Difference between pages "D32 Mathematical Extensions" and "Rodin Editor"

From Event-B
(Difference between pages)
Jump to navigationJump to search
imported>Nicolas
 
imported>Tommy
 
Line 1: Line 1:
=== Overview ===
+
{{TOCright}}
 +
Return to [[Rodin Plug-ins]]
  
Mathematical extensions have been co-developed by Systerel (for the Core Rodin Platform) and Southampton (for the Theory plug-in). The main purpose of this new feature was to provide the Rodin user with a way to extend the standard Event-B mathematical language, by defining his own mathematical operators, basic predicates and algebraic types. Along with these additional notations, the user can also define new proof rules (prover extensions).
+
[[Image:RodinEditor_basicView1.png|400px|left|a basic view of the Rodin Editor on a context]]
  
A theory is a file that gathers of new algebraic types, new operators/predicates and new proof rules. It is developed in the Rodin workspace. When it is complete, the user makes it available to his models (this action is called the deployment of a theory). He can then start using his own operators, datatypes and proof rules for the development of his models.
+
The Rodin Editor is an editor, based on the same principles as the historical structured Event-B Editor. This latter editor shown its weakness while editing large models. Moreover, it was impossible to show some information, which are needed when one edits an Event-B model (such as the inherited elements which were formerly displayed only in the pretty print view). This is to solve all these issues that the Rodin Editor was created.
  
=== Motivations ===
+
This editor aims to be clean, in order to read easily models, but new comers may find it less easy to use. Please read the '''Principles''' section to get the necessary background to understand how this editor works. Furthermore, the text base of this editor aims to bring with it all the navigation and edition ease provided by text editor.
 +
<br style="clear: both" />
  
 +
Please have a look also at the [[Rodin Editor User Guide]].
 +
=== Current version ===
 +
The current version for <b>Rodin 2.3</b> is 0.5.1 released on Monday 3 October 2011. This version is similar to v.0.5.0 but made compatible with Rodin 2.3<br>
 +
The current version for <b>Rodin 2.2.x</b> is 0.5.0 released on Wednesday 13 July 2011. This version is not compatible with Rodin 2.3<br>
 +
''<span style="color:#FF4500">IMPORTANT :  we identified a source of concurrency in the current version (0.5.0) of the plug-in.</span>''<br>
 +
<span style="color:#FF4500">'''To avoid any trouble, please do not generate files while having some Rodin Editor open, and edit only one model per project at once.'''</span>
  
 +
=== Principles ===
 +
'''The component contents are displayed as text.''' Once you component opened with the Rodin Editor, its contents are printed as text inside the Rodin Editor. However, as said, the Rodin Editor is not a text editor, and even if the component you edit is streamlined to basic text, what you edit is stored in an underlying database. That's the reason why you can not type text at any place at any moment. (i.e. there is no parsing of text file: what you see is a text component based form editor).
  
This paragraph shall express the motivation for each tool extension and improvement. More precisely, it shall first indicate the state before the work, the encountered difficulties, and shall highlight the requirements (eg. those of industrial partners). Then, it shall summarize how these requirements are addressed and what are the main benefits.
+
'''There are two types of edition possible.''' Because Rodin manipulates Event-B elements and their attributes, the Rodin Editor provides two ways to modify Event-B models:
 +
* you can navigate through the model contents and do things on the Event-B elements (e.g. add/remove/move/etc.) with the right-click actions or the keyboard shortcuts, depending on where is your cursor, or what you selected,
 +
* you can edit the Event-B element's attributes by entering the "edition" mode provided by the overlay editor. This is detailed here-after.
  
 +
'''An overlay editor displays over the text to edit element's attributes''' The basic idea is: ''"when I want to edit some contents, I should open the overlay editor that will allow me to modify its value"''.
  
 +
'''Everything happens where I click, or where my text caret is.''' The caret position, also set when the user left-clicks in the editor, is the base for component modifications:
 +
* if you click an editable attribute, the overlay editor opens on it and you are able to modify the attribute. The same action is possible if you press "Backspace" if the caret is on an editable attribute,
 +
* if you click on non editable places of the editor, you just move the text caret to the pointed position.
  
=== Choices / Decisions ===
+
'''Implicit elements are displayed in grayed colors.''' The elements that are implicit at the current level of edition are not editable, and displayed in grayed colors. (See the figure below)
 +
[[Image:RodinEditor_basicView4.png|400px|center]]
  
On the Core Rodin Platform side, implementing mathematical extensions required to make some parts of the code extensible, that were not designed to be so, namely the lexer and the parser. We were using tools that automatically generated them from a fixed grammar description, so we had to change to other technologies. A [http://wiki.event-b.org/index.php/Constrained_Dynamic_Parser study] has been made on available technologies. The Pratt algorithm was selected for its adequation with the purpose and it did not have the drawbacks of other technologies:
+
=== A basic overview ===
* foreign language integration
+
The Rodin Editor might not be the 'preferred' editor that Rodin uses to open your Event-B models.<br>
* overhead due to over generality
+
Thus, to open a component (e.g. a machine, a context, etc.), '''right-click''' on it and select '''Open with''' > '''Rodin Editor'''.<br>
 +
The context component is then opened with the Rodin Editor.<br>
  
After a mocking up phase to verify feasibility, the Pratt algorithm has been confirmed as the chosen option and implemented in the Rodin Platform.
+
[[Image:RodinEditor_basicView2.png|600px]]
  
Besides, we wanted to set up a way to publish and share theories for Rodin users, in order to constitute a database of pre-built theories for everyone to use and contribute. This has been realised by adding a new tracker on SourceForge site ([http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=108850&atid=1558661]).
+
On the figure above, you see the context component.<br>
 +
* The user is editing the axiom ''axm8'' and we see that the text is black and the background is grayed. This is the actually the overlay editor, that is open to edit the predicate contained by the axiom ''axm8''.
 +
* There are buttons in the left ruler to fold some elements.
 +
* The comments are preceeded by the character ' › ' to indicate where to click for edition.
 +
* The other attributes are inlined as grayed text.
 +
** Note that : some attributes have type boolean, thus change value on click, and some attributes are choice attributes thus display a list of clickable values (see the image below) on click.
  
=== Available Documentation ===
+
[[Image:RodinEditor_basicView3.png|center]]
  
{{TODO|add pdf mathextn from BSCW}}
+
For more details, please go to the [[Rodin_Editor_User_Guide| Rodin Editor User Guide]].
  
* Requirements.
+
[[Category:Plugin]]
* Pre-studies (states of the art, proposals, discussions).
+
[[Category:User documentation]]
** [http://wiki.event-b.org/index.php/Constrained_Dynamic_Parser#Design_Alternatives]
 
* Technical details (specifications).
 
** [http://wiki.event-b.org/index.php/Mathematical_Extensions]
 
** [http://wiki.event-b.org/index.php/Constrained_Dynamic_Lexer]
 
** [http://wiki.event-b.org/index.php/Constrained_Dynamic_Parser]
 
** [http://wiki.event-b.org/index.php/Theory_Plug-in]
 
* Teaching materials (tutorials).
 
* User's guides.
 
** [http://wiki.event-b.org/images/Theory_UM.pdf]
 
 
 
=== Planning ===
 
This paragraph shall give a timeline and current status (as of 28 Jan 2011).
 
 
 
[[Category:D32 Deliverable]]
 

Revision as of 14:09, 3 October 2011

Return to Rodin Plug-ins

a basic view of the Rodin Editor on a context

The Rodin Editor is an editor, based on the same principles as the historical structured Event-B Editor. This latter editor shown its weakness while editing large models. Moreover, it was impossible to show some information, which are needed when one edits an Event-B model (such as the inherited elements which were formerly displayed only in the pretty print view). This is to solve all these issues that the Rodin Editor was created.

This editor aims to be clean, in order to read easily models, but new comers may find it less easy to use. Please read the Principles section to get the necessary background to understand how this editor works. Furthermore, the text base of this editor aims to bring with it all the navigation and edition ease provided by text editor.

Please have a look also at the Rodin Editor User Guide.

Current version

The current version for Rodin 2.3 is 0.5.1 released on Monday 3 October 2011. This version is similar to v.0.5.0 but made compatible with Rodin 2.3
The current version for Rodin 2.2.x is 0.5.0 released on Wednesday 13 July 2011. This version is not compatible with Rodin 2.3
IMPORTANT : we identified a source of concurrency in the current version (0.5.0) of the plug-in.
To avoid any trouble, please do not generate files while having some Rodin Editor open, and edit only one model per project at once.

Principles

The component contents are displayed as text. Once you component opened with the Rodin Editor, its contents are printed as text inside the Rodin Editor. However, as said, the Rodin Editor is not a text editor, and even if the component you edit is streamlined to basic text, what you edit is stored in an underlying database. That's the reason why you can not type text at any place at any moment. (i.e. there is no parsing of text file: what you see is a text component based form editor).

There are two types of edition possible. Because Rodin manipulates Event-B elements and their attributes, the Rodin Editor provides two ways to modify Event-B models:

  • you can navigate through the model contents and do things on the Event-B elements (e.g. add/remove/move/etc.) with the right-click actions or the keyboard shortcuts, depending on where is your cursor, or what you selected,
  • you can edit the Event-B element's attributes by entering the "edition" mode provided by the overlay editor. This is detailed here-after.

An overlay editor displays over the text to edit element's attributes The basic idea is: "when I want to edit some contents, I should open the overlay editor that will allow me to modify its value".

Everything happens where I click, or where my text caret is. The caret position, also set when the user left-clicks in the editor, is the base for component modifications:

  • if you click an editable attribute, the overlay editor opens on it and you are able to modify the attribute. The same action is possible if you press "Backspace" if the caret is on an editable attribute,
  • if you click on non editable places of the editor, you just move the text caret to the pointed position.

Implicit elements are displayed in grayed colors. The elements that are implicit at the current level of edition are not editable, and displayed in grayed colors. (See the figure below)

RodinEditor basicView4.png

A basic overview

The Rodin Editor might not be the 'preferred' editor that Rodin uses to open your Event-B models.
Thus, to open a component (e.g. a machine, a context, etc.), right-click on it and select Open with > Rodin Editor.
The context component is then opened with the Rodin Editor.

RodinEditor basicView2.png

On the figure above, you see the context component.

  • The user is editing the axiom axm8 and we see that the text is black and the background is grayed. This is the actually the overlay editor, that is open to edit the predicate contained by the axiom axm8.
  • There are buttons in the left ruler to fold some elements.
  • The comments are preceeded by the character ' › ' to indicate where to click for edition.
  • The other attributes are inlined as grayed text.
    • Note that : some attributes have type boolean, thus change value on click, and some attributes are choice attributes thus display a list of clickable values (see the image below) on click.
RodinEditor basicView3.png

For more details, please go to the Rodin Editor User Guide.