I-DE |
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I-X Domain Editor
Based on I-X Technology from AIAI,
University of Edinburgh |
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The main window of the Domain Editor (the frame) contains several editor
panels for editing different aspects (or constructs) of the domain. Currently
the editors available are
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the Global Domain Editor, which edits information about the domain itself
(e.g. the domain name)
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the Activity Editor, which edits information about activities and how they
break down into sub-activities (refinement)
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the Grammar Editor, which currently only shows the patterns that are in
use in the domain
An editor panel may itself have different "views" that are used to display
and edit the panel's constructs. The Activity Editor has three such views:
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Minimal View: a simplified version of the activity and its refinement.
The main simplification is that no constraints are shown
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Comprehensive View: a view that can display and edit all of an activity's
specification
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Graphical View: a graphical view that uses nodes and arcs to show an activity's
sub-activities and the temporal relationships between them.
The Domain Editor Window
This window provides access to the most functions of the overall domain
editor via its menu bar and access to the most commonly used functions
via its tool bar. The window can display in one of three styles: simple,
tabbed, and card style. The style can be changed via the Options in the
File menu.
The Menu Bar
The menu bar has 5 standard menus:
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File for closing the Domain Editor and for file access (open/save). All
functions here manipulate the domain as a whole, not individual constructs;
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Edit for manipulating the current construct, i.e. the construct that is
currently shown in the Domain Editor's panel;
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View for changing which panel is shown in the Domain Editor and - if applicable
- for changing which view is shown in that panel;
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Tools for additional support like consistency checks etc.;
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Help for access to this manual, other help, and information about the application.
The Tool Bar
The tool bar provides access to the most commonly used functions via buttons.
All these functions are also available via the menu bar (in most cases,
the image on the toolbar button is shown in the menu next to the corresponding
menu item. The toolbar can be switched on and off via Options in the File
menu. Moving the mouse over a toolbar button will, after a while, display
a "tool tip text" that gives a brief explanation of the button's function.
Working with the Domain Editor
The Domain Editor maintains different levels of updates. The original domain
that the editor is started with is considered a public domain which other
applications may be using for their own purposes(e.g. for planning). This
public domain is kept as it is unless it is explicitly changed by the Domain
Editor's user through publishing. (Note that this is true whether the Domain
Editor is used in stand-alone mode or as part of another application).
There is also a "draft domain" which is the one that is being edited. The
Domain Editor keeps track of any changes that are made to the draft domain
so that updates to the original domain can be made explicitly.
Saving and Reverting
There are 3 levels of saving:
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When a construct has been edited in the Domain Editor Panel, initially
these changes may be made only in the panel itself, not in the domain construct
that is being edited. In order to transfer changes from the panel into
the construct in the draft domain, the user has to modify the draft, i.e.
note the changes into the draft domain via the toolbar button or the Edit
menu. When the user has edited a construct and not modified the draft,
the system will prompt the user to note or discard changes if the user
decides to switch constructs, views, or panels, or if the user decides
to save or publish the draft domain.
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Modifying the draft (noting changes) does not save to file, so the next
level of saving is to save the draft domain to file. As with all editing
applications, it is recommended to do this frequently to ensure that work
is not lost. Saving the draft domain to file will write the whole domain
with all its constructs into a file in XML format. This can later be loaded
into the Domain Editor for further editing, or it can be accessed by other
applications.
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The underlying public domain is not changed by any of the above (simple
editing, modifying draft, or saving the draft domain to file). The only
way to update the public domain is to publish the draft domain via the
toolbar button or the File menu. When this happens, the changes are made
to the original domain and these chages will be seen by any applications
that have registered as listeners to this domain. Note that publishing
is always done for a whole domain, not for individual constructs. Note
also that publishing a domain will not save it to file, but the same effect
can be achieved by saving the draft domain to file just before or straight
after publishing. At that point the draft domain and the public domain
can be represented by the same XML structures. It is a good idea to publish
from time to time even if the Domain Editor is running stand-alone because
it will make the editor more efficient.
It is worth noting that the Global Domain Editor Panel, i.e. the panel
that is responsible for editing details about the domain like its name,
only considers domain details as part of its editing remit, not the constructs
within the domain.
While there is no "undo" function that undoes individual editing steps
or editing of individual fields, the following functions are available,
corresponding to the 3 levels of saving:
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Undo: revert a construct to the last time it was saved to the draft domain
(via Edit menu), i.e. undo all changes that have only been made in the
editing panel;
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Revert to published: revert a construct to the public version (via Edit
menu), i.e. undo all changes to this construct since the domain was last
published;
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Re-load: revert the whole domain to the last time it was saved to file
by opening that file via the File menu.
There is a fourth "revert" function for convenience: "discard changes to
draft" which reverts the whole domain to the public version, i.e. undo
all changes to all constructs since the domain was last published.

After editing is done, the user may explicitly chose to modify the draft
domain model. Also, when a user switches panels (such as moving between
the activity and domain panels), the user is given the option to modify
the draft domain model or discard any editing that has been done.
A modified draft domain model can be saved to file and/or published
to be visible to the application (the I-X Process Panel) or both. When
the domain editor is closed, the user is given the option to save the current
draft to file and/or to publish the current draft to be visible to the
application.