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Concepts

If you are a new user of EPF Composer, then this tutorial is an appropriate starting point. You will explore the basic user-interface features and experiment with some simple browsing actions. This is the first in a series of tutorials about EPF Composer.

Method library

A method library is a repository of elements that are used to generate process guidance based on a selected methodology. Process guidance is typically delivered in the form of a published Web site. Process guidance can also be imported into other compatible applications.

Method libraries are organized into sets of method plug-ins . Within a method plug-in, content is separated into method content (tasks, roles, work products and guidance) and processes (capability patterns and delivery processes).

A method library is analogous to a warehouse full of parts that are used to assemble various products. Elements in a method library are organized by their intended function in the same way that similar parts are organized on a shelf in the warehouse.

Method configuration

A method configuration is the manifest of method plug-ins that are used to generate a specific instance of process guidance. The term configuration is also used to refer to the process guidance that is generated by the manifest. Method configurations are built from subsets of elements in the method library. To follow our analogy, method configurations represent the various products, such as cars, that can be assembled from parts in the warehouse. While most cars require unique parts that are used by a specific model, but the warehouse has large numbers of parts which can be used in more than one model.

The Library view shows all of the parts in the warehouse, including those that are used by all products and those that are used by specific products. There might be parts that are not used in any of the products, such as obsolete or experimental parts. The Configuration view only shows the parts that are needed and used in a specific product, analogous to the specific list of parts that are used in a particular model of car.

After you select a configuration in the main menu, the Configuration view shows only the library elements that are used in that configuration. Content in the Configuration view is always organized by using the same set of folders, regardless of which configuration is selected.

Perspectives

Perspectives are similar to modules, but they are used for different high-level operations. The two main perspectives that are commonly used in routine operations are the Authoring and Browsing perspectives.
  • The Authoring perspective is designed for content editing and configuration operations. You can create and maintain method content by using the editors in this perspective that are optimized for particular content types. As you create and modify content, you will use this perspective most of the time. There is a preview option in this perspective so that you can see the resulting page but without resolving all the contributing elements that make up that page.
  • The Browsing perspective provides a more complete preview of the generated configuration, but you cannot modify it. You might want to use this perspective to verify new or edited configurations before publishing them. The Browsing perspective displays all contributing components, but does not show the tree browser that will be automatically built and included in the configuration when it is published.
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