Document Loader

Document Loader is a new tool in the Cradle Toolsuite for Microsoft Office ®. The basic role of Document Loader is to parse a Microsoft Word ® document, termed a source document, so as to determine its structure, and to use this structure to capture the contents of the document into a project database as a hierarchy of items, each of which is cross-referenced to the paragraph(s), table row or table cell from which it was captured.

The Document Loader is only compatible with Word. It cannot be used with text files.

The Document Loader can capture body text and figures. It can also capture table rows or cells as items. Information can be captured into requirements, specifications or project-specific item types. Word’s paragraph outline levels are used to create the hierarchy of headings and subheadings. The source document will typically contain requirements, project-specific items or specifications grouped as paragraph hierarchies. Document Loader parses the document, extracts the structure and uses it to create a hierarchy of items in the database of the types that you specify. Cross references are created between levels in this structure. Normal text, pictures or tables within paragraphs are imported as associated frames of the items when they are captured.

When run, Document Loader parses the document and displays it and its structure:

Full control is provided for:

• Which part(s) of the document are captured
• The item type(s) into which these parts are captured, and the numbering of these items
• Capturing of figures (including automatic conversion of image/figure types), tables, table rows or table cells
• Hierarchical linking of the items when captured

When capturing occurs:

• The Word document is loaded into the Cradle database as a source document
• The document paragraphs are captured into the database as items of specified type(s)
• A cross reference is created between each of these items and the paragraph(s), figure(s), table(s), table row or table cell from which it was captured
• Cross references are created between the items to match the document structure: