User Help > Linking and Tracing Between Members and Items > Source Link Fields: Quick Reference
Source Link Fields: Quick Reference
The following table describes the basic commands used to work with source link fields. For requirements management source trace use cases, see Source Traces: Use Cases.
Operation
Procedure
To add a live source link to an item (GUI only)
Live source links display the member or project at the time the link is clicked by a user. Live source links are denoted by :live in the Revision column of the source link field.
Do one of the following:
• Drag the member (source file) from a Sandbox or Project view, that does not have a top-level build project, to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and a Sandbox or Project view (mainline or variant) to add a source link using this method of drag and drop.
• Drag a top-level project (that is not a build project) from the Project view to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and a Project view.
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• You cannot add the same live source link more than once on the same field. In order to be considered a new source link, the source link must have a unique value for one of the following attributes: member name, server, project, project revision, development path, revision, or line number.
• To determine which configuration the live source link resolves to, always use the value in the Configuration Path column of the source link field.
• For a live source link to a member, it is the current member revision that is used when the link is resolved, not the working file.
To add a source link to an item (not a live source link, GUI only)
Do one of the following:
• Drag the member (source file) from a Sandbox or Project view, that has a top-level build project, to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and a Sandbox or Project view (mainline, variant, or build) to add a source link using this method of drag and drop.
• Drag the desired revision from a Member History view to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and a Member History view to add a source link using this method of drag and drop.
• Drag a build project from the Build Project view to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and a Build Project view.
• Drag a build project from the Build Sandbox view to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and a Build Sandbox view.
• Drag a project revision from the Project History view to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and a Project History view to add a source link using this method of drag and drop.
• Drag a build subproject from any Project (or Sandbox) view to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and the relevant Project or Sandbox view.
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If you are creating source links to members of variant or build projects (or just a source link to a build project), you must create your Sandbox or open your project using the recommended procedure. For more information, see “Procedure for Selecting Variant or Build Projects”.
• If the source link field has trace enabled, a source trace is created instead of a source link. If clarification is needed on if the field can contain source links or source traces, contact your PTC RV&S administrator for more information.
• You cannot add the same source link more than once on the same field. In order to be considered a new source link, the source link must have a unique value for one of the following attributes: member name, server, project, project revision, development path, revision, or line number.
• When dragging from a Sandbox or Project view that has a top-level build project, the current member revision is always added as the source link, even if the revision of the working file in your Sandbox is different from the member revision.
• CLI equivalent: imeditissue, imcreateissue, imcopyissue, imcreatesegment, imimportsegment, imimportcontent, imcreatecontent
To view source links for an item
Display the Items view, Item Edit or Item Details view, Relationship view, or Document view (GUI only).
To follow a source link for an item
Display the Items view, Item Edit or Item Details view, Relationship view, or Document view (GUI only); then do one of the following:
• Double click the link. If it is a member link, the link opens the Member History view. If it a project or subproject, the link opens the Build Project view.
• Right click the link and then select View Member History or View Project.
To delete a source link from an item (GUI only)
In the Item Edit view, select a source link and click beside the source link field.
CLI equivalent: imeditissue.
To add a source trace to an item (GUI only)
Drag the member (source file) from a Sandbox or Project view to a source link field in the Item Edit view.
Your ViewSet must contain both an Item Edit view and a Sandbox or Project view (mainline, variant, or build) to add a source trace using drag and drop.
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If you are creating traces to members in variant or build projects, you must create your Sandbox or open your project using the recommended procedure. For more information, see “Procedure for Selecting Variant or Build Projects”.
• To create a source trace, the source link field must have trace enabled. If the the source link field does not have trace enabled, a source link is created instead of a source trace. If clarification is needed on if the field can contain source links or source traces, contact your PTC RV&S administrator for more information.
• Members cannot be dragged from a Member History view to a source link field with trace enabled.
• You cannot add the same source trace more than once on the same field. In order to be considered a new source trace, the trace must have a unique value for one of the following attributes: member name, server, project, project revision, development path, revision, or line number.
• The current member revision is always added as the source trace, even if the revision of the working file in your Sandbox is different from the member revision. The new source trace displays :member in the Revision column of the Source Trace Viewer until the item is saved.
• CLI equivalent: imeditissue, imcreateissue, imcopyissue, imcreatesegment, imimportsegment, imimportcontent, imcreatecontent
To delete a source trace from an item (GUI only)
In the Item Edit view, select a source trace and click beside the source link field.
CLI equivalent: imeditissue.
To view source traces for an item
Display the Items view, Item Edit or Item Details view, Relationship view, or Document view (GUI only).
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Make sure the source link field is visible.
To move a source link or source trace from one field to another
In the Item Edit view, drag the value of a source link field to another source link field on the same item (or on a different item if that item is also displayed in a separate Item Edit view).
Note the following:
• Dragging a source link to a source link field with trace enabled converts the value to a source trace.
• Dragging a source trace to a source link field that does not have trace enabled converts the value to a source link.
• A source link to a project (or subproject) cannot be moved to a source link field with trace enabled.
To copy a source link or source trace from one field to another
In the Item Edit view, press CTRL and drag the value of a source link field to another source link field on the same item (or on a different item if that item is also displayed in a separate Item Edit view).
Note the following:
• Pressing CTRL while dragging a source link to a source link field with trace enabled converts the copied value to a source trace.
• Pressing CTRL while dragging a source trace to a source link field that does not have trace enabled converts the copied value to a source link.
• A source link to a project (or subproject) cannot be copied to a source link field with trace enabled.
To update the member revision on a source trace
Delete the existing source trace and add a new source trace to the current revision.
To display the Source Trace Viewer from an item (GUI only)
Do one of the following in the Item Edit or Item Details view:
• If the source link field is in table format, select the source trace and select Item > Source Trace > View.
• If the source link field is in comma separated values format, click on the source trace.
CLI equivalent: im viewsourcetraces
• If the source link field is in table format, double click on the source trace.
• If the source link field is in table format, right click the source trace and select Source Trace Viewer.
To display the Source Trace Viewer from a member (GUI only)
Select a member or revision in one of the following views:
• Sandbox view
• Project view
• Member History view
Select Member > Views > View Source Traces.
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• You can only view source trace information for one member at a time.
• If there are no items traced to the source file, the empty view still displays.
• If you add the Source Trace Viewer to your ViewSet and make it dynamic, when you select a member in the Project or Sandbox view, the source traces for the member automatically display in the viewer.
• CLI equivalent: im viewsourcetraces
To view the contents of a traced member revision (GUI only)
From the Source Trace Viewer, select Member > Revision > View Contents. The contents of the traced member revision displays in an editor.
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• Member content displays if you have permission to any project that contains the member revision, even if you don’t have permission to the project that contains the trace.
• If you have specified a default editor in your configuration management editor preferences, the member revision contents displays in that editor.
• If you have not specified a default editor, the member revision contents displays in the editor associated with the file extension of the member revision, as determined by your operating system.
• If the project configuration path for the traced member is no longer valid (for example, the project has been moved), all member actions are disabled
To view project information for a traced member revision (GUI only)
From the Source Trace Viewer, select the Project > View Project.
To locate the specific member within the project, use the Members With Name filter.
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If the project configuration path for the traced member is no longer valid (for example, the project has been moved), all project actions are disabled.
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