IBM DOORS

IBM has two products with the DOORS name. Roboticks integrates with both, but they have different ReqIF workflows.

	DOORS Classic (9.x)	DOORS Next
ReqIF support	Via the ReqIF Studio companion tool	Native (per module)
Export mechanism	Open module → ReqIF Studio plugin	OSLC API or web export
Recommended	Use ReqIF Studio for round-trip	Use native ReqIF
Roboticks integration	Same connector, different upload step	Same connector, native upload

Connector type and pricing


Type	BYO requirements connector
Tier	Team (3 BYO connectors included), Enterprise (bundled)
Price	$149 / connector / month above the Team allowance

You bring the DOORS license. Roboticks talks ReqIF only.

DOORS Classic workflow

DOORS Classic has no first-party ReqIF support. The community-standard path is IBM Rational ReqIF Studio (sometimes shipped as DOORS-RIF), which exports modules to ReqIF and imports them back.

Setup

Install ReqIF Studio

Get it from your IBM Passport Advantage portal. It’s a Windows-only Eclipse-based tool.

Export a module

Open the DOORS module in ReqIF Studio → Export → ReqIF. Save the .reqif file. For modules with embedded OLE objects (rare in modern DOORS use), the export also produces a .reqifz zip.

Upload to Roboticks

rbtk requirements upload module-export.reqif \
  --mode update \
  --field-map roboticks/doors-classic-mapping.yaml

Export back and re-import via ReqIF Studio

rbtk requirements export --format reqif --with-coverage --out roboticks-export.reqif

Open the exported file in ReqIF Studio → Import → Merge into module.

DOORS Classic field mapping

# roboticks/doors-classic-mapping.yaml
workitem_types:
  Requirement: functional
  "Safety Requirement": safety
fields:
  "Absolute Number": id
  "Object Heading":  title
  "Object Text":     text
  "Compliance":      compliance
  "Verification Method": verification_method
link_modules:
  "Satisfied By":   confirmed_by
  "Derived From":   derives_from

DOORS Next workflow

DOORS Next has native ReqIF — you can export from the web UI or via the OSLC REST API.

Setup

Add the connector in Roboticks

Settings → Integrations → Requirements → Add → DOORS Next.

Get an OSLC export URL

In DOORS Next: open the module → Configurations → Stream → Export → ReqIF → API URL.

Author a DOORS Next field mapping

# roboticks/doors-next-mapping.yaml
workitem_types:
  "http://open-services.net/ns/rm#Requirement": functional
  "http://acme.com/doors-next/types/safetyreq": safety
fields:
  "dcterms:identifier": id
  "dcterms:title":      title
  "dcterms:description": text
  "rm:asilPL":          asil_pl

CI recipe (DOORS Next)

# .github/workflows/doors-next-sync.yml
name: DOORS Next sync
on:
  schedule: [{ cron: "0 5 * * *" }]
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  sync:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions: { id-token: write, contents: read }
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Pull DOORS Next ReqIF export
        run: |
          curl -fsSL \
            -u "${{ secrets.DOORS_USER }}:${{ secrets.DOORS_TOKEN }}" \
            -H "Accept: application/x-oslc-cm-change-request+xml" \
            "https://doors.acme.com/rm/oslc/resources/rqm/module/4711.reqif" \
            -o doors-export.reqif

      - run: pipx install roboticks-cli
      - run: rbtk auth oidc-from-github
      - run: |
          rbtk requirements upload doors-export.reqif \
            --mode update \
            --field-map roboticks/doors-next-mapping.yaml

      - run: |
          rbtk requirements export \
            --format reqif --with-coverage \
            --out roboticks-export.reqif

      - name: Push back to DOORS Next
        run: |
          curl -fsSL \
            -u "${{ secrets.DOORS_USER }}:${{ secrets.DOORS_TOKEN }}" \
            -X POST -F "file=@roboticks-export.reqif" \
            "https://doors.acme.com/rm/oslc/imports/4711"

DOORS-specific quirks

Object IDs vs Absolute Numbers

DOORS Classic distinguishes the human-friendly Object Identifier (e.g., REQ-001) from the immutable Absolute Number. Use Absolute Number as id for stable round-trip; surface Object Identifier as a separate field if humans expect to see it.

OLE objects in DOORS Classic

If your DOORS modules embed Word/Excel objects in Object Text, ReqIF Studio extracts them as attachments inside the .reqifz bundle. Roboticks ingests the bundle, stores attachments, and surfaces them in the requirement detail view — but they’re not searchable text.

DOORS Next configurations

DOORS Next has a Streams-and-Baselines configuration management model. Always export from a named stream (not the default), and pass the stream’s name as --baseline to Roboticks so the configuration round-trips:

rbtk requirements upload doors-export.reqif --baseline "ARM Controller Mainline"

Link modules vs natively-typed links

DOORS Classic models links via separate Link Modules (one per relationship type). DOORS Next uses typed links inline. The field mapping handles both via the link_modules / link_roles keys.

Round-trip caveats

DOORS Classic loses formatting on round-trip

Object Text is rich-text DOORS DXL. ReqIF Studio converts to XHTML; Roboticks converts to Markdown for storage and back to XHTML on export. Headings, lists, bold/italic, links survive. Tables, embedded objects, in-line images don’t round-trip cleanly.

DOORS Next change sets and baselines

Always pin to a baseline for round-trip. Working off the mutable default stream means the ID-to-content mapping can shift mid-sync.

DXL scripting after import

If your DOORS module is augmented by DXL scripts post-import (e.g., auto-numbering), run them after the Roboticks re-import or wire the script to the import event.

Validation

# Count check
rbtk requirements list --output ids | wc -l
# Compare against DOORS module's Total Object Count

Troubleshooting

`ReqIF Studio crashes on a large module`

Modules over ~5000 objects strain the Eclipse heap. Edit ReqIFStudio.ini: -Xmx8g. Or split the module via DOORS view filters and export in chunks.

DOORS Next OSLC returns 401

Use a Functional ID (technical user) — interactive sessions expire and SSO redirects break the API call. The connection’s Connection ID is configured in DOORS Next → Admin → Functional IDs.

Polarion

The other big mature RM tool.

rbtk requirements

Upload, coverage, export.

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IBM DOORS

IBM DOORS

Connector type and pricing

DOORS Classic workflow

Setup

DOORS Classic field mapping

DOORS Next workflow

Setup

CI recipe (DOORS Next)

DOORS-specific quirks

Object IDs vs Absolute Numbers

OLE objects in DOORS Classic

DOORS Next configurations

Link modules vs natively-typed links

Round-trip caveats

Validation

Troubleshooting

Next

Polarion

rbtk requirements

​IBM DOORS

​Connector type and pricing

​DOORS Classic workflow

​Setup

​DOORS Classic field mapping

​DOORS Next workflow

​Setup

​CI recipe (DOORS Next)

​DOORS-specific quirks

​Object IDs vs Absolute Numbers

​OLE objects in DOORS Classic

​DOORS Next configurations

​Link modules vs natively-typed links

​Round-trip caveats

​Validation

​Troubleshooting

​Next

Polarion

rbtk requirements

IBM DOORS

Connector type and pricing

DOORS Classic workflow

Setup

DOORS Classic field mapping

DOORS Next workflow

Setup

CI recipe (DOORS Next)

DOORS-specific quirks

Object IDs vs Absolute Numbers

OLE objects in DOORS Classic

DOORS Next configurations

Link modules vs natively-typed links

Round-trip caveats

Validation

Troubleshooting

Next