Creating and Managing Discussions

You can create and manage team discussions by creating and replying to threads in Specification Compliance Manager. To use the functions under this collaboration feature, complete the following steps:

  1. Authorize Specification Compliance Manager to use collaboration.
  2. Create a product and upload a specification file for the product.
  3. Open the compliance details window in Compliance view.
Note Collaborating in the Specification Compliance Manager requires setup and configuration on the SCM server. Refer to the Collaboration Setup section in NI Specification Compliance Manager Operations Handbook for information about how to set up and configure the server.

Authorizing Specification Compliance Manager

Specification Compliance Manager uses the open-source software Discourse to support collaboration. To create discussions, you must have a Discourse account and authorize Specification Compliance Manager to use Discourse.

  • Sign in to Discourse.
  • Log in to Specification Compliance Manager.
  • Make sure collaboration is set up and activated on the Specification Compliance Manager server.
  1. Open the user menu in the top-right corner of Specification Compliance Manager.
  2. Select User Settings.
  3. Select Collaboration in the left navigation pane.
  4. Click Proceed to Authorize.
    This redirects you to the Discourse authorization page.
  5. Click Authorize.

Creating Threads

By creating a thread for a specification, you start a discussion with your team members. You can create multiple threads for a single specification.

  1. Click Create New Thread in the top-right corner of the Discussions tab.
    Note If no thread has been created, the Create New Thread button appears in the center of the Discussions tab.
  2. Enter the thread title and short description about the discussion.
  3. Click one of the following buttons to proceed:
    • Create
    • Create and go to thread
    • Cancel

Viewing Threads

By viewing threads under each specification, you can track all the activities related to the specification in one place. The following information is shown for each thread:
  • Thread title
  • Thread creator and created time
  • Last update time
  • Avatar of the thread creator
  • Closed/open status of the thread
In the Discussions tab, hover over a thread and click GO TO THREAD to open the discussion in Discourse.
Note Threads display in reverse-chronological order and do not refresh automatically. To refresh the thread list, click Refresh Threads in the Discussions tab.

Viewing Posts of a Thread

Posts display under each thread to show discussion details. To view the latest post, scroll to the bottom of the post list. The following details are shown for each post:
  • Name and avatar of the user who created the post
  • Post content
  • Last update time
  1. Hover over the thread and click Show Posts to view the posts.
  2. Click the post you want to view to open it in the Discourse page.
    Note The Show Posts button is replaced by the Hide Posts button when posts are shown. Click Hide Posts to hide the posts.

Specification Compliance Manager does not support the poll discussion feature of Discourse. When there is a poll in the post, Specification Compliance Manager generates the following message: There is some additional information in this post which is not shown here. Please click the post to view the information.

Replying to a Thread

To join a discussion, you can reply to a thread and create new posts under it. When the status of the thread is Closed, you cannot reply to it.

  1. In the Discussions tab, locate the thread you want to reply to.
  2. Hover over the thread and click Show Posts.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the post list.
  4. Click the REPLY TO THREAD button.
    A description box appears.
  5. Enter the content.
  6. Click Post when you finish editing.
Tip You can use markdown formats in the description box as supported by Discourse. To create posts with polls and other formatting options such as numbered lists, click the post and open it on the Discourse page.

Closing and Reopening Threads

You can close a thread to mark that the discussion has reached a conclusion and no more communication is needed. A closed thread can also be reopened in rare cases to discuss any pending issues.

  1. Locate the thread you want to close or reopen.
  2. Open the drop-down menu in the top right corner of the thread.
  3. Select Open or Close.
    Upon closing or reopening a thread, a post is automatically added to the thread indicating the change of status and the user who made the change. Closed threads appear in grey text.

Collaboration Status Indicators

After you activate collaboration, additional icons appear on the left of the specification rows. The icons indicate whether the specifications have open discussions and whether you are involved in them. Refer to the following table for a description of the collaboration status indicator icons.
Table 6. Collaboration Status Indicator Icons
Icon Description
1378 The specification has open threads.
1378 The specification has open threads with the current user involved (created or replied).
Tip You can use the Open Discussions filter in the header of the Compliance view to view specifications that contain discussions you are involved in.
Note A banner appears in the Compliance view when the collaboration information is extracted from the cache. Click click here in the banner to get the latest data.