Introduction
The CAST Architecture Checker offers you the possibility to work "online" to check the content of the model you have created and violations of the authorized / forbidden dependencies by connecting to a CAST Management Service (which will in turn fetch data from the CAST Analysis Service).
Modules
Please ensure that any objects you want to work with in the CAST Architecture Checker are part of a Module, i.e.:
- A module created manually (a User Defined Module)
- A module created automatically (by the CAST Management Studio if no User Defined Modules exist when the snapshot is generated).
External objects
Architecture Checker can report violations between two Layers even when objects inside the targeted Layer not only are external, but also belong to a module external to the Application being checked. The only constraint is that the objects inside the Layer from which the Dependency towards the targeted Layer is issued, must belong to a module internal to the Application. For example, it is possible to check for links which reach objects belonging to a .NET assembly outside of the Application boundary, provided these links start from objects in a module which is internal to the Application (even though these latter objects can be external).
Working online
When you first open the CAST Architecture Checker, it will automatically be in offline mode (icon located in bottom left corner):
The CAST Architecture Checker can still be used offline to create a model out of the box on a desktop. However to really benefit from this application, you need to work online. To do so, you can use any of the options provided in the Action menu. The actual connection process is described in Connect and select application.
Snapshot generation
Before you can take advantage of the online operating mode (i.e. one of the following options):
...you do need to have already successfully generated a snapshot of your application. On connection to the CAST Management Service, the CAST Architecture Checker will check for the presence of up-to-date and completed analysis results data for the Application you choose during the connection process. There are several scenarios that need explanation here:
| If you have successfully generated a snapshot in the CAST Management Studio, then you can take advantage of the online features of the application without doing anything else. The GUI will notify you that you are working online |
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If you have never generated a snapshot or have never used the Run Analysis only option in the CAST Management Studio, then you will be prompted that you cannot work online and will remain in offline mode:
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If you have used the Run Analysis only option in the CAST Management Studio (since a previous snapshot was generated or on its own without a snapshot ever having been generated) then you will be offered the possibility to run a pre-snapshot preparation action from within the CAST Architecture Checker GUI: |
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| If you have already generated one snapshot then deleted it via the CAST Management Studio, the CAST Architecture Checker will still be able to check information about your application because the check is made on the presence of analysis results and whether the PrepareSnapshot action has been run (rather than whether a snapshot is actually present). | - |
