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