Export to Word

The Export to Word command generates a formatted Microsoft Word® table representation of a project, package, or folder. The export allows you to quickly generate stylish tabular outputs, either ad hoc to meet an immediate need or a repeated table generated throughout your project. The Export to Word command leverages the same table definitions used by the CSV and DOORS import / export mechanism enabling a "define once, reuse many times" mentality.

The Export to Word command uses a wizard to guide you through the process.

Step 1. Select the Data

The first step in the export process is to select the desired data to export. Using the standard tree view, you can select:

• the database to export all elements in the project

• a package to export all elements in the package and all subpackages

• a folder to export all elements in the folder and all subfolders

Step 2. Define the Table

Using the same table definition dialog as other tabular imports and exports, define the columns in your table. In the case of the Export to Word command, the column definitions have addition options available to format the output exactly the way you want it with no post-processing required.

• Relative Width - specifies how wide the column should be compared to the other columns in the table. This specification is purely relative. Specifying 300 simply means that you want this column to be three times as wide as a column with relative width 100. When CORE lays out the table in Word, it computes the available width (based upon paper size and orientation) and then scales the columns according to the relative widths.

• Horizontal Alignment - within the cell, align the value left, center, or right. The default value is left.

• Vertical Alignment - within the cell, align the value to the cell top, middle, or bottom. The default value is top.

Though these options are not visible when using the table definition dialog for CSV and DOORS imports and exports, the same values are there and are stored as part of the table definition. They are simply hidden in the GUI. This allows you to define the table for one purpose and reuse it across the many import/export connectors.

Step 3. Customize Your Options

The final step in the wizard is to specify the desired options:

1. • Paper Size - select from US paper sizes (letter, legal, or ledger) as well as international standards (A2, A3, and A4).
   • Paper Orientation - specify portrait or landscape layout for your table.
   • Show Banded Output - if this option is enabled, alternating rows in the output table will be shaded light gray. If you select no, all rows are displayed in white. Regardless, cell borders are used on all sides of the cells to separate rows and columns.
   • Merge Non-Repeated Cells - when generating tables, it is quite common to generate multiple rows based upon a single value. For example, if column 1 is a requirement, column 2 is the requirement's children, and column 3 is the description for the child requirement, you will likely have many child rows. In this situation, if this option is enabled and column 1 is not set to repeat values, the cells in column 1 will be merged. The result is a more stylized table that makes better use of vertical space and reinforces groupings. However, sometimes this is not desirable. If you wish to see one cell in every column for every row, select no for this option.
   • Ignore Formatted Text Fonts and Sizes - formatted text fields can include many different font faces and sizes. Sometimes this is for good reason (the use of special fonts for symbols). Other times it represents various content pasted into the database. If this option is enabled, all output is forced to the default font and font size. Bold, italics, and other style information is maintained regardless.
   • Open Results File when Complete - if this option is selected, the file opens automatically as soon as it is generated.

At this point, the wizard completes and you will be prompted to specify an output file. Generating a Word table of arbitrary complexity directly from your CORE data is that simple.