the relationship field should display variable height rows.

specifies logging text field mode, including the order the entries are displayed in. Logging text field mode is only a valid option for longtext fields.

specifies the columns that appear for trace relationships. This option is only valid for a type of ier.

Available values are:

The incoming trace provider that is used to retrieve external references. If you are using ThingWorx, this is the name of the ThingWorx thing that returns IER values. This option is only valid for a type of ier.