Manage lifecycles

In the Administration Console, you can add and modify lifecycles, assign them to object types, and set the lifecycle states, transitions, and rules.

To work with lifecycles, you need the Manage Lifecycles privilege.

Create a lifecycle

In the Lifecycles section of the Administration Console, create a lifecycle so that you can then assign it to item, request, or baseline types.

You can create a lifecycle from scratch or copy an existing lifecycle to reuse its states and transitions.

To create a lifecycle:

  1. In the Administration Console, go to Configuration Object Management > Lifecycles.

  2. To create a new lifecycle, click New on the toolbar. The New Lifecycle dialog box opens.

    To create a lifecycle based on an existing lifecycle, select the source lifecycle in the navigation pane, and click Copy on the toolbar. The Copy Lifecycle dialog box opens.

  3. Provide the details for the new lifecycle:

    Field Description
    Name Enter a unique name for the lifecycle, up to 25 characters long.
    Based on (Display only) When creating a lifecycle based on another one, this field specifies the lifecycle you are copying.
    Description (Optional) Enter a description for the lifecycle, up to 240 characters long.

  4. Click OK.

After creating the lifecycle, define its states, transitions, and attribute rules, see Edit lifecycle states.

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Assign object types

You can associate one or more object types with a lifecycle, change the lifecycle assignment, or unassign object types from the lifecycle.

Note: You can also assign and unassign a lifecycle for a specific object type in the Object Types section. For details, see Assign a lifecycle to object types.

The object types associated with a lifecycle are processed according to the lifecycle's states and transitions. An object type can be assigned to only one lifecycle.

You can unassign an object type, only if no objects of that type exist.

To assign object types to a lifecycle:

  1. In the Administration Console, go to Configuration Object Management > Lifecycles.

  2. In the Lifecycles navigation pane, select the relevant lifecycle.

  3. In the Lifecycle Details section of the content pane, click the Assign to Object Types button. The Assign Object Types to Lifecycle dialog box opens.

  4. To associate object types with the lifecycle, select one or more types in the Available object types list, and click Relate. CTRL+click to select multiple object types.

  5. To unassign any object types, select one or more types in the Object types associated with this lifecycle list, and click Unrelate. CTRL+click to select multiple object types.

  6. Click OK.

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Edit a lifecycle description

You can change the description of a lifecycle.

To edit a lifecycle description:

  1. In the Administration Console, go to Configuration Object Management > Lifecycles.

  2. In the Lifecycles navigation pane, select the relevant lifecycle.

  3. In the Lifecycle Details section of the content pane, click the Edit Lifecycle Properties button.

  4. In the Edit Lifecycle Properties dialog box, update the description and click OK.

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Delete lifecycles

You can delete a lifecycle only if no object types in any product are associated with it, and if all its state transitions have first been deleted.

To delete one or more lifecycles:

  1. In the Administration Console, go to Configuration Object Management > Lifecycles.

  2. In the Lifecycles navigation pane, select the top-level Lifecycles node.

  3. In the content pane, select one or more lifecycles to delete.

  4. On the toolbar, click Delete.

  5. In the Delete Lifecycle dialog box, click Yes to confirm.

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Add and maintain lifecycle images

You can add and change images associated with a lifecycle. To update a lifecycle image, import another file or add a new image revision. Importing an image replaces the existing image without changing its revision number.

If you add multiple images, set a default image for the lifecycle. You can also remove images if you no longer need them.

To add and manage lifecycle images:

  1. In the Administration Console, go to Configuration Object Management > Lifecycles.

  2. In the Lifecycles navigation pane, select the relevant lifecycle.

    In the content pane, the Lifecycle Images section displays a list of uploaded images and provides options for changing them.

  3. In the Lifecycle Image section, add or update images:

    Task Description
    Add a new image

    Click the Add Image button. In the New Lifecycle Image dialog box, enter the following image details:

    • Revision. Specify the revision number for the image, up to 10 digits.

    • Filename. Specify the path to the image file. Click the browse button and navigate to the file.

      Dimensions CM stores each image against the specified lifecycle and revision.

    • Default Image. (Optional) Select to set this image as the default for the lifecycle.
    View and save an image

    Select the image from the list, and click the Export Image button. The image is displayed in a new browser window.

    To save the image to your work area, right-click the image and use the Save As option of your browser.
    Replace an image

    Select the image from the list, and click the Import Image button. In the Import Lifecycle Image dialog box, specify the path to the replacement file.

    Importing replaces the selected image file revision without adding a new revision.
    Change the default image Select the image from the list, and click the Set as Default Image button. In the Set as Default Image dialog box, click Yes to confirm.
    Remove one or more images Select the images, click the Delete button, and confirm.

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See also: