dataprobe.1
Data Probe - STEP editing tool
dp_{schema_name} [ -saveFile file-name ] [ -saveFreq integer ] [ -workFile file-name ] [ -exchangeFile file-name ] [ -restrict ]
The Validation Testing System (VTS) Data Probe software is a program for browsing and editing data corresponding to a conceptual model described using the language Express. A separate program (fedex_plus) reads in a schema and generates source code to represent the schema in C++. This code is linked with the libraries in STEPcode to create a schema specific editor. The editor is X Windows based and uses the ~InterViews Toolkit from Stanford.
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-s filename , -saveFile filename
- Designates an alternate backup file. The default file is dpAutoSave.wf.
-
-sf seconds , -saveFreq seconds
- Specifies the frequency with which a backup file will be saved. The default frequency is 30 seconds.
-
-wf filename , -workFile filename
- Specifies a working file to be loaded into the Data Probe.
-
-ef filename , -exchangeFile filename
- Specifies a STEP exchange file to be loaded into the Data Probe.
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-r, -restrict
- Restricts the file chooser menu to files not beginning with a '.'.
The Data Probe supports the editing of data in the format specified in Part 21 of the ISO 10103. It allows the user to create or modify instance data, to check for consistency with an Express schema and to examine the relationships of entities within the schema. These functions are supported in one or more of the following five types of Data Probe windows:
Data Probe Window: supports general Data Probe func-
tionalities, including file management, schema list
browsing, and quitting Data Probe.
Entity Type List window: contains a scrollable list
of schema-specific entities for browsing or creating
instances of entities.
Entity Instance List window: contains a scrollable
list of instances of entities. Supports data view-
ing and modification.
STEP Entity Editor window: occurs for each instance
being edited. Supports several data editing opera-
tions including modify, delete and save.
STEP Entity Descriptor window: contains information
pertaining to an entity type including the list of
attributes and subtypes for the selected entity.
Each of these windows is described in detail below.
DATA PROBE WINDOW
The Data Probe window is one of three windows appearing
initially when the Data Probe is run. It is composed of
the following four sections:
1. title
2. menu bar
3. quick reference
4. message bar
Each of these sections is described in detail below:
Data Probe Window title section:
The title section shows the name of the schema for which the Data
Probe was created preceeded by the prefix 'DP-'.
Data Probe Window menu bar section:
The menu bar consists of two pull-down menus labeled
Quit and File Management.
The Quit pull-down menu allows the user to exit Data
Probe. No warnings will be given before exiting.
The File Management pull-down menu allows the user to
perform operations on the following file types:
Exchange Files Data saved to these files must be in
complete STEP file format and must be
provided for all required attributes
in order to be used by application
programs that will rely on this data.
Working Files These files will not be used by appli-
cation programs and serve the purpose
of storing intermediate data for saving
the editing session.
Backup File This file is written regularly during
a Data Probe session to contain the
current Entity Instance List data. The
backup file is written in Working File
form. The default backup file is
dpAutoSave.wf and is written to the
directory where the command to run Data
Probe was issued unless instructed
otherwise by the user (See 'Backup File'
in table below and OPTIONS above).
The File Management pull-down menu supports file manage-
ment and other options as follows:
Options
Available * with Options Description*
Exchange File/ read replaces previous contents of
Working File Entity Instance List data
with the data in the file
selected.
write writes Entity Instance List
data to the file selected and
erases the previous contents
of the file, if any.
append writes Entity Instance List
from data to the file selected.
Backup File choose selects an alternate backup
file to which Entity Instance
List data will be periodic-
ally written.
write writes Entity Instance List
data to current backup file
selected.
Entity verify verifies that the instances
Instance List found in the Entity Instance
List are complete according
to the schema specification.
remove removes all instances in the
Entity Instance List which
are marked for deletion.
clear clears all instances found
in the Entity Instance List
regardless of their current
edit state (see the ENTITY
INSTANCE LIST section).
Data Probe Window quick reference section:
This section shows the key bindings and button codes
available in the Step Entity Editor windows to perform the
following operations:
- close existing window
- open a new window
- get value from list
Data Probe Window message bar section:
This section shows any resulting messages from actions
taken in any of the windows. The Clear button on left
enables the user to clear the current message shown.
ENTITY TYPE LIST WINDOW
The Entity Type List is the second of the three windows appearing initially when the Data Probe is run. The Entity Type List displays the list of schema-specific entity types. In addition to the operations outlined in 'Using Lists' below, the Entity Type List allows the user to create an instance as follows:
Creating an Instance
1. Select an entity type from the type list.
2. Select Create
- use Create button or
- type 'C'.
3. A STEP Entity Editor window appears for editing
the entity selected (See the STEP Entity Editor
Window section below).
ENTITY INSTANCE LIST WINDOW
The Entity Instance List is the third of three windows initially
appearing when the Data Probe is run. When an entity is selected
from the Entity Type List or when instances are read in from a
file, the instanced entities will appear on the Entity Instance
List. In addition to the operations outlined in 'Using Lists'
below, the Entity Instance List allows the user to view, modify,
and save instances of entities.
*Edit State Markers:*
The selection of any of the preceeding options is represented by an
edit state code. An instance can be marked with an edit state
option by typing the key which correlates to that option. The
marked option is shown in lower case on the left of the selected
instance. When the execute button is pressed, all marked options
will be executed, reflected by an upper case letter edit state
code which replaces the lower case marker to the left of the instance.
Below is a description of Entity List edit state codes and the keys
that are used to select them:
KEY OPERATION EDIT STATE
s save complete (no capital letter) -- All (blank)
attribute values associated with the
instance must be valid and all required
attributes must exist.
i save incomplete -- All attribute values I
associated with the instance must be
valid, however all required attributes
may not exist. This allows attribute
values to be saved even though the entity
is incomplete. It also provides a way
for a user to mark an instance as needing
further attention even if all required
attributes exist.
d delete -- the entities in this edit D
state will be deleted when the contents
of the instance list are written to a
file.
m modify -- open an editor window for M
modifying instances.
v view -- open an editor window for view- V
ing only.
*STEP ENTITY EDITOR (SEE) WINDOW*
Changing the Edit State of an EntityThe edit state options described above can also be executed from the STEP Entity Editor Window (SEE). The SEE Window is opened whenever the modify or view option is executed from the Entity Instance List or when an entity is created from the Entity Type List. The following are the operations supported in the SEE window:
save instance to a complete state C-x C-s save instance to an incomplete state C-x C-i cancel changes to the entity; reverts C-x C-c all attribute values to the last saved (complete or incomplete) values mark instance for deletion C-x C-d Each of the above options can also be selected by clicking the corresponding button in the SEE win- dow.
Selecting an Attribute
Using mouse: Point the mouse cursor inside the attribute editing box desired and click the left mouse button. Using key bindings: select next attribute C-n select previous attribute C-p
Editing an Attribute
Using mouse:
Point the mouse cursor inside the desired editing
box and click the left mouse button to place the
cursor at the desired postion inside the editing
box.
Using key bindings:
move cursor forward C-f
move cursor backward C-b
move cursor to the end C-e
move cursor to the beginning C-a
move cursor one word forward -f
move cursor one word backward -b
Delete and undo:
deleting a portion of the attribute
1. Point the mouse cursor inside the desired attri-
bute editing box, click and hold the left mouse
button.
2. Drag the mouse to the left or right to highlight
desired text.
3. Press or input a value to replace selec-
ted text.
delete a character in place C-d
delete the previous character or
C-h
select the remainder of the word
following the cursor to be deleted C-w
select everything following the C-k
cursor to be deleted
select the entire text to be deleted C-u
undo attribute (revert attribute to C-x C-u
the last saved value)
Scrolling:
horizontal grab scroll - use left mouse button
1. Point the mouse inside the attribute list.
2. Press and hold the middle mouse button.
3. Slide the mouse left or right to scroll
the window in the same direction.
horizontal rate scroll - use right mouse button
1. Point the mouse inside the attribute list.
2. Press and hold the right mouse button.
3. Slide the mouse left or right to scroll
the window in the same direction.
The following editing actions are permissable on attributes
that are of type entity only:
edit entity - press the edit button (marked e) or type
C-x C-e
If the attribute contains an entity id, the
identified entity will be put on the screen
in a STEP Entity Editor window.
If the attribute is empty, a new entity of
the type corresponding to the attribute type
will be created and displayed on the screen
in a STEP Entity Editor window. The entity
id corresponding to the newly created entity
will be filled in for the attribute.
select marked entity - press the select mark button
(marked m) or type C-x C-m:
The entity id of the selected entity from the
Entity Instance List will be filed in for the
current atttribute.
STEP ENTITY DESCRIPTOR WINDOW (SED)
The SED window enables the user to review information regarding an entity type. It may be opened by selecting the Type Information box in the Entity Type List or SEE window (See the Entity Type List and STEP Entity Editor window sections above). A SED window may also be opened from within a SED window as is described below.
Format of a SED window:
1. Entity Descriptor Boxes
The body of a SED window is composed of entity descrip-
tor boxes. These boxes are shown in order of inheri-
tance starting with the selected entity type at the bot-
tom of the window up to the root entity type shown at the
top of the window. Each entity descriptor box contains a
title bar, an attribute list and a subtype list described
below.
title bar - contains the name of the entity
in bold print at the left corner and the schema
in which the entity is defined at the right corner.
attribute list - a scrollable list of attributes
defined in the corresponding entity shown on the
left side of the descriptor box.
subtype list - a scrollable list of the subtypes
of the corresponding entity shown on the right side
of the descriptor box.
2. Attr. Type subwindow
The Attr. Type subwindow shown at the bottom of the SED
window displays further information regarding a selected
attrtibute.
Using a SED window:
1. Scrolling the attribute/subtype list
a. Place mouse pointer on up/down arrow.
b. Press right mouse button.
2. Viewing a detailed description of an attribute:
a. Place mouse pointer on desired
attribute.
b. Double click mouse button. A detailed description
of the attribute type will be displayed in the
Attr. Type subwindow located at the bottom of the
SED window.
3. Opening a SED window from the current SED window:
a. Place mouse cursor on the desired entity from
an entity subytpe list.
b. Double click the mouse button. A new SED window
will appear for the entity type selected.
3. Collapsing/Uncollapsing a descriptor box
Collapse - show title bar only
Uncollapse - show attribute and subtype lists
a. Place mouse cursor on collapse button of desired
descriptor box.
b. Click left mouse button. This will cause the
descriptor box to switch from uncollapsed to
collapsed or vice-versa depending on the current
state of the descriptor box.
Exiting a SED window:
1. Place mouse pointer on close button on left
top corner of window
2. Press left mouse button
Warning: Do not use the standard close and quit
options provided for windows. This may
cause you to inadvertantly quit the Data
Probe session. Use the close button pro-
vided.
USING LISTS
The following instructions are applicable to both the Entity Instance List and the Entity Type List.
*Selecting an Entry*
Using mouse:
Positon the mouse on the entry and click the left
mouse button.
Using keystroke commands:
search formward, selects the entry containing C-s
the substring specified in the search window
reverse search, selects the entry containing C-r
the substring specified in the search window
select next entry C-n
select previous entry C-p
select top entry <
select bottom entry >
deselect selected entry C-h
*Reviewing Information Regarding an Entity Type*
Allows the user to view information regarding attributes
and subtypes and supertypes of an entity type using a
STEP ENTITY DESCRIPTOR (SED) window:
Opening a SED window:
1. Select an entity type from list.
2. Select Type Information by placing the
mouse pointer on the Type Information
box and pressing the left mouse button.
For information on the use of the SED window, see the
STEP Entity Editor window section above.
*Scrolling Lists*
Using mouse:
1. Position the mouse pointer to the scroll bar and
click.
2. Click (and optionally hold) the up mover or down
mover located above and below the scroll bar
respectively to scroll bar.
vertical grab scroll -- use middle mouse button
1. Point the mouse cursor inside the list.
2. Press and hold the right mouse button.
3. Slide the mouse up or down to move the display
up or down as desired.
vertical rate scroll -- use right mouse button
1. Point the mouse cusor inside the list.
2. Press and hold the right mouse button.
3. Slide the mouse up or down to scroll the list in
the desired direction at a rate increasing as the
mouse is moved away from its original position.
Using key bindings:
scroll list to beginning C-a
scroll list to end C-e
scroll up C-b
C-k
scroll down C-f
C-j
page down C-v
' '
half page down C-d
half page up C-u
USING BUTTONS TO SELECT OPTIONS
Many of the Data Probe options can be selected by using keystroke commands as described. Some options, however may be selected by using the selection buttons which correspond to those options as follows:
1. Activate pull-down menu (if applicable):
- Place mouse pointer on menu button
- Press right mouse button and hold
2. Select an option
- Place mouse pointer on selection button correspond-
ing to the desired option
- Press left mouse button to activate option
mkProbe(1)
ISO 10303-11:1994 *\Industrial automation systems and integration - Product data * representation and exchange - Part 11: Description Methods: The \ EXPRESS Language Reference Manual.
ISO 10303-21:1994 *\Industrial automation systems and integration - Product data * representation and exchange - Part 21: Implementation methods: \ Clear text encoding of the exchange structure.
Morris, K.C., Sauderd, D., Ressler, S., \Validation Testing System: Reusable Software Component Design, NISTIR 4937, National Institute of Standards and Technology, October 1992.
Sauder, D., \Data Probe Users Guide, NISTIR 5141, National Institute of Standards and Technology, March 1993.
The source code for the Data Probe was designed with reusability in mind. The code uses STEPcode (developed at NIST) and the ~InterViews Toolkit (from Stanford). STEPcode is divided into four libraries: Stepcore & Editor, Utilities, General User Interface, and Probe. Dependencies between these modules has been minimized so that the executable program, the Data Probe, can be easily reconfigured to support different conceptual schemas.
All NISTIR documents may be obtained through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield VA 22161, USA. Postscript files may be obtained through anonymous ftp from ftp.cme.nist.gov (see pub/step/nptdocs/readme.txt to determine the appropriate file to download).