Manage Navigation Backlinks in External Requirements Documents

A backlink is a navigation link in an external document that allows you to navigate from a requirement to the linked item in MATLAB^® or Simulink^®. A backlink either has a corresponding direct link that points from the item in MATLAB or Simulink to the external requirement, or matches a link that points from an item in MATLAB or Simulink to an imported referenced requirement, which is an slreq.Reference object that serves as a proxy object for the external requirement. See Differences Between Importing and Direct Linking.

When you create a direct link from an item in MATLAB or Simulink to a requirement in an external document, you can insert a backlink. You cannot insert a backlink when you create a link from an item in MATLAB or Simulink to an imported referenced requirement but you can insert one after you create the link. You can also remove backlinks from an external document if the original link was removed.

You can insert backlinks in:

• Microsoft^® Word documents

• Microsoft Excel^® spreadsheets

• IBM^® DOORS^® modules

• IBM DOORS Next projects

Insert and Remove Backlinks in External Requirements Documents

When you create a link from an item in MATLAB or Simulink to an imported referenced requirement or a requirement in an external document, Requirements Toolbox™ creates a link as an slreq.Link object. In some cases, you can choose to insert a backlink in the external document when you create the direct link.

To update backlinks in the Requirements Editor:

1. Open the Requirements Editor. At the MATLAB command prompt, enter:

   slreq.editor

2. In the Requirements Editor, click Show Links to view the loaded link sets.

3. Select the link set that contains the links that you want to use to insert backlinks or to remove stale backlinks. Right-click the link set and select Update Backlinks.

4. A dialog box displays the number of links checked and the number of backlinks added and removed. Click OK.

Alternatively, you can update backlinks programmatically by using updateBacklinks.

When you update backlinks, the software removes backlinks from the external document if the original link in Requirements Toolbox no longer exists.

Note

Requirements Toolbox only removes backlinks in IBM DOORS Next when the current configuration context in MATLAB matches the configuration context in IBM DOORS Next.