The 16.6 Allegro Design Workbench (ADW) Flow Manager has been enhanced to provide these new capabilities to improve your productivity in working through the design flow:
Read on for more details …
CPM Explorer
The CPM Explorer shows all ADW project .cpm file settings from the installation, CDS_SITE, project, and home areas. It’s a valuable tool for helping you understand what settings are controlled from which .cpm file. You launch the CPM Explorer from the Flow Manager Tools > Explore CPM Data menu:
![]()
The form shows the .cpm file name and data in a collapsible tree format:
![]()
Any section that has an overridden directive is highlighted (blue, italic). Any directive that is overridden is highlighted (blue, italic). The Current Value field shows active values for all directives for ease of viewing. The Active setting is highlighted. The values from install, site, project, and home are displayed:
![]()
There is support for “locked” directives (shows that a directive is locked and where it is locked). There is also an Export Button which creates an xml file with all the cpm settings. This is useful for comparison and troubleshooting:
![]()
Progress Controls
Locking a Flowstep disables buttons and checklist and shows a lock icon next to the Flowstep. Unlocking a Flowstep has a new explicit unlock status that restores the Flowstep to a state prior to the lock:
![]()
The Manual Advance controls the sequence of the flow by locking and unlocking flow steps. As you complete one step, the next unlocks. This is controlled by flowmanager.properties file. The project is opened with only the first step unlocked. The engineer can only access tools associated with the first step. All other steps are locked, buttons disabled:
![]()
When current flowstep is completed, you pick the “Mark Complete” button. The completed flowstep is marked complete with an icon:
![]()
The completed flowstep is collapsed, the next flowstep is expanded (if collapsed), and control moves to the next flowstep:
![]()
Access control determines who can access flowsteps. The Flow will show which steps cannot be accessed, and steps that are restricted are locked and identified by a “restricted” icon:
![]()
Defining who has access is based on roles defined in the flowmanager.properties file.
Customizations
Types of modifications
Welcome page modifications
Corporate Look and Feel
As always, I look forward to your feedback!
Jerry “GenPart” Grzenia![]()
![]()
- CPM Explorer
- Viewing project .cpm data
- Progress Controls
- Locking/unlocking flow steps
- Manual advance
- Access controls – who can access flow steps
- Customizations
- Changing the welcome page
- Adding a corporate look and feel
Read on for more details …
CPM Explorer
The CPM Explorer shows all ADW project .cpm file settings from the installation, CDS_SITE, project, and home areas. It’s a valuable tool for helping you understand what settings are controlled from which .cpm file. You launch the CPM Explorer from the Flow Manager Tools > Explore CPM Data menu:
The form shows the .cpm file name and data in a collapsible tree format:
Any section that has an overridden directive is highlighted (blue, italic). Any directive that is overridden is highlighted (blue, italic). The Current Value field shows active values for all directives for ease of viewing. The Active setting is highlighted. The values from install, site, project, and home are displayed:
There is support for “locked” directives (shows that a directive is locked and where it is locked). There is also an Export Button which creates an xml file with all the cpm settings. This is useful for comparison and troubleshooting:
Progress Controls
Locking a Flowstep disables buttons and checklist and shows a lock icon next to the Flowstep. Unlocking a Flowstep has a new explicit unlock status that restores the Flowstep to a state prior to the lock:
The Manual Advance controls the sequence of the flow by locking and unlocking flow steps. As you complete one step, the next unlocks. This is controlled by flowmanager.properties file. The project is opened with only the first step unlocked. The engineer can only access tools associated with the first step. All other steps are locked, buttons disabled:
When current flowstep is completed, you pick the “Mark Complete” button. The completed flowstep is marked complete with an icon:
The completed flowstep is collapsed, the next flowstep is expanded (if collapsed), and control moves to the next flowstep:
Access control determines who can access flowsteps. The Flow will show which steps cannot be accessed, and steps that are restricted are locked and identified by a “restricted” icon:
Defining who has access is based on roles defined in the flowmanager.properties file.
Customizations
Types of modifications
- Adding/deleting/changing buttons on the Flow Manager welcome screen
- Changing cosmetics (colors, images) in flowmgr
- Skills required: XUL, javascript, knowledge of CSS (cascading style sheets)
- Templates provided
Welcome page modifications
- Removing unwanted buttons and menu items
- Adding new buttons to Site Tools Tab
Corporate Look and Feel
- Changing colors
- Adding a corporate logo
As always, I look forward to your feedback!
Jerry “GenPart” Grzenia