Basic Configuration - Nextedy Documentation

What you will achieve

By the end of this tutorial, you will understand the risksheet.json configuration file structure, know how to locate and open it, add a new column, define a formula for Risk Priority Number (RPN) calculation, and apply conditional formatting to highlight risk levels with color coding.

Prerequisites

Risksheet is installed on your Polarion instance (see Installation)
You have created at least one Risksheet document (see Create Your First Risksheet)
You are logged in with administrative privileges (or have the canAdmin flag enabled)
You are familiar with the Risksheet interface layout (see Understanding the Interface)

Risksheet ships with a demo project configuration based on the DrivePilot template. The demo includes pre-configured risk item types, rating scales, and column layouts. This tutorial builds on the demo configuration as a starting point, but the steps apply to any project.

Step 1: Locate the Configuration File

The Risksheet configuration is stored in a file named risksheet.json attached to your Polarion LiveDoc document. Open your Risksheet document in the browser. Click the ⚙️ Configure button in the toolbar to open the configuration editor. You should see the configuration editor interface in a new browser window, showing the current JSON configuration for your document.

The configuration editor opens at the URL pattern {baseUrl}/risksheet/configuration/ with query parameters for your project and document. You can also navigate directly to this URL.

Step 2: Understand the Configuration Structure

The risksheet.json file is organized into top-level sections. Here is the basic structure with the most important sections:

{
  "dataTypes": {
    "risk": { "type": "risk" },
    "task": { "type": "mitigationAction", "role": "mitigates" }
  },
  "levels": [ {}, {} ],
  "columns": [],
  "formulas": {},
  "ratings": {},
  "enums": {},
  "cellDecorators": {},
  "styles": {},
  "global": { "culture": "en" },
  "reviews": { "reviewManager": "CommentBased" }
}

Section	Purpose
`dataTypes`	Defines the Polarion work item types for risk items and tasks
`levels`	Configures the hierarchical row structure (failure mode, cause, effect)
`columns`	Defines every column in the grid — bindings, types, headers, widths
`formulas`	Named JavaScript functions for calculated columns (e.g., RPN)
`ratings`	Rating scale definitions for severity, occurrence, detection dropdowns
`enums`	Enumeration option definitions for dropdown columns
`cellDecorators`	Conditional formatting functions that apply CSS classes to cells
`styles`	CSS class definitions used by cell decorators
`global`	Global settings like culture/locale
`reviews`	Review workflow configuration

Step 3: Add a Column

Add a new column to display the “Effect of Failure” for each risk item. In the columns array, add the following entry:

{
  "id": "effect",
  "binding": "effect",
  "header": "Effect of Failure",
  "type": "text",
  "width": 200,
  "level": 2
}

Property	Value	Explanation
`id`	`"effect"`	Unique identifier for this column
`binding`	`"effect"`	Maps to the `effect` custom field on Polarion work items
`header`	`"Effect of Failure"`	Text displayed in the column header
`type`	`"text"`	Plain text data type
`width`	`200`	Column width in pixels
`level`	`2`	Appears at the second hierarchical level (cause/effect level)

After saving, you should see the new “Effect of Failure” column in the grid at the position matching its order in the columns array.

The binding value must match an existing custom field ID in your Polarion project. If the field does not exist, the column will display empty values. Create the custom field in Polarion administration first, then reference it in your column binding.

Step 4: Define Rating Scales

Rating columns need scale definitions so users see meaningful dropdown options instead of raw numbers. Add severity and occurrence scales to the ratings section:

{
  "ratings": {
    "severity": [
      { "id": "1", "name": "Negligible", "description": "No injury or minimal impact" },
      { "id": "2", "name": "Minor", "description": "Light injury, first aid treatment" },
      { "id": "3", "name": "Moderate", "description": "Moderate injury, medical treatment" },
      { "id": "4", "name": "Significant", "description": "Severe injury, hospitalization" },
      { "id": "5", "name": "Catastrophic", "description": "Life-threatening or fatal" }
    ],
    "occurrence": [
      { "id": "1", "name": "Remote", "description": "Once in 10+ years" },
      { "id": "2", "name": "Low", "description": "Once in 5-10 years" },
      { "id": "3", "name": "Moderate", "description": "Once in 1-5 years" },
      { "id": "4", "name": "High", "description": "Once per year" },
      { "id": "5", "name": "Very High", "description": "Multiple times per year" }
    ],
    "detection": [
      { "id": "1", "name": "Almost Certain", "description": "Controls will detect" },
      { "id": "2", "name": "High", "description": "High chance of detection" },
      { "id": "3", "name": "Moderate", "description": "Moderate chance" },
      { "id": "4", "name": "Low", "description": "Low chance of detection" },
      { "id": "5", "name": "Undetectable", "description": "No detection method" }
    ]
  }
}

Then reference these scales in your rating columns:

{
  "id": "sev",
  "binding": "sev",
  "header": "Severity (S)",
  "type": "rating:severity",
  "width": 80,
  "level": 2
}

You should see a dropdown in the Severity column showing options like “1 - Negligible”, “2 - Minor”, etc.

Step 5: Add a Calculated RPN Column

The Risk Priority Number (RPN) is calculated by multiplying Severity, Occurrence, and Detection values. Define the formula in the formulas section and reference it from a column. Add the formula:

{
  "formulas": {
    "commonRpn": "function(info){ var value = info.item['occ']*info.item['det']*info.item['sev']; return value?value:null;}"
  }
}

Add the RPN column referencing this formula:

{
  "id": "rpn",
  "binding": "rpn",
  "header": "RPN",
  "type": "int",
  "width": 70,
  "formula": "commonRpn",
  "level": 2
}

You should see the RPN column automatically calculating values when severity, occurrence, and detection are filled in. The column is automatically read-only because it has a formula property set.

The info parameter provides info.item — an object with the current row’s field values keyed by column id. Access any column value with info.item['columnId']. Return null for empty/invalid results to display a blank cell.

Step 6: Apply Conditional Formatting

Color-code the RPN column to visually indicate risk levels. This requires two pieces: a cellDecorators function that applies CSS classes, and styles definitions for those classes. Add the cell decorator:

{
  "cellDecorators": {
    "rpn": "function(info){ var val = info.value; $(info.cell).toggleClass('boldCol', true); $(info.cell).toggleClass('rpn1', val>0 && val<=150); $(info.cell).toggleClass('rpn2', val>150 && val<=350); $(info.cell).toggleClass('rpn3', val>350);}"
  }
}

Add the CSS style definitions:

{
  "styles": {
    ".boldCol": { "font-weight": "600" },
    ".rpn1": {
      "background-color": "#eaf5e9 !important",
      "color": "#1d5f20 !important"
    },
    ".rpn2": {
      "background-color": "#fff3d2 !important",
      "color": "#735602 !important"
    },
    ".rpn3": {
      "background-color": "#f8eae7 !important",
      "color": "#ab1c00 !important"
    }
  }
}

You should see the RPN cells color-coded:

RPN Range	Color	CSS Class	Meaning
1 — 150	Green	`rpn1`	Low risk
151 — 350	Yellow	`rpn2`	Medium risk
351+	Red	`rpn3`	High risk

Step 7: Save and Verify

Save the configuration in the configuration editor. The Risksheet grid reloads with your changes applied. Verify the following:

The new “Effect of Failure” column appears in the grid
Severity and Occurrence columns show dropdown selectors with your scale values
The RPN column calculates automatically when S, O, and D values are entered
RPN cells are color-coded based on the calculated value

If the grid fails to load after saving, check the browser console for error messages. Common issues include: missing commas in JSON, unmatched brackets, invalid formula syntax, or column binding values that do not match Polarion field names. The error "Error while reading configuration" indicates a JSON parsing failure.

Configuration Workflow
Edit risksheet.json	—>	Save in config	—>	Grid reloads
in config editor	editor	with changes
JSON syntax validation	Server-side	Client-side
(brackets, commas)	type inference	formula eval
v v v
Fix JSON errors	Defaults applied	Decorators apply
if any	for missing props	styles to cells

Next Steps

You now have a working Risksheet configuration with columns, formulas, and conditional formatting. Continue with these resources:

Quick Start Guide — complete end-to-end risk analysis walkthrough
How-To Guides — task-oriented guides for advanced configuration
Reference — complete property reference, formula functions, and API documentation
FAQ — common questions and answers

Sources

Support Tickets

Source Code

RisksheetViewServlet.java
AppConfig.ts
CommandFactory.ts

​What you will achieve

​Prerequisites

​Step 1: Locate the Configuration File

​Step 2: Understand the Configuration Structure

​Step 3: Add a Column

​Step 4: Define Rating Scales

​Step 5: Add a Calculated RPN Column

​Step 6: Apply Conditional Formatting

​Step 7: Save and Verify

​Next Steps

What you will achieve

Prerequisites

Step 1: Locate the Configuration File

Step 2: Understand the Configuration Structure

Step 3: Add a Column

Step 4: Define Rating Scales

Step 5: Add a Calculated RPN Column

Step 6: Apply Conditional Formatting

Step 7: Save and Verify

Next Steps