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Text File | 1988-04-27 | 18.9 KB | 490 lines | [TEXT/ttxt]

OVERVIEW MacBubbles was developed to fill a role equivalent to that of a word processor with respect to a structured specification. Think of it as a "specification processor." It has features equivalent to the spell checking and index preparation features of a word processor, but the only intelligence is what you bring to the process. Our motto might be "Instant DFD's just add an experienced analyst and stir." MacBubbles is designed to be easy to learn and easy to use. The following information should help you to get started. MacBubbles has been tested on a Macintosh™ Plus operating with System 4.2, Finder 6.0 and LaserWriter Driver 5.0. Earlier versions have worked with System 4.1, Finder 5.5 and LaserWriter 4.0. HOWEVER, IT WILL NOT WORK with some of the earlier LaserWriter drivers. MacBubbles HAS NOT YET BEEN TESTED ON A Mac II. Users have reported that it does run on a Mac II, but there have been setup difficulties. MacBubbles has not yet been tested under Multifinder. It will not run under Multifinder on a 1 Meg Mac. Reports have been received tha it does run under Multifinder on a 2 or 2.5 Meg Mac, but that context switching does not work. An upgrade is being developed that will be fully compatable with the Mac II and Multifinder. MacBubbles requires approximately 900K to operate. The initial screen allows you to adjust the memory requirement by changing the size of working arrays. BE SURE YOUR RAM CACHE OR PRINT SPOOLER DOESN'T USE SO MUCH MEMORY THAT MACBUBBLES WON'T RUN. Graphic output can be directed to the LaserWriter® or HP 7475A plotter. Only rough output equivalent to that displayed on the screen can be output on the ImageWriter®. Text can be output on a variety of devices. WARNINGS Do not try to print more than 10 copies of any multipage document at one time. The LaserWriter will time out and the program will crash. This time out problem is common to most Macintosh applications. Cut and Paste is limited by the clipboard's capacity. Cutting large parts of a diagram (50+ objects) may crash the system (System Error ID=02). SAVE YOUR DIAGRAM BEFORE YOU TRY A LARGE CUT, COPY OR PASTE. When copying a large diagram to PICT format, the clipboard contents may occasionally be garbled. The symptom of this is a document that fails to print. A second attempt with the same diagram generally works. COMMANDS AND MENUS All MacBubbles functions are available on one of the follwing eight menus: File - I/O functions Edit - Graphic edits with full undo facility Object - Allows bubbles, boxes, stores and a point to be created and modified Flow - Allows data flows to be modified Defaults - Sets the defaults for new objects and flows. Duplicates the pallet, but has additional capabilities. Display - Changes what you see, not what you get. Helps in manipulating objects and data flows. Can hide display the pallet. DFD - Allows you to change diagram data including titles. Modifies and displays change information. Prints the graphic parameters of a diagram. Prints an order form. "name" - "name" changes to reflect the file currently open. Contains status data. TO CREATE AN OBJECT (bubble, store, terminator or point) • Double click away from any object to create a new object. The type of object created will depend on the defaults option currently selected. (Also shown on the pallet) OR • Drag from the pallet. OR • Click away from any object and use the object menu to create an object of the desired type. TO CREATE A DATA FLOW • Drag from an unselected object. OR • Option drag from a selected object. NOTE: Creating a flow to open space will create a new object of the current default type at the end of the flow. NOTE: The type of flow created - regular, dashed, or double arrow - depends on the Defaults menu options currently selected. The pallet can be used to select among the three most common types instead of using the Defaults menu. TO REPOSITION AN OBJECT • Click once on the object to select it, then drag it. If multiple objects are selected, the entire group will move. • Option-Drag to move an unselected object. TO MODIFY AN OBJECT • The Object menu provides a number of functions which may be used to modify one or more selected objects. • The first four functions under the Object menu will change all selected objects to the specified type. • The Increase Size and Reduce Size functions change the size of selected objects in 1 inch (nominal) steps. However, an object will not be reduced below the 1 inch size. • The Make Normal Size function will set all selected objects to a nominal size of 1 inch. • The Toggle Dashing function will reverse the current dashing state separately for all selected objects. • The Toggle Transform Shadow function operates on transforms only. It adds or removes a shadow used in the Ward/Mellor notation to indicate replecated functions. • The Align Objects to Grid will allign all selected object centers to the 1/4 inch absolute movement grid. TO MODIFY A DATA FLOW • If handles at the end points of the flow are hidden, click on the center dot of the desired flow first. • Drag the handle at the desired end to reposition the flow. • If you drag the end handle far enough from the object, it will break loose and allow you to reconnect it to another object. • If you stop dragging a flow in free space, a new default object will be created as its new terminus. • If you drag the free end of a flow into the object connected to the other end, the flow will be deleted. NOTE: If the option key was down when you began the drag, the stepwise movement characteristic will be temporarily suspended until the flow end adjustment is completed. • You may also drag the midpoint of a flow to a new location. • Once the midpoint has been relocated, an additional handle will appear. This new handle can be used to change the angular position of the data flow at the new center point. • The Flow menu provides a number of functions which may be used to modify one or more selected flows. • The Reverse Direction function will reverse the direction of each selected flow. • The Toggle Bidirectional Flow function will change the state of each selected flow to or from bidirectional as appropriate. A bidirectional flow has arrows at both ends. • The Toggle Dashing will change that characteristic for each selected flow. • Then Toggle Double Arrow will change that characteristic for each selected flow. The double arrow is used in the Ward/Mellor notation to indicate a data flow whose value is continuous over time. • The Release Midpoint function can be used to reset the midpoints of all selected flows to their default positions and remove the extra handles. SELECTING THINGS • Shift clicking works for both objects and flows. • Drag selecting works only for objects. • Selecting flows does not affect the objects selected and vice-versa. • Clicking once in the open deselects everything. TO CREATE A NEW CHILD DFD • Double click on a bubble for which no child DFD exists and click the YES button on the Alert window OR • Select the bubble, choose the Display Child DFD function from the DFD menu and click the YES button on the Alert window. • The child DFD will be created in the same folder as its parent. Data flows and stores used by the child will be copied to the new DFD. The title will be set to the title of the parent bubble. TO OPEN A CHILD DFD • Double click on the desired bubble OR • Select the bubble, choose the Display Child DFD function from the DFD menu. • The child DFD must be present in the same folder for this to work. TO DESIGNATE A PREVIOUSLY CREATED DFD AS THE CHILD OF THE CURRENT DFD • Select the bubble on the current DFD that represents that DFD. • Choose the Designate Child DFD function from the DFD menu. • The child DFD must be present in the same folder for this to work. • The name of the child DFD will be changed to reflect its new status. TO RETURN TO A PREVIOUSLY OPENED PARENT DFD • Choose the Display Parent DFD function from the DFD menu. ***** ADDITIONAL NOTES ***** If an HP 7475 plotter is used, it should be connected to the Modem port. The Xon/Xoff protocall is not supported on the printer port. DFD SCREEN DISPLAY • The window shows part of a 100" X 100" work space at 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 or 6:1 reduction. Full scroll bar support is provided. • The 6:1 reduction is generally useful only for navigating around a large diagram. • The Stepwise Movement function on the Display menu enables and disables a feature that constrains movement to 1/4-inch steps and angular changes to an amount that depends on the object size. • Holding down the option key when adjusting the end point of a data flow will also temporarily suspend the stepwise movement feature. ADDING TEXT TO THE DIAGRAM • Newly created objects or flows generally have a text window opened automatically to allow entry of a title. This text window may obscure all or part of the object. The Hide Active Title function on the Display menu allows you to close this window at any time. • When operating at 1:1 scale, the most recently selected object or flow will have its title window opened automatically. • The point object is an exception to the above two rules. The only way to open its title window is with the Display Active Title function on the Display menu. • Arbitrary text may be added to a diagram by assigning it to points that are not connected to any data flows. The text may be moved by repositioning these extra points as desired. • The automatic opening of a title window for titles at 1:1 scale is controlled by the Show Active Title at Full Size function on the Display menu. When this feature is not selected, the title window for an existing object will not automatically reopen every time the object is selected. • An option drag of an object does not select the object being dragged and will not result in opening a title window. • If a title window would extend beyound the diagram window boundaries, it will not be opened. If you scroll the diagram window to move the text window nearer the center, the text window will be opened automatically. SELECTED OBJECTS AND FLOWS • Selected objects and flows are highlighted with bold lines on the screen. • More than one object may be selected at one time. • More than one flow may be selected at one time. • Both objects and flows may be selected at the same time. • Except for Cut, Copy and Blank, all menu functions operate on either objects or flows, but not both. • Cut, Copy and Blank will base their action on only the selected objects when both objects and flows are selected. They will act on flows directly only if no objets are selected. However, Cut, Copy and Blank will affect flows related to the selected objects whether selected or not. • A selected data store has a handle that may be used to rotate it. • Normally, a short handle and dot appear at the end of each data flow. This may be used to reposition the data flow as necessary. The All Line Handles On function of the Display menu enables this feature. When this function is not checked, one the handles of selected lines will appear. EDIT MENU FUNCTIONS • Nearly all actions have an undo/redo capability associated with them. • The normal cut and paste commands place descriptive data on the clipboard that is understood only by MacBubbles. • When an object is CUT, all its flows go with it. Any flows between two CUT objects or a CUT object and a point are deleted. Flows between a CUT object and a remaining object are given new terminal points. • When an object is CLEARed, ALL its flows are deleted as well. The CLEAR command removes more from the screen than the CUT. • The cut and copy commands are designed to support the management of a leveled set of data flow diagrams. A future version of MacBubbles will provide an even more convenient facility for leveling and expanding DFDs. • The development language imposed a limit on the amount of data that can be placed on the clipboard. • Normal cut, copy and paste are limited to about 50 objects. PASTING TO OTHER APPLICATIONS • A special copy command in the File Menu will place a PICT formatted picture on the clipboard. This picture can then be pasted into a word processing program like MacWrite and MS Word. • This copy command actually creates two images. One in QuickDraw and one in PostScript. The QuickDraw image is used for screen display and Imagewriter output. The Postscript image is used for LaserWriter output. • To conserve limited clipboard space, an option allows you to limit the amount of QuickDraw information pasted to the clipboard. This will not affect the quality of LaserWriter output, but will affect the amount of detail shown on the screen by the word processor. WHAT YOU SEE IS MUCH LESS THAN WHAT YOU WILL GET. • Pasting a PICT image into a graphics program will generally result in the loss of all the PostScript information created with it. This is not recommended. HARDCOPY OUTPUT • The primary output device intended for use with MacBubbles is a PostScript capable printer. • Output may also be created on an HP 7475A plotter. However, the lower resolution of this device may mean that diagrams intended for output on a PostScript printer will be hard to read on the plotter. • Rough draft output equivalent to the quality of a 1:1 scale screen image may be printed on an ImageWriter printer. Multiple pages will be printed as necessary to display the entire DFD. • A draft option is provided for both PostScript printers and plotters. This mode sacrifices quality for speed. It does this by suppressing letter rotation on the LaserWriter and by drawing rough lines and clipping data flow text on the plotter. For example: DFD 0 in the demo data folder requires about 11 minutes for quality output on the LaserWriter, but only 2 minutes in draft mode. • MacBubbles normally scales the entire diagram to fit on a single page, but you may set a fixed scale and cause multiple pages to print. When multiple pages are printed, a 5 percent overlap is provided to make cutting and pasting easier. For a very large diagram (objects spread across the entire plot area), the scale-to-fit mode results in such small objects that nothing will be displayed! HIGHLIGHTING CHANGES • Special facilities are provided for highlighting recent changes with MacBubbles. Name changes, changes in the type of an object and the direction of a data flow are all recognized. Positional changes are not considered meaningful for this purpose. • Every object and flow has eight flags associated with it indicating whether it was changed during each of eight user-defined time periods. Time period zero (0) always represents the current session only. Time period 1 includes all changes since the last time you pressed the Shift Change Bits button on the dialog accessed by the Set Titles & Controls function of the DFD menu. Time period 2 includes ALL changes since the next prior use of the Shift Change Bits button. Time period 7 goes back 7 button presses. Note that changes in period 1 are always part of periods 2 through 7. • The Set Titles & Controls function of the DFD menu allows you to start a new time period at any time. When this is done, the existing periods 1-6 are promoted one level and period 7 is lost. • The Set Change Display function of the DFD menu allows you to determine which time period will be used for highlighting changes. The numeric time period selected with this function stays the same until another period is selected even though use of the Shift Change Bits button may change the date associated with it. • Each time the Set Change Display function is used it also selects all changed objects and flows on the screen. • The output device control dialogs are the last element in deteriming how changes are displayed. Which shipped, MacBubbles will draw changed objects and flows using 1.5 point wide lines on the LaserWriter. Unchanged material is drawn with .5 point wide lines. If you wish, these line widths may be changed separately for each type of object. • Setting the change widths to the same value as the normal widths will suppress the display of changes. • Setting a width to 0 will make the matching objects or flows invisible. • For plotter output, different pens may be selected for different object types and for normal and changed objects. Pen 0 also results in invisible objects. DICTIONARY COMPATIBILITY For compatibility with the data dictionary, the following rules should be followed: • Place the ID number of each bubble on the top line rather than the bottom. A small amount of extra space has been added to the hardcopy display for better visual separation and the data dictionary needs the number for balancing checks. Later versions will provide an option to control ID placement. • The title of each DFD should include the ID and title of the bubble it describes. The data dictionary needs this for balancing checks. DFD's that violate the above rules may still be processed by both programs, but the data dictionary program may generate incorrect error messages. LIMITATIONS OF THIS DEMO VERSION • You may save new diagrams, but not revised ones. Any diagram into which more than three objects are pasted at one time is considered revised. • On LaserWriter output, "By MacBubbles" is printed in large gray letters on each page. • On plotter output, "By MacBubbles" is printed at random into some process bubbles. • The sign-on screen is disabled. Enter your initials for an ID if you wish. Otherwise just press return. If entered, your initials are saved in a update log for each diagram. Send comments or trouble reports to: StarSys Inc. Attn: Richard Cohen 11113 Norlee Drive Silver Spring, MD 20902 CIS: 74065,64 ORDERING AND PRICE A two-disk demo of MacBubbls may be ordered from StarSys Inc. This demo includes a demo of the data dictionary program as well as the DFD program. It also includes more extensive notes and a set of sample data. The demo costs $25. The price of MacBubbles is $779.99 for single copies. This price includes free upgrades for 12 months. Discounts start with the second copy. The DFD menu in the MacBubbles program has an option to print an order form. The order form function also displays the effect of the multicopy price schedule when you enter a number greater than 1 in the number of copies field.