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Action Designer Action Designer Action Designer
User's Guide User's Guide User's Guide
By By By
MetaLogic Corporation MetaLogic Corporation MetaLogic Corporation
The authors of this software make no expressed or
implied warranty of any kind with regard to this
software and in no event will be liable for incidental
or consequential damages arising from the use of this
product. The software described in this document is
furnished under a license and may only be used or
copied in accordance with the terms of the licensing
agreement.
The information in this document is subject to change
without notice.
Copyright 1989, 1990, 1991 MetaLogic Corporation.
All rights reserved.
Action Designer is a trademark of MetaLogic
Corporation.
No part of this document may be copied or reproduced in
any form or by any means without the prior written
consent of MetaLogic Corporation.
MetaLogic Corporation
2060D Avenida de los Arboles
Suite 318
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
(805) 529-4498
ii Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
..................................................iii
FOREWORD............................................1
INTRODUCTION........................................2
FUTURE DIRECTIONS...................................4
BASICS..............................................6
Registered vs. Shareware Version................6
Sources of Information..........................6
Conventions.....................................7
System Requirements.............................7
Limitations.....................................7
INSTALLATION........................................8
OPERATION...........................................10
Starting AD.....................................10
Stopping AD.....................................10
User Interface..................................10
Menus and Boxes.............................11
Special Keys................................11
Custom Setup....................................12
Project Directory...........................13
Support Directory...........................13
Printers....................................13
Use Brackets................................13
Report Lines................................14
Languages...................................14
Custom Languages................................14
Opening a Diagram...............................15
New Diagrams................................15
Existing Diagrams...........................15
Saving a Diagram................................16
Restoring from Backup.......................16
Control Brackets................................16
Terminology.................................16
Bracket Styles..............................17
Inserting Brackets..........................20
Deleting Brackets...........................20
Stripping Bracket Symbols...................20
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide iii
Dragging Bracket Edges......................20
Moving and Copying Brackets.................21
Deleting, Moving and Copying Mid Lines......21
Inserting, Joining and Deleting Mid Lines...22
Adjusting Exit Arrows.......................22
Editing Diagrams................................23
Display Detail Control..........................24
Global View.................................25
Local View..................................26
One-Step Display Changes....................26
PRINTING AND EXPORTING DIAGRAMS.....................27
CUSTOM LANGUAGES....................................28
Defining a Language.............................28
Selecting a Language............................30
ON-LINE HELP........................................31
SHELL...............................................32
USES FOR AD.........................................33
iv Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
FOREWORD FOREWORD FOREWORD
System engineering requires tools with sufficient
expressive power to clearly and precisely communicate
complex ideas. That is, our tools are the meta
language with which we describe the behavior of present
and future systems. It's axiomatic that no one
methodology is sufficient or appropriate for every
task. Ideally, our systems workshops would be filled
with the requisite variety of methodologies clearly
identified as to when and how they should be used.
But, of course, there are usually just a few tools and
not always the right ones.
Action diagrams seem to me to be a very good candidate
for a place on the system engineering workbench. So, I
developed AD to serve as the platform for developing a
CASE tool not merely to produce action diagrams, but
also as a vehicle for extending the technology.
Logical extensions include object oriented analysis and
specification, rapid prototyping, executable
specifications, code generation and linkages to other
CASE technologies.
As my understanding of what is needed evolves, I'd like
try to build on my own experience and that of my
colleagues to enlarge the available set of tools. A
major motivation behind releasing this program as
Shareware is to gain the benefit of the experience,
expertise and creativity of the widest possible
audience. Since AD is an evolving product, you have a
major opportunity to contribute to and substantially
influence the development of a powerful CASE tool. The
advantage to you is that AD is likely to incorporate
features and functions that you regard as important to
your work.
I am very interested in talking with each user and
listening to your ideas and criticisms. I know that
there is a lot of talent in the user community. So,
please register and let me hear from you.
Lou Barnett
MetaLogic Corporation
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 1
INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION
This manual describes the operation of the ACTION ACTION ACTION
DESIGNER DESIGNER DESIGNER (AD) action diagrammer from MetaLogic
Corporation.
AD is a professional Computer Aided System Engineering
(CASE) tool. System designers and implementors will
find it useful during all phases of the system life
cycle. Database designers can use action diagrams to
work out and document their data models. In addition,
management professionals can use AD to design policies
and procedures for their operations whether automated
or not.
Action diagrams have emerged as one of the more
effective tools for describing and documenting
hierarchical and recursive relationships and procedural
components of systems. Among their virtues are:
Effective and concise documentation of
requirements and specifications. The
same tool can be used to communicate
high and low level specifications and
procedural and algorithmic details to
users, managers and programmers at the
appropriate level of detail.
Conformity of well structured action
diagrams and equivalent data flow and
data structure diagrams.
Adaptability to a wide variety of tasks
ranging from the design of whole
systems, to data modeling, to the
specification of a single algorithm.
Ease of incremental refinement of
requirements beginning with high level
descriptions and ending with code
generation (pseudo or program language).
Database orientation which ensures a
close fit with most applications.
Language independence making action
diagrams multi-disciplinary as well as
2 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
applicable to almost all programming
environments.
Ease of teaching and learning.
Design for computerized validation is
possible.
Representation of all structured
programming control structures in any
real or pseudo language.
Ease of use and update over the entire
system life cycle.
Maintenance of consistency between
external and internal documentation when
used as a code generator.
AD works like a specialized word and thought processor
which knows the rules of action diagramming. It
enforces the rules and provides many aids to the
designer which speed the diagramming process.
Computerized action diagrams have the additional virtue
of being easy to create and maintain. In short, action
diagrams are flexible and versatile.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 3
FUTURE DIRECTIONS FUTURE DIRECTIONS FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Action diagrams are based upon the idea of an outline.
Outlines have proven to be an almost universally
applicable tool for organizing, collating and
structuring ideas and information. The major
innovation of action diagrams to date has been the
addition of the meta language of control structures
(brackets). Automating the production of action
diagrams yields the additional benefits of enforced
discipline and ease of change.
This innovation allows us to "talk" about - model -
systems without getting tangled up in the language of
the systems themselves. We need meta languages because
all languages are defective in one sense - there are
always propositions about the language that cannot be
expressed in the language. Think about the difficulty
of describing the rules for updating accounting ledgers
using only plain English - even accountants use
diagrams to present the rules.
So, it seems reasonable to attempt to build on the
assets of action diagrams by extending AD. Here are
some of the extensions we are considering. Please
register and add your ideas to the list.
Hyper Links Hyper Links Hyper Links. Using the hypertext model,
hyper links would support traversing
interrelated diagrams (and possibly
other text files).
Hot Links Hot Links Hot Links. Hot links would allow
dynamic insertion of program source code
from external sources (possibly from a
source code control system). Another
use would be insertion of standard
action Diagram fragments (which
represent reusable logic).
With the addition of Hot Links, AD would
become a powerful code generator. Logic
and code reusability will facilitate
rapid prototyping and smooth iterative
transition of prototypes to reliable
applications.
4 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Browsers Browsers Browsers. Another potential benefit of
Hot Links (and Hyper Links) is that AD
could be used as an application centered
browser - you could browse the code or
other logic which actually implements a
design.
Interestingly, you could even create a
general purpose browser by creating an
action Diagram which represented the
organization of your source code
libraries.
Data Dictionary Data Dictionary Data Dictionary. A tightly coupled data
dictionary would add another essential
component. Used in conjunction with the
following extension, computerized
diagram validation would be possible.
Process Inputs and Outputs Process Inputs and Outputs Process Inputs and Outputs. Control
bracket structures which would
explicitly identify process inputs and
outputs would be an analog of data flows
in data flow diagrams. Dynamic
interaction with a data dictionary would
provide immediate validation, immediate
dictionary update (with new data
elements) and lookup and insertion of
existing elements.
Database Normalization Database Normalization Database Normalization. Given the
foregoing enhancements, it would be
possible to apply database normalization
algorithms to the data dictionary to
produce a normalized database
specification.
Other Diagram Types Other Diagram Types Other Diagram Types. Since there should
be a one-to-one correspondence between
properly structured action diagrams and
Data Flow and Data Structure diagrams,
it should be possible to generate such
diagrams from an action diagram. The
converse is possible, but is not a
likely addition unless a suitable
graphic diagramming tool can be
identified (perhaps EasyCase Plus ).
Explicit Database Operations Explicit Database Operations Explicit Database Operations. The
current version does not make provisions
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 5
for symbolically representing database
operations such as updates and joins.
The addition of such symbols might be
useful.
Line Numbers Line Numbers Line Numbers. Optional line numbering
on reports might be useful for group
reviews and proof reading.
Hidden Annotations Hidden Annotations Hidden Annotations. A special type of
bracket which could contain notes or
other commentary and which would
generally remain hidden (and printed
only on demand) might also facilitate
review and documentation.
6 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
BASICS BASICS BASICS
Registered vs. Shareware Version Registered vs. Shareware Version Registered vs. Shareware Version
The registered version of AD includes features that are
not available in the shareware version. In the
shareware version certain features are limited; you can
create complete action diagrams but without the
flexibility that the registered version provides.
Please consult the accompanying file FEATURES.TXT for a
discussion of these limitations.
Sources of Information Sources of Information Sources of Information
You will want to learn more about action diagrams. The
following books are good sources of information:
Action Diagrams Action Diagrams Action Diagrams, James Martin and Carma
McClure, Prentice Hall, Englwood Cliffs,
1989 (2nd ed). You'll learn almost
everything there is to know from this
book.
Other books in the James Martin series
including Recommended Diagramming
Standards, Structured Techniques; the
Basis for CASE and Information
Engineering; Introduction. All are
published by Prentice Hall.
The latter books add some new information and the last
book describes sophisticated CASE tools which
incorporate action diagrams. There is also information
in the documentation accompanying certain high end CASE
tools which include action diagramming tools. You may
be able to obtain literature from vendors.
Conventions Conventions Conventions
If you are using AD, we assume that you must be
familiar with computer terminology. We'll try to keep
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 7
it to a minimum. But when conventional terminology
fits, we'll use it.
We use to stand for the Enter key. Examples are
shown in brackets: <filename>. In such cases the
brackets should not be typed. Other keystroke
combinations are given as Alt, Ctrl or Shift plus a
letter as in Alt-S. As usual, this means the Alt and S
keys pressed simultaneously. The cursor arrow keys are
given as ?, ?, and ?. In general, keyboard keys are
shown in italics.
System Requirements System Requirements System Requirements
Computer Computer Computer: any 100% IBM PC compatible computer.
Operating System Operating System Operating System: MSDOS/PCDOS 3.x or higher.
Memory Memory Memory: 384Kb or more.
Display Display Display: MDA, CGA, EGA or VGA adaptor. Color is
prettier but not essential.
Disk Disk Disk: AD will operate from either a floppy or hard
disk. Obviously, a hard disk is preferable. AD itself
requires under 300Kb; individual diagram files will be
a maximum of 60Kb (this is an extreme because most
will be under 20Kb).
Printer Printer Printer: any printer capable of displaying the IBM line
drawing character set. This is important. AD will
print garbage on an incompatible printer.
Mouse Mouse Mouse: a Microsoft compatible mouse may be used. It is
totally optional and performance is not degraded by
the lack of one.
Limitations Limitations Limitations
The only real constraint is on the size of diagrams.
At the moment, the limit is 60,000 characters, which is
a very large diagram. It is hard to imagine a truly
useful diagram of that size. But, a future version
will incorporate a virtual memory capability which will
allow unlimited size diagrams.
8 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
INSTALLATION INSTALLATION INSTALLATION
This section describes procedures for installing AD on
your system. A future version will include an
automated installation procedure. To install AD
perform the steps below:
1. Place the following files in a
subdirectory somewhere on your
path:
AD.EXE AD program
TSRINT.EXE Interrupt
handler used when
SHELL won't work
properly.
2. Create a directory in which to
store support files. This
"support" directory will contain
the following files:
AD.HLP On line help text
AD.CFG Configuration file
AD.DOC User's guide text
file
README.1ST Last minute
information
*.PD Printer drivers
FEATURES.TXT List of advanced
features in the
registered version
REGISTER.TXT Registration form
VERSION.TXT Known idiosyncrasies
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 9
OBJECT.TXT Discussion of
experimental
Object Oriented Analysis
features
PRINTER.TXT Custom printer
specification form
ABOUT.TXT A message from the
author
*.LN Language definitions
(i.e. GENERIC.LN)
3. Create one or more subdirectories
in which you will store action
diagrams that you create. These
are referred to as "project"
directories. Place these files in
one of the project directories:
*.AD Various example
Action Diagrams
These will usually be associated
with a specific project.
Only AD.EXE, AD.CFG and AD.HLP are
required to operate AD. You will
want to examine the example
diagrams.
4. Add the following command to your
autoexec.bat file:
SET ADDIR= SET ADDIR= SET ADDIR=<path>
where <path> is the location of
your support directory. AD will
look for AD.CFG in this
subdirectory (or in the current
directory if ADDIR isn't set).
Reboot your computer.
5. Test your installation by typing AD
at the DOS prompt. Press Alt-S
to display the current setup.
10 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Enter your project and support
paths (including drive), select a
printer and default language and
set other options as you desire.
Save your configuration by pressing
Ok.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 11
OPERATION OPERATION OPERATION
This section describes procedures for operating AD.
You will want to review it to become familiar with AD.
While AD is running, the on-line help system should
answer most of your questions.
Starting AD Starting AD Starting AD
To start AD perform the following steps:
1. Log in to the subdirectory -
working subdirectory - in which you
intend to store your diagram. This
step isn't required in the
registered version if you have set
the environment variable ADDIR .
2. At the DOS prompt, enter AD.
The AD main screen will display and AD is ready for
use. Consult the Opening a Diagram section below for
how to proceed.
Stopping AD Stopping AD Stopping AD
There are two points from which you may wish to exit
from AD: while you are editing a diagram and when no
diagram is displayed.
In the first case, press ESC. A message box will be
displayed giving you the opportunity to save your
diagram, abandon it or resume editing. Save the
diagram or not as you choose. The edit window will
close and the Exit option on the menu bar will be
activated (i.e., the "X" will be highlighted). Press
ALT-X to return to DOS.
In the second case, the Exit option will already be
activated, so press ALT-X to quit.
12 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
User Interface User Interface User Interface
AD's user interface is similar to that of Microsoft
Windows. You may use the keyboard or a mouse to make
choices from menus. All displays are within windows
appropriate to the immediate task. Certain keystrokes
are dedicated to specific functions, but many functions
are most easily performed from menus. Thus, there are
very few arcane keystrokes to remember.
Menus and Boxes Menus and Boxes Menus and Boxes
You communicate with AD though a simple interface
consisting of Menus, Message Boxes and Dialog Boxes
which are special types of pop-up windows.
Menus Menus Menus. There are two types of menus: a
menu bar which is always displayed at
the top of the screen and pull-down
menus which expand on the choices of the
menu bar. Major functional choices are
made from the menu bar and task specific
choices are made from the pull-downs.
AD's main menu consists of a menu bar
that is displayed at the top of the
screen and is in view at all times.
Each active option - one which is
available in the current context - has
one of its letters highlighted.
Unavailable options have no letters
highlighted. Pull-down menu options are
similarly tagged as available or
unavailable.
Message Boxes Message Boxes Message Boxes. AD displays message
boxes when it has something to tell you.
You may need only to acknowledge the
message or you may have a choice of
actions to take. Message boxes contain
buttons which display your choices. The
following section describes how to use
the buttons.
Dialog Boxes Dialog Boxes Dialog Boxes. When AD requires that you
enter something such as the name of a
document, it will display a dialog box.
The box may be a simple one with only
blanks to fill in. Or, it may be more
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 13
complex. For example, the Document Open
dialog box includes a scrollable window
listing all of the diagrams in the
current subdirectory. Dialog boxes
also contain buttons.
Special Keys Special Keys Special Keys
Certain keystrokes have special meaning to AD. They
fall into several groups:
Menu Bar Access Menu Bar Access Menu Bar Access. Press the ALT key in
combination with the highlighted
character in the desired menu choices.
For example: ALT-D accesses the Document
menu.
Pull-down Menu Access Pull-down Menu Access Pull-down Menu Access. Select an item
from a pull-down menu by either pressing
the highlighted character in the desired
menu selection or by using the or keys
to highlight a selection. Press to
choose a highlighted selection.
Dialog Box Access Dialog Box Access Dialog Box Access. When a dialog box is
displayed (see the previous section),
you may see a variety of components to
the box such as blanks to fill in, lists
to choose from and buttons to push. Use
the (Tab) key to move the cursor from
component to component.
Button Selection Button Selection Button Selection. In message and dialog
boxes, the key is used to move the
cursor from button to button. Press
to select the highlighted button.
Buttons may also be selected directly by
pressing ALT key in combination with the
highlighted character in the desired
button followed by . Typical buttons
are Ok and Cancel to either affirm the
current operation or exit to the next
higher menu.
Diagram Exit Diagram Exit Diagram Exit. To stop editing a
diagram, press ESC. A message box will
display that will give you the
opportunity to save your diagram,
abandon it or resume editing.
14 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Function Keys Function Keys Function Keys. While a diagram is being
edited, the function keys have special
meaning. This is explained in the
Diagram Editing Diagram Editing Diagram Editing section.
Mouse Mouse Mouse. A Microsoft compatible mouse may
be used to make menu selections. It has
no other function in the current
version. Use the mouse to locate the
cursor over the desired option and click
with the left button.
Custom Setup Custom Setup Custom Setup
You may change your custom setup at any time. You
should, of course, set up AD the first time you use
it.
At the main screen, press ALT-S to display the Setup
Dialog Box. The following AD features may be
customized:
Project Directory Project Directory Project Directory
With the Setup Dialog Box displayed, tab to the Project
Path field. You should enter a single letter for your
default disk (e.g., C, D) plus a complete path to your
subdirectory (e.g., d:\projects\my project).
This disk and directory is the first place AD will look
for your diagram files. The selected path will become
the default until changed.
Support Directory Support Directory Support Directory
With the Setup Dialog Box displayed, tab to the Support
Path field. You should enter a single letter for your
default disk (e.g., C, D) plus a complete path to your
subdirectory (e.g., d:\projects\my project).
This disk and directory is the first place AD will look
for your configuration and language definition files.
The selected path will become the default until
changed.
Printers Printers Printers
You must select a printer. This only needs to be done
the first time you run AD or when you change printers.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 15
With the Setup Dialog Box displayed, printer options
will be displayed in a list box. Tab to the box, move
the cursor to your printer or a close compatible and
press . The selected printer will become the default
until changed.
If your printer is not supported, we may be able to
create a printer driver for you. Fill in the form
contained in the file PRINTER.TXT and send it to
MetaLogic. We'll do our best to create a driver.
Use Brackets Use Brackets Use Brackets
You may "check" this option by pressing the space
bar. If it is checked, diagrams will be printed and
exported with control brackets. If it is not checked,
no brackets will be printed. You may override this
setting at the time of printing.
Report Lines Report Lines Report Lines
It may be necessary to adjust the number of lines
printed on a page. For example, your printer may do an
automatic form feed at 60 lines. Enter the required
number of lines here.
Languages Languages Languages
With the Setup Dialog Box displayed, language options
will be displayed in a list box. Tab to the box, move
the cursor to the desired language and press . The
selected language will become the default until
changed.
You may also load a particular language via the
Language menu which is described below.
This option is limited in the unregistered version.
The built-in generic language is the default. You may
load existing language definitions but may not make
modifications or create new languages.
Custom Languages Custom Languages Custom Languages
This is one of the most exciting features of AD. You
can create your own language control structures and use
them in place of the default generic language. In
fact, you can have any number of languages available
16 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
and use them on demand. See the Custom Language Custom Language Custom Language
section for details on creating your own language.
With this menu you may load, edit or print a language
specification.
To load a language specification, select the Load
option. Either enter a language name (e.g. GENERIC) or
tab to the list box to select a language. This has the
effect of making the language the one to use when
preparing diagrams.
Choose Open to edit an existing language specification
for editing. Select a language as just explained.
Choose New to create a new language specification. AD
will display a set of control structures which you may
edit to meet your requirements.
Opening a Diagram Opening a Diagram Opening a Diagram
You have the option of either opening an existing
diagram for further editing or creating a new diagram.
Only one diagram may be edited at a time. If you
already have a document open, close it (saving it first
if needed) and press Alt-D to display the Document
pull-down menu. Choose either Open or New from the
menu.
New Diagrams New Diagrams New Diagrams
When you open a new diagram, AD displays a diagram
consisting of a Title control bracket. This is the
minimum possible diagram. You will want to fill in the
title beginning at the insertion point.
? * Title
?
? * Related actions
?
?
From this point on, you may insert and edit control
brackets (see Control Brackets Control Brackets Control Brackets for details) and text as
required. Don't neglect to save your diagram before
exiting.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 17
Existing Diagrams Existing Diagrams Existing Diagrams
When you elect to open an existing diagram, a dialog
box will be displayed, You may type in the name of
your diagram or press to select from the list of
diagrams displayed in the list box.
If you type in the name followed by ?, AD will attempt
to locate the diagram and, if successful, will display
it in the edit window ready for editing.
To choose from the diagram list, use the arrow keys to
move the highlight to the desired diagram name and
press ?. As above, it will be displayed for editing.
In the event that AD is unable to locate your diagram,
a message window will tell you of the problem.
All diagrams are stored under the name of the diagram
with a file extension of ".ad" (e.g., diagram.ad).
However, when entering a diagram name, you need only
supply the diagram name; AD will supply the extension.
AD displays only diagrams with the ".ad" extension in
the diagram list box.
Note that you may use the Ok or Cancel buttons in place
of ? to accept or exit the menu dialog box
respectively.
Saving a Diagram Saving a Diagram Saving a Diagram
At any point during the process of editing a diagram
you may save your work. To do so, press Alt-D to
display the diagram pull-down menu. Select Save or
Save As. If you choose Save, your diagram will be
saved under its current name. If you choose Save As,
you will be asked to supply an alternate diagram name
under which the diagram will be saved. In the latter
case, there will be two copies (and possibly two
versions) of the diagram; one under each name.
Restoring from Backup Restoring from Backup Restoring from Backup
When a diagram is saved, the prior version of the
diagram (if any) will be retained in a backup file with
the file extension ".bak" (e.g., diagram.bak). In
the event that you need to recover your prior version,
exit AD, delete the version with the ".ad" extension
and rename the backup version to have the ".ad"
18 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
extension. Alternatively, copy the backup version over
the original (i.e., copy diagram.bak diagram.ad).
Control Brackets Control Brackets Control Brackets
An action diagram is unique because of the use of
control brackets to tag diagram elements. AD provides
bracket styles which represent all of the accepted
control structures. Additionally, AD allows for
modification of control brackets through adding and
deleting certain components of brackets and changing
the scope of a bracket.
The most significant aspect of creating an action
Diagram is selecting and inserting control brackets.
That is because the brackets graphically describe the
logic of the diagram. AD tries to make this process as
simple and intuitive as possible; most bracket related
operations can be accomplished in one or two
keystrokes.
Terminology Terminology Terminology
We will need some "bracket terminology" for the
following discussion. The first line of a bracket is
called the Opening Edge, the last line is called the
Closing Edge, a line containing a "A" is called an
Alternative Line. Any other line is called a Mid Line.
? Opening Edge
? Mid Line
? Alternative Line
? Closing Edge
? Mid Line
The region between the Opening and Closing Edges is
referred to as the Scope of the bracket. Any bracket
contained within the scope of another bracket, is said
to be Nested within the enclosing bracket.
Bracket Styles Bracket Styles Bracket Styles
AD supports a variety of bracket styles. The Custom
Language option enables you to substitute your own
language constructs for the defaults. The default
language is structured English. Consult Custom Custom Custom
Language Language Language for details on how to define your own
language. The bracket styles include:
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 19
Title Title Title. A complete action diagram will
be created between the opening and
closing portions of this bracket. Title
brackets may also be inserted elsewhere
in a diagram to identify subsections,
procedures and other related actions.
Notice that "Title" is preceded by
"*". It indicates that the title is
to be treated as a comment.
? * Title
?
? * Related actions
?
?
Iteration or Repetition Iteration or Repetition Iteration or Repetition. Encloses one
or more actions which are to be repeated
in accordance with some condition.
? Type of repetition
? * Actions to be repeated
?
?
?
The type of repetition may be one of the
following:
WHILE <condition> ... END WHILE
FOR <condition> ... END FOR
DO ... UNTIL <condition>
For example:
? While more input
?
?
? * Actions to be repeated
? End While
20 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Selection Selection Selection. Shows decision conditions
and the alternatives to be taken.
Additional selection components may be
added as needed. This test has two
forms.
? If <condition>
?
? * Action to perform if
<condition> is true
?
? End If
? If <condition>
?
? * Action to perform if
<condition> is true
?
? Else
?
? * Action to perform if
<condition> is false
?
? End If
Any number of Else or Else If clauses
may be inserted into either version.
Just select the action menu and pick the
Else or Else If option from the pull-
down menu.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 21
Case Case Case. Shows a case structure which
represents mutually exclusive
conditions. Additional case components
may be added as needed.
? Case Of: <test>
?
? Case <case 1>
?
? * Action to perform if <test>
? matches <case 1>
? Case <case n>
3 * Action to perform if <test>
? matches <case n>
? End Case
?
Sequence Sequence Sequence. Encloses one or more actions
to be taken one after the other in
sequence. Procedures would typically
appear within Sequence bracket. This
bracket serves as a general purpose
grouping device.
?
?
? * Related actions
?
?
Exit/Break Exit/Break Exit/Break. To indicate immediate exit
from a bracket, AD will insert an
adjustable arrow. For example:
? While
?
?
? ? If <condition>
?????? Exit
? ?
? ? End If
?
?
Comments Comments Comments. The "*" character is used
to indicate that the line in which it
appears as the first character is to be
taken as a comment. A number of
illustrations of its use appear in the
preceding examples.
22 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Of course, it isn't essential to use these brackets
exactly as shown. They may be used to describe data
models and organize tables of data, for example.
Inserting Brackets Inserting Brackets Inserting Brackets
To insert a control bracket or bracket component into a
diagram at any point (i.e., the cursor location), press
Alt-A to display the Action pull-down menu. On this
menu you will see options for all the supported control
brackets and bracket components. Select the one you
need and it will be inserted into your diagram.
Usually, you can insert a bracket wherever you choose.
However, in order to enforce the action diagramming
rules, some insertions are prohibited. For example,
you may not insert an "Else" component in other than
an "If...End If" type Selection bracket. Whenever
you attempt to make an inappropriate insertion, AD will
beep and not make the insertion.
When most brackets are inserted, a character will
identify the point at which you may want to add some
additional text. If not, press the space bar to erase
the character.
Deleting Brackets Deleting Brackets Deleting Brackets
You may delete a bracket and all text and brackets
within its scope. To do so, move the cursor to the
Opening Edge of the bracket and press F3. The bracket
will be removed. However, if you made an error, press
F4 immediately and the bracket will be restored.
Stripping Bracket Symbols Stripping Bracket Symbols Stripping Bracket Symbols
A control bracket's outline symbols may be removed
leaving the contents of its scope intact. Move the
cursor to the Opening Edge of the bracket and press F5.
To reverse this action, or to replace the stripped
bracket with one of another type, insert a new bracket
(of any type) just above the beginning of the section
of the diagram to be enclosed by the new bracket and
follow the procedure (see Dragging Bracket Edges Dragging Bracket Edges Dragging Bracket Edges below)
for dragging the Closing Edge of the bracket over the
section to be enclosed.
Dragging Bracket Edges Dragging Bracket Edges Dragging Bracket Edges
The scope of a bracket may be changed by "dragging"
the top or bottom of the bracket up or down to enclose
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 23
more or less of the diagram. To drag a bracket, place
the cursor on either the Opening or Closing Edge of the
bracket and press:
F1 Move the edge downward.
F2 Move the edge upward.
When, while dragging, AD encounters another bracket at
the same level in the diagram, it will automatically
enclose that bracket in the one being dragged. If a
bracket at a lower level is encountered, it will be
excluded from the scope of the one being dragged.
AD will not allow you to drag brackets in such a way as
to create an illogical construct. For example, given
that you are dragging the Closing Edge of an
"If...Else...End If" bracket upward, you will not be
permitted to drag the Closing Edge past the "Else"
which would leave it outside the scope of the
"If...End If" bracket.
Alternative Lines may also be dragged by placing the
cursor on them and then pressing F1 and F2 as required.
Again, AD will not permit an Alternative Line to be
moved outside the scope of the enclosing bracket.
Moving and Copying Brackets Moving and Copying Brackets Moving and Copying Brackets
A bracket, and everything within its scope, may be
relocated or copied by first deleting it and then
reinserting it.
To copy copy copy a bracket, move the cursor to the Opening Edge,
press F3 to delete it, press F4 to restore it. A copy
of the bracket will be saved by AD. Move the cursor to
where you want to insert the copy and press F4.
To move move move a bracket, perform all the steps for copying
except pressing F4 to restore a copy at the original
location. That is, delete the bracket from the
original location and insert it at the new location.
A copy of only the most recently deleted bracket (and
the contents of its scope) is maintained. If you
delete another bracket before pressing F4, the original
bracket will be lost entirely. However, you can insert
multiple copies of the deleted bracket by repeatedly
inserting it where required.
24 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Deleting, Moving and Copying Mid Lines Deleting, Moving and Copying Mid Lines Deleting, Moving and Copying Mid Lines
One or more Mid Lines may be deleted, moved or copied.
As with brackets, the target lines must be selected
first. Place the cursor on the first or last Mid Line
to be selected, and press Shift-? or Shift-? to select
the line. AD will highlight the line. If you continue
pressing the selection keys, more lines will be
selected below or above the current line depending upon
which arrow key you use. Unselect lines by moving in
the opposite direction (i.e., use Shift-? instead of
Shift-?).
You may unselect-select a group of lines all at once by
pressing Shift-Home or by pressing Shift-? or Shift-?
until the highlight disappears.
Once the required lines have been selected, use the
Shift-Del to delete the selected lines. Use the F4 key
as described for brackets (above) to move or copy the
selected lines. A copy of the lines deleted when you
press Shift-Del, is maintained by AD so you can make
multiple copies of the selected lines.
You may not select entire brackets or portions of
brackets using this procedure. AD will limit the scope
of your selection to Mid Lines in order to enforce this
rule. Also, as long as at least one line is
highlighted, you will be unable to perform any other
procedure than move, copy or delete.
Inserting, Joining and Deleting Mid Lines Inserting, Joining and Deleting Mid Lines Inserting, Joining and Deleting Mid Lines
A blank Mid Line is inserted by pressing Shift-Ins.
The new line will be inserted at the line below the
cursor.
Pressing at any time will break the current line into
two lines. Therefore, if the cursor is at the end of
the line (Hint: press the End key to position the
cursor) when is pressed, a new line will effectively
be inserted below the current line. If the cursor is
at the beginning of the line (press Home), a line will
be inserted above the current line. On the other hand,
if the cursor is in the middle of a line, the line will
be split at that point.
Two lines may be joined by placing the cursor at the
end of the first line and pressing Del. The following
line will be joined at the cursor location.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 25
If you press while the cursor is anywhere on an
Opening or Closing Edge or on an Alternative Line, a
blank line will be inserted below. It is not possible
to split or join Edge or Alternative lines.
Press Shift-Del to delete the Mid Line containing the
cursor. A copy of the line will be saved by AD and may
be restored or moved to a new location by pressing F4.
Adjusting Exit Arrows Adjusting Exit Arrows Adjusting Exit Arrows
You will notice that the Action Menu gives you two
choices for the Exit arrow: one level or all levels.
If you select one level, the arrow will be drawn to
indicate an exit to the next higher bracket level. Of
course, exiting all levels results in an arrow exiting
all but the outermost Title bracket. The exit arrow
extent may be adjusted by placing the cursor on the
exit line and pressing:
Alt-+ Increase the exit level - extend
the arrow to the left.
Alt-- Decrease the exit level - shorten
the arrow towards the right.
In either case, AD will beep when you have reached the
increase or decrease limit. You may use this procedure
to adjust Break Arrows as well.
NOTE: use the unshifted + and - keys; not the gray
(keypad) keys.
Editing Diagrams Editing Diagrams Editing Diagrams
Editing consists of ordinary text editing tasks. The
present version of AD supports the following text
editing commands:
Insert/Overtype Insert/Overtype Insert/Overtype. Press Ins to toggle
between character insert and character
overtype. Insert mode is indicated by a
large block cursor; overtype by a small
underline cursor.
26 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Beginning/End of Line Beginning/End of Line Beginning/End of Line. The Home key
moves the cursor to the beginning of the
line. The End key moves it to the end
of the line.
Page Up/Down Page Up/Down Page Up/Down. The PgUp and PgDn keys
scroll the display up (backward) and
down (forward) by one display page.
Beginning/End of Diagram Beginning/End of Diagram Beginning/End of Diagram. The Ctrl-PgUp
and Ctrl-PgDn keys move the cursor (and
display) to the beginning and end of the
diagram respectively.
Delete/Backspace Delete/Backspace Delete/Backspace. The Del and
(backspace) keys delete the character
under and to the left of the cursor
respectively.
Arrow Keys Arrow Keys Arrow Keys. The ?, ?, ? and ? keys move
the cursor in their respective
directions.
Display Detail Control Display Detail Control Display Detail Control
A very useful feature of AD is its ability to display
just the level of detail you require. There are two
types of display control: global and local. Global
control allows you to simultaneously expand or contract
brackets throughout the entire diagram with one
keystroke. Expanding shows more detail by exposing
more deeply nested brackets - those at lower levels.
Contraction restricts the amount of detail by
collapsing more deeply nested brackets to one line.
Local control allows you to contract certain brackets
selectively and leave them contracted irrespective of
any global changes.
When a bracket is contracted, the text on the Opening
Edge is displayed with a trailing ellipse (...) to
indicate that there is hidden information.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 27
The following figures illustrate the effects of the two
types of display control given the first diagram shown.
? While no more input
?
? ? If needs formatting
?
??????? Exit
? ?
? ? ? For i = 1 to 5
? ? ?
? ? ?
?
? ?
? ?
? ? End If
?
? End While
28 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
The diagram contracted globally one level:
? While no more input
?
? ? If needs formatting
?
??????? Exit
? ?
For i = 1 to 5 ... For i = 1 to 5 ... For i = 1 to 5 ...
? ? End If
?
? End While
The diagram contracted globally two levels:
?
? While no more input
? If needs formatting ...
If needs formatting ... If needs formatting ...
?
? End While
Selected brackets may be contracted locally as
illustrated below:
? While no more input
?
? ? If needs formatting
? ?
?????? Exit
? ? For i = 1 to 5 ...
For i = 1 to 5 ... For i = 1 to 5 ...
? ? End If
?
?
The ? character indicates a bracket that has been
contracted locally. Even if the diagram is expanded
globally to show more detail, this bracket will remain
contracted until explicitly expanded.
Global View Global View Global View
Two keystrokes control the global level of detail
displayed:
Ctrl-Left Contracts the display - reduces the
amount of detail.
Ctrl-Right Expands the display -
increases the level of detail.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 29
Each key press will contract or expand the display by
one level. That is, all brackets at the lowest level
will be hidden or displayed simultaneously.
However, locally contracted brackets will not be
affected by these operations.
Local View Local View Local View
Selective view control is provided by:
Shift-Left Contracts a selected bracket.
Shift-Right Expands a selected bracket.
To select a bracket, place the cursor on the Opening
Edge of a bracket to be contracted or expanded and
press the necessary key. Only that bracket will be
affected. All brackets within the scope of the target
bracket will be hidden or displayed as required.
These keys will only contract brackets not already
contracted and will only expand contracted brackets
marked with the ? character. Global display
changes will not affect locally hidden brackets.
One-Step Display Changes One-Step Display Changes One-Step Display Changes
Three function keys are provided to expand contracted
brackets in one step.
F6 Expands all globally all globally all globally contracted
brackets.
F7 Expands all locally all locally all locally contracted brackets.
F8 Expands all contracted all contracted all contracted brackets of both
types.
30 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
PRINTING AND EXPORTING DIAGRAMS PRINTING AND EXPORTING DIAGRAMS PRINTING AND EXPORTING DIAGRAMS
AD action diagrams may be printed, or saved in a file,
in a variety of formats:
With brackets. Diagrams are printed as
last saved.
Without brackets. The text remains and
the bracket symbols are removed.
As program code where comments are
printed as comments and all else is
printed as code. This is the effect of
using a language specification for a
particular programming language and
printing without brackets.
To print or export a diagram to a file, select Print
from the Diagram menu to display the print dialog box.
Select a diagram to print or export and select check or
uncheck the Use Brackets option to indicate the format
desired. There are buttons for each option listed
above. If the diagram is to be exported to a file,
enter the file name; AD will use <diagram.txt> as a
default where <diagram> is the name of your diagram if
you do not supply another name.
Select the Ok button to print or export. Press Esc or
the Cancel button to abort the operation.
There is one important rule to remember: AD prints
(exports) the diagram version last saved - not
necessarily the one displayed. So, save before
printing if necessary.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 31
CUSTOM LANGUAGES CUSTOM LANGUAGES CUSTOM LANGUAGES
Each phase of the system life cycle requires that we
speak a different language. When talking to end users
to define requirements, ordinary English (or your
native tongue) is appropriate. Development of
specifications usually involves more structure and
something like structured English works well. Once you
are into design, general programming language
constructs are useful. And, obviously, specific
programming language statements are needed.
AD allows you to define "languages" appropriate to
each activity and to intermix them. That is, you can
start with high level specifications in English and
structured English and progress to more structured
languages as you get more detailed. All you have to do
is tell AD to use a particular language as a default.
This option is limited in the unregistered version.
The built-in generic language is the default. You may
load existing language definitions but may not make
modifications or create new languages.
Defining a Language Defining a Language Defining a Language
Defining a language consists of supplying the language
specific text for each of the control bracket types.
Once the definition is complete, you may select the
desired language from the menu bar Language pull-down
menu. AD will use your language version whenever you
insert a new bracket.
You will need to supply specifications for:
Title Title Title. You may choose to leave this
entry blank or supply a standard title.
32 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Iteration Iteration Iteration. There are three types of
iteration known generically as While,
For, and Do. That is how they are
identified on the Action pull-down menu.
You may prefer to omit closing edge text
(e.g. End For, End While, etc.). For
programming languages you will want to
supply the statement block indicators.
Examples are the "{}" pair in the "C"
language or "BEGIN" and "END" in
other languages:
? While ( ) Do
?
?
? Wend
Selection Selection Selection. There are two types of
selection brackets: "If...End If" and
"If...Else...End If". Whatever text
you associate with the "Else" and
"Else If" clauses, will be used
whenever an Else is to be inserted into
an existing If structure. Add statement
block delimiters if necessary.
Case Case Case. The Case structure is not
semantically the same as the If
structure. So, supply language text
that represents the mutual exclusivity
of this construct. As in the case of
the If structure, the text associated
with the Case line will be used whenever
a new case is inserted from the Action
menu. Add statement block delimiters if
necessary.
Sequence Sequence Sequence. You should not supply text
for this bracket unless there is a
compelling reason to do so. This is a
general purpose bracket for grouping
related items. You can add text as
needed when you actually insert one of
these brackets.
Exit & Break Exit & Break Exit & Break. Enter the text you wish
to appear to the right of the Exit and
Break arrows.
Comment Block Comment Block Comment Block. Most languages,
particularly programming languages, will
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 33
have their own comment delimiters. You
should enter a model comment. For
example, a "C" language comment would
be given as
? /*
?
3
? */
?
Follow these steps to define or modify a language:
1. Press Alt-L to display the Language
menu. Select New to define a new
language or Open to open an existing
language diagram.
2. AD will display an action diagram
containing all of the supported bracket
styles. You will want to supply the
specific language terminology to be used
for each. All of the normal editing
functions will be available, but, you
will be unable to insert, delete or
modify the brackets themselves.
3. When you are done, press Esc and save
the diagram. The language is now
available for use.
(Hint: modify an existing language definition and save
the new definition under the name of your new
language.)
Selecting a Language Selecting a Language Selecting a Language
Once a language has been defined, it is ready for use.
To use a particular language:
1. Press Alt-L to display the Language
menu.
34 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
2. Enter a language name or use the arrow
keys to highlight the name of the
language you want and press .
At that point, AD will replace the current language
definition with the one you chose. That language will
remain the default until you change it to something
else.
It should be clear that you can mix more than one
language in the same diagram. Changing languages in
midstream will not affect any preexisting diagram
elements. To insert brackets from another language,
you'll have to select that language as the default
(Hint: as a shortcut, you can also insert a similar
bracket from the current language and edit its language
text).
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 35
ON-LINE HELP ON-LINE HELP ON-LINE HELP
AD's on-line help is available at all times. To
activate it, press Alt-H. The help index will display.
Move the highlight to the desired topic and press .
Some help texts are longer than one screen length. Use
PgDn and PgUp to scroll forward and backward. You may
also use your mouse to scroll via the vertical scroll
bar on the right side of the screen.
Select the Topics button to return to the index. The
Esc key or the Cancel button will exit Help.
36 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
SHELL SHELL SHELL
This option allows you to temporarily exit from AD and
return to the DOS prompt. Only about 23K of AD will
remain in memory. When you are ready to return to AD,
enter Exit at the DOS prompt.
Some systems won't allow AD to create a shell properly.
You will be informed that a particular interrupt is
unsafe. In these cases, exit AD and run TSRINT.EXE
(you may want to install it from your AUTOEXEC.BAT
file) before running AD again. This should solve the
problem.
If you encounter the unsafe condition or the TSRINT
solution doesn't work, please contact us.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 37
USES FOR AD USES FOR AD USES FOR AD
In the Introduction Introduction Introduction we suggested a number of possible
uses for AD. We'd like to expand on those ideas just a
bit. Action diagrams are useful to many professionals,
not just systems analysts and programmers for whom the
applications should be obvious. Here are some of the
ways in which others might apply action diagrams.
Industrial engineers: defining work
methods and procedures.
Procedure manual authors: describing
complex procedures for business
operations.
Accountants: document bookkeeping and
related tasks.
Auditors (all kinds): define audit
procedures and rules to be followed by
those they audit.
Emergency personnel: concisely describe
emergency procedures for rapid access at
critical times.
Negotiators: lay out negotiating
strategies as a series of steps to
follow under various scenarios.
Trainers: reduce complex procedures to
straightforward, easy to communicate
steps.
Diagnosticians and repair technicians:
create comprehensive diagnostic tools.
Managers: document management procedures
for almost any activity.
Expert system developers: create
production (rule based) expert systems.
38 Action Designer User's Guide 08/06/91
Researchers and librarians: create
taxonomies for classification of
research and other materials.
In short, anywhere that there are decisions to be made
and steps to be taken as a result, action diagrams can
be applied to very good effect. If the brackets seem
out of place (as they would be in many contexts), it is
possible to print diagrams without the brackets.
08/06/91 Action Designer User's Guide 39
