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help:tool_controls_panel

Tool Controls

The Tool control panel provides access to the extended functionality (if present) of a selected tool. Of the generic tools only the Selection tool and Simulation tool have such extended functionality. Let us consider them in detail.

Selection controls

The selection tool controls provide the means to transform the selected nodes and connections of the model.

  • Group selection(Ctrl+G) - group selection
    - combine the selected elements into a group. The same action can be performed by pressing Ctrl+G.
  • Ungroup selection(Ctrl+Shift+G) - ungroup selection
    - if a single group is selected, then pressing this button decomposes the group into the comprising elements. The same action can be performed by pressing Ctrl+Shift+G.
  • Level up (PageUp) - level up
    - if the focus is currently inside a group, then pressing this button shifts the focus to the container group or the root of the model. The same can be done by pressing Page↑ or double-clicking outside the group boundaries.
  • Level down (PageDown) - level down
    - if a single group is selected, then pressing this button enters this group. The same can be done by pressing Page↓ or double-clicking inside the group boundaries.
  • Flip horizontal (Ctrl+F) - flip horizontal
    - flip the selected objects horizontally. The same can be done by pressing Ctrl+F.
  • Flip vertical (Ctrl+Shift+F) - flip vertical
    - flip the selected objects vertically. The same can be done by pressing Ctrl+Shift+F.
  • Rotate clockwise (Ctrl+R) - rotate clockwise
    - rotate the selected objects clockwise. The same can be done by pressing Ctrl+R.
  • Rotate counterclockwise (Ctrl+Shift+R) - rotate counterclockwise
    - rotate the selected objects couterclockwise. The same can be done by pressing Ctrl+Shift+R.

Simulation controls

The simulation tool controls provides the means to analyse and navigate the simulation data. There are two sources of simulation data:

  • Trace - the base sequence of events, often from an external tool, e.g. a trace leading to a deadlock.
  • Branch - the deviated sequence of events executed by explicitly clicking the excited nodes of the model.

Usually the event names correspond to the model nodes whose execution changed the state of the model. The sequences of events are recorded in the corresponding columns of the TraceBranch table. You can click the name of the event in either column to restore the model state just before that event has happened.

The navigation through the simulation data can be done with the following buttons:

  • Automatic playback - automatic playback
    - execute the trace and branch events starting from the current position.
  • Reset playback - reset playback
    - stop the execution and reset the trace and branch data.
  • Step backward - step backward
    - undo the last event that lead to the current state.
  • Step forward - step forward
    - execute the next event in the trace or branch.
  • Random playback - random playback
    - automatically execute events selecting them randomly from a pool of events that are enabled in the current state.
  • Copy to clipboard - copy to clipboard
    - copy the trace, the branch and the current simulation state into the clipboard.
  • Paste from clipboard - paste from clipboard
    - paste the trace, the branch and the current simulation state from the clipboard.
  • Merge branch into trace - merge branch into trace
    - merge the branch into the main execution trace.

The slide bar under the navigation buttons controls the speed of playback for the existing or randomly generated sequence of events.