Using the Delta Link Tracer

The delta link tracer enables you to view the delta link chain of a selected object. Based on the selected object, you can:

View its source objects (the objects from which the selected object inherits its metadata)
View its dependent objects (the objects that inherit their metadata from the selected object).

Prerequisites

You must have at least administrator read permission for the source objects and dependents in the delta link chain to view the objects.

Procedure

Launching the Delta Link Tracer

To launch the delta link tracer, you must first select or edit the object whose delta link chain you want to view. You can do so in any of the following ways:

User Interface	Description	Instructions
Portal Catalog	Use this option if you have not yet opened the object in its editor.	In the Portal Catalog, right-click an object and choose Open Delta Link Tracer .
Object Editor	Use this option if you have already opened the object in any editor (for example, a portal page in the Page Editor).	At the top of the object editor area, choose Display Delta Link Tracer .
Object Editor	Use this option if the object is embedded in another object (for example, an iView in a page, when the Page Editor is open).	Do one of the following: At the bottom of the editor, click Trace Delta Links. Right-click the object in the editor, and choose Trace Delta Links.

The user interface of the delta link tracer is divided into two tabs:

Show Delta Link Sources: displays source objects of the selected objects
Show Delta Link Dependents: displays first-generation dependents (also known as target objects) derived as delta links from the selected object

Viewing Delta Link Sources

When you launch the delta link tracer, the Show Delta Link Sources tab is selected by default. It displays the delta link sources of the selected object.

The object you are investigating is located at the bottom of the list (identified as the target object), and its source objects are listed above it.

Note the following:

If a source object in the displayed delta link chain is embedded within other objects (for example, an iView assigned to a portal page, which is assigned to a workset, which is assigned to a role), you see those objects as well. The names of the target object and its sources appear in bold.
Only objects for which you have at least administrator read permission are displayed. You are notified on the screen if you are not permitted to view a particular object and its source objects (any other objects in the delta link chain that precede the unauthorized object are not viewable, regardless of their permissions).
If the object that you are investigating is based directly on a portal component, the selected object does not have any delta link source objects. The delta link tracer displays this on the screen.
If the object that you are investigating, or any of its source objects, contain at least one property that has been manually modified (meaning that the modified property does not inherit its value from its immediate source object), an icon ( (Broken delta link)) is displayed next to the object's name.
To determine specifically which properties have been modified, open the object in the Property Editor (see instructions below).
The delta link tracer supports remote delta link objects; any source objects located on a remote producer portal are displayed in the delta link chain.
To view the producer portal of a remote source object, move the mouse pointer over the object in the delta link chain. The path, including the alias of the producer portal, is displayed in the following format: NetWeaver_content_producers\<producer_alias>\<objectID>

Viewing Delta Link Dependents

To view the dependents of the selected object, select the Show Delta Link Dependents tab.

Note the following:

Only the first-generation dependents of the selected objects are displayed. To view the dependent objects lower down in any delta link chain (that is, second-generation dependents and more), do the following:
1. Select a first-generation object.
2. Find the first-generation object in the Portal Catalog using the Locate in Portal Catalog button (see description below).
3. Launch the delta link tracer for the object that you located in the Portal Catalog.
Only objects for which you have at least administrator read permission are displayed. You are notified on the screen if you do not have permission to view a particular object.
If the object that you are investigating, or any of its source objects, contain at least one property that has been manually modified, an icon ( (Broken delta link) ) is displayed next to the object's name.
The delta link tracer supports remote delta link objects; any first-generation dependent object located on a remote producer portal are displayed in the delt link chain.
To view the consumer portal of a remote dependent object, move the mouse pointer over the object in the delta link chain. The path, including the alias of the consumer portal, is displayed in the following format: consumer_content\<consumer_alias>\<objectID>

Using Additional Features in the Delta Link Tracer

You can perform a number of actions on any object displayed in a delta link chain:

Task	Instructions
View the object ID of an object	Move the mouse pointer over any object name.
Hide or display the sub-contents of an object listed in the delta link chain.	Click the expand/collapse arrow next to any object name.
Locate an object in the Portal Catalog	Do one of the following: Select the object in the delta link chain, and click the Locate in Portal Catalog button located below the delta link chain. Right-click the object and choose Locate in Portal Catalog from the context menu. Note This feature is only available for unit objects that are accessible directly in the Portal Catalog (for more information, see Assigning a Unit Object to a Parent Object). For example, it is not applicable for an iView listed as embedded in a portal page. This feature is usually only available for the object listed at the top of each section in the delta link chain. End of the note. For remote delta link objects, you must have a live connection to the producer portal to be able to view the location of source objects on the remote portal.
View the properties of an object in the Property Editor.	Do one of the following: Double-click an object displayed in the delta link chain. Select the object displayed in the delta link chain, and then click the View Properties button located below the chain. Right-click the object and choose the View Properties option from the context menu. Note The Property Editor in the delta link tracer opens in read-only mode. See also Property Editor. To open an object displayed in the delta link chain in edit mode or in its primary editor, use the Locate in Portal Catalog button to find it, and then edit it directly from the Portal Catalog. See Editing an Object. This option is only available for the object you are investigating and its source objects. For example, if you are investigating an iView, you cannot use it on a portal page in which the iView is embedded. This option is only available for objects that reside on the local portal—remote delta link objects are not supported. End of the note.