Component Labels

Component labels are actually one of the more powerful features of policy management, and they should have a familiar look, since you’ve likely used other systems that employ a sort of tagging or labeling.

Essentially, component labels are metadata. More specifically a component label is metadata that is assigned to a component within the context of a particular application or organization. Labels can assist with identifying components you want to review, approve, or even avoid altogether. We call this component label assignment.

When component labels are assigned, this is an action that takes place in the application composition report. Before it can be assigned though, a label needs to exist for a particular organization or application.

As we learned in our Organization and Application Management chapter, inheritance plays a big role in policy. The same thing is true for labels, in that if a component label is created in an organization, any application attached to that organization will also have the label available for use when assigned. In fact, the system will prompt you to choose the scope (organization or application) a label should exist in when it is assigned.

You can customize a policy to use a component label as a condition when IQ Server evaluates applications. For more information about policies and creating conditions, see Understanding the Parts of a Policy.

Viewing a Component Label

To view a component label:

  1. Click the Organization & Policies icon  on the IQ Server toolbar.
  2. Select an organization or application in the sidebar. A page of customizable settings is displayed.
  3. Click Component Labels in the menu bar at the top of the page to scroll to the Component Labels section.

The Component Labels section displays two types of labels:

  • Local - Component labels with a scope that’s specific to the selected organization or application.
  • Inherited - Component labels derived from an organization that’s higher in the system hierarchy than the currently selected organization or application.

Creating a Component Label

To create a component label:

  1. Click the Organization & Policies icon  on the IQ Server toolbar.
  2. In the sidebar, select the organization or application in which the component label will be used.
  3. In the Organization & Policies area, click Component Labels.
  4. In the Component Labels section, click the Add a Label button. The New Component Label editor is displayed.
  5. In the New Component Label editor, set the following attributes:
    1. Component Label Name - Enter a name for the component label that is easily identified.
    2. Short Description - Enter a description that provides additional information about the component label.
    3. Color - Select a desired color for the component label.
  6. Click the Create button to add the component label to the selected organization.

A few things to remember:

  • An organization’s component labels can be seen by any of its applications, the reverse is not true.
  • Component labels can only be edited (or deleted) at the level they were created.

Editing a Component Label

To edit a component label:

  1. Click the Organization & Policies icon  on the IQ Server toolbar.
  2. In the sidebar, select the organization or application in which the component label was created. The component label is displayed in the Component Labels section under the Local heading, and has a chevron in its row to indicate it’s editable.
  3. Click the component label you want to edit. The Edit Component Label dialog is displayed.
  4. In the Edit Component Label dialog, you can change the following attributes:
    1. Component Label Name - Enter a different name for the component label.
    2. Short Description - Enter a description that provides additional information about the component label.
    3. Color - Select a desired color for the component label.
  5. Click the Update button to save the component label to the selected organization or application.

Deleting a Component Label

To delete a component label:

  1. Click the Organization & Policies icon  on the IQ Server toolbar.
  2. In the sidebar, select the organization or application in which the component label was created. The component label is displayed in the Component Labels section under the Local heading, and has a chevron in its row to indicate it’s editable.
  3. Click the component label you want to delete. The Edit Component Label dialog is displayed.
  4. In the Edit Component Label dialog, click the Delete Component Label button. A Delete Label alert dialog is displayed.
  5. In the Delete Label dialog, click Continue to delete the component label or Cancel to keep the component label.

When you delete a component label, the action cannot be undone.

Using a Component Label in a Policy

To use a component label in a Policy:

  1. Click the Organization & Policies icon  on the IQ Server toolbar.
  2. In the sidebar, select the organization or application in which to add the new policy.
  3. Click Policies in the menu bar at the top of the page to scroll to the Policies section.
  4. Create a new Policy. For details see Creating Policies.
  5. In the Constraints section, add a Constraint Condition where your newly created Component Label is selected. For example, if you created a new Component Label named "Do Not Use".

Adding a Component Label from a Policy Evaluation Report

To add a component label to a Component in a Policy Evaluation Report:

  1. In a Policy Evaluation Report, click on a Component.
  2. Click on Labels.
  3. Click on the Available Labels to apply to the Component.

4. Select the scope of the label from the dropdown as shown below. The scope of the label can be limited to an application, an organization at any level, or root organization.


Adding a Component Label from a Repository

To add a component label to a Component from a Repository:

  1. Click the Organization & Policies icon  on the IQ Server toolbar.
  2. Click Repositories under the Root Organization.
  3. Click the desired repository.
  4. Browse or search for the desired component.
  5. Select the desired component.
  6. Click on Labels.
  7. Add Component Labels to the Component.