Working With Context Templates

User interaction with Windchill can be made more efficient by establishing the context within which the users work. Projects, programs, products, libraries, and organizations are examples of unique contexts. For example, if a user entering Windchill navigates to a folder within the Bike Design project and creates a new document, that document is managed in the context of the Bike Design project. Persons with access to the Bike Design project may automatically have the right to see and modify the new document. In this way, the context provides the framework from which user actions are executed. Each context can establish the following:

The site context and possibly an organization context are created during your Windchill installation. All other contexts are established when an administrator creates products, libraries, projects, programs, or organizations. During the creation, the administrator identifies the context template data file to use to establish the context.

The context template data file provides the content for establishing the context. It is usually a JAR or ZIP file that contains a specification XML file, the template DTD, business XML files for defining rules, and content files for any objects that are identified in the specification.

The recommended method of creating the template data file is to use your Windchill solution to create an initial context by selecting one of the out-of-the-box templates or using a template that PTC has made available to you. Then make modifications to the context (such as creating folder structures, policy rules, and document templates) through the interface provided and save the updated context as a template or export the updated context to a ZIP file.

The following types of templates are used when administrators create the contexts from which users operate:

• Organization Templates -- Establish the framework that is then used by members of a specific organization. An organization context is a child of the site context and can be the parent of one or more library, product, and project contexts. The organization context used when a library, product, or project is created is the organization of which the creator is a member. (Windchill Arbortext Content Manager or Windchill PDMLink only)

• Library Templates -- Establish the framework that is then active when users perform activities from within libraries. A library context is active when a user selects a library under Libraries

in the Navigator. A library context is always a child of an organization context.

• Product Templates -- Establish the framework that is then active when users perform activities from within products. A product context is active when a user selects a product under Products

in the Navigator. A product context is always a child of an organization context.

• Project Templates -- Establish the framework that is then active when users perform activities from within projects. A project context is active when a user selects a project under Projects

in the Navigator. A project context is always a child of an organization context.

• Program Templates -- Establish the framework that is then active when users perform activities from within programs. A program context is active when a user selects a program under Programs

. A program context is always a child of an organization context.

A context template cannot be deleted if an existing context has been created from the template. However, a template can be disabled so that it cannot be used to create new contexts.

A child context inherits the framework set by the parent context, but can override or expand on settings made in the parent context. For example, the domains set in a product context can be unique to the product, while the life cycle templates set up in a product can include the templates established in both the parent site and organization contexts.