The devAdvantage Knowledgebase is the repository that contains the knowledge that drives the analyzer.  Through the Knowledgebase Explorer you can manage and customize the Rules and Profiles that drive the Analysis process.

Knowledgebase Repository- The knowledgebase repository is a store that exists in the program directory of devAdvantage and is managed through the Knowledgebase Explorer.

 Rules - Rules are functional pieces of knowledge that understand how to identify and fix issues (Violations ).  Rules are created from base templates that contain the logic and then allow you to produce different versions of them through configuration. When created and configured they are capable of identifying various aspects of the rule and reporting violations associated with these rules.  Rules also contain the knowledge of how to correct the violations.  For more details on Rules and how to create, modify and manage them see the Rules topic.

 Profiles - Profiles are a collection of rules to be used for a specific purpose.  The profiles can then be assigned to projects or solutions to leverage and enforce the collection of rules.  This is important for meeting the needs of special project types.  For example an ASP.NET project may have different requirements and analysis needs than a component library or web forms application.  Creating and assigning custom profiles allows you to control what rules are used in what situation. For more details on Profiles and how to create, modify and manage them see the Profiles topic.

Using the Explorer

Opening the Knowledgebase Explorer - The knowledgebase Explorer is a window that can float or be docked like other Visual Studio® .NET windows.  It is typically placed on the upper right-hand window along with the Solution and Class Explorers.  If the Knowledgebase Explorer is not open in the IDE, it can be accessed by selecting the devAdvantage menu, Knowledgebase Explorer menu item..

Context Menus - The knowledgebase explorer contains context menus that allows you to manage the Rules and Profiles within the knowledgebase.  The menu is different depending on the type of item selected (a rule or a profile). Examples of items in the context menus are Properties, Add, Cut, Copy, Explain Rule, etc.

Properties of Rules and Profiles - Rules and Profiles have properties that can be modified to customize the configuration.  These properties can be accessed in two ways 1) you can select the item and  see the properties in the standard Visual Studio® .NET properties tab or 2) Use the context menu to bring up a properties dialog.  See more details regarding the properties of rules and profiles in their respective topics Rules and Profiles.

Creating Rules and Profiles - The devAdvantage main menu provides menu items to create a new rule or profile using a wizard, as well as the context menu within the Knowledgebase explorer.  For detailed information regarding creating rules and properties, see sections within the respective topics Rules and Profiles .

Cut, Paste, Move and Delete Operations - The context menus (depending on the situation) have normal cut, paste, move and delete operations that can be used to manage the items in the explorer.  Moving items can also be accomplished using standard window drag and drop functionality.

Explaining Rules (Documentation) - Rules have documentation associated with them to explain the rule, specific violations and educate you on the topic covered by the rule.  To see the rule explanation you can select a rule, right click for the context menu and choose the Explain Rule menu item which will open up Visual Studio® .NET help.  You can also access the Rule Explanation from the Analysis Results window - see Analyzing Code.

See Also

Analysis | Violations | Rules | Profiles | Corrections