Glossary Management - Project Glossary and Partial Glossaries

Tutorials| 6 October 2023 | Dusan Rodina - softwareideas.net
Software Ideas Modeler provides a robust toolset to define and manage crucial terms within your project. The glossary function ensures that all stakeholders have a common understanding of specific terms, abbreviations, and aliases.

Accessing the Glossary

Navigate to the Project ribbon tab, where you can find the group Documentation with Glossary button. Alternatively, users familiar with the classic menu can choose Project > Glossary.

Glossary Window

The Glossary interface splits into two main areas - a list of glossary terms on the left and detailed attributes for each term on the right.

Glossary - Glossary window
Glossary - Glossary window

Glossary Toolbar

Positioned at the top of the window, the glossary toolbar provides quick access to these functions:

  • Add: Represented by a green plus icon, this button lets you introduce a new term.
  • Remove: A red cross icon indicates this button which allows deletion of selected glossary terms.
  • Sort: Symbolized by an A-Z icon with an arrow, this is a dropdown button. Clicking on it unveils options such as:
    • Sort By Creation Date Ascending
    • Sort By Creation Date Descending
    • Sort By Creation Name Ascending
    • Sort By Creation Name Descending

Glossary Term Attributes

On selecting a term from the list on the left, its attributes become visible in the right section.

Term Group Box

  • Term: Enter the name or keyword for the glossary item here.
  • Type: Choose the domain of the term from the combo box. Options include: general, requirements, analysis, design, database, implementation, testing, and deployment.
  • Meaning: This is a formatted text box where you provide a detailed explanation of the term. Enhance readability with bold, italics, coloration, and highlighting.

Additional Tabs

  • Abbreviations & Other Names: Here, you can list associated names or abbreviations. To add, click the green plus button.
  • Aliases: Establish various alternative names for the term. This section showcases a list of existing alias groups. To introduce a new alias group, navigate to the Project ribbon tab, select the Aliases group, and click on Create New Alias button.

Main and Partial Glossaries

By default, Software Ideas Modeler provides a main project glossary. However, if you need segmented or topic-specific glossaries, you can also create partial glossaries. These can be introduced into any project folder. Just go to the Project sidebar, choose a project folder, and click on the Add Glossary button in the toolbar. Alternatively, right-click on a project folder and select Add Other followed by Add Glossary from the context menu.

Utilizing Glossary in Documentation

When authoring project documentation, using glossary terms ensures clarity. Hover over any glossary term within the document, and a tooltip will display, detailing its meaning.

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