Simple Connections

To quickly get started creating connections, simply select the Connect tool in the Architecture section of the palette, and click on the first item desired to be the source of the connection – it can be anything: component, connector, or port.  After this selection, move the cursor to the second item desired in the connection.  If it is a valid item for the connection, it will be highlighted in red and the cursor icon will change to a plug.  Simply click on the item and the connection will be made between the two items, according to predefined connection patterns that are specified in the style being worked with.  If the user clicks on a component as one or both of the items in the connection, the necessary ports will automatically be created by AcmeStudio.

Ambiguous Patterns

When using the connect tool, either selected from the palette or using the assistant, it is entirely possible that more than one defined connection pattern will match the objects selected.  Should this be the case, a menu will appear that contains all the possible applicable connection patterns that could be used. Scrolling over an item on the menu will display feedback on the diagram about what the connection will look like if it is chosen.

Alternatively, the user may select the Open Connection Wizard dialog, which will allow manual disambiguation of the rule. When the box is first displayed, all items for which there is an ambiguous choice will display the text ‘?????’.  The user can go to any of these combo boxes and select the item they want.  Based on their selection, each of the other combo boxes will update to reflect the choices that the user still must make (as more choices are made, the number of matching connection patterns decreases, so some choices will invariably be set depending on user selection).  When all choices have been disambiguated, and a connection pattern has been thus chosen, the user can click the ‘ok’ button to put the chosen pattern into effect and create the connection.

Sticky Rules

Perceptive users will notice that there is also a choice on the bottom of the ambiguous dialog box, where users must select one of two radio buttons.  This choice let’s the user decide whether or not they will be using the selected rule just one time, or whether they would like it to remain ‘sticky’.  When a rule remains sticky, it means that the ‘connect’ tool will represent only that rule until deselected.  It is possible to imagine scenarios when this would be useful, such as when multiple connections of the same type are desired in a row.  Instead of having to disambiguate the connection every time, a sticky rule will allow the user to simply,\ and unambiguously click to create all connections subsequent to the first.

Note that when a rule is made sticky, the rule chosen is displayed on the palette instead of the usual ‘connect’ text.  As well, feedback will be given to the user about what they can and cannot choose to connect while the rule is sticky.  For instance, if a rule with a localConn connector is made sticky, AcmeStudio will ensure that the user cannot click on another type of connector to create a connection.