JP2000339149A - State transition model preparation method and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a time necessary for the state extraction of a state transition chart, the extraction of an input event, and the extraction of an action, and the extraction of an output event. SOLUTION: A state transition chart is automatically prepared at the time of describing state transition by a casing describing means 1 of a message sequence chart, a state recognizing means 2 from the casing description of the message sequence chart, an input event recognizing means 3 from an input message, an action recognizing means 4 from processing after the message input, an output event recognizing means 5 from an output message, and an analyzing means 6 for analyzing the data from the casing describing means 1, the state recognizing means 2, the input event recognizing means 3, the action recognizing means 4, and the output event recognizing means 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a software development support system having means for describing a message sequence chart (MSC) in software development and means for describing a state transition table.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 9, a software development support system comprises a state description section 51, an input event description section 52, an action description section 53, and an output event description section 54. When describing the state transition table, the designer extracts a state, an input event, and an output event based on the specification, and describes the state transition table shown in FIG. The flowchart is as shown in FIG.

[0003]

However, in the prior art, since a state transition table is newly described after a message sequence chart is described, state extraction, input event extraction, action extraction, and output event of the state transition table are performed. There is a problem that the time required for the extraction work increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to classify cases from a message sequence chart, recognize input messages, actions, and output messages, and analyze the recognized contents to obtain a state transition table. State extraction, input event extraction, action extraction,
An object of the present invention is to provide an excellent state transition model creation method and apparatus that can reduce the time required for output event extraction.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a software development support system for reducing the time required for extracting a state of a state transition table, extracting an input event, extracting an action, and extracting an output event. A case description part of a sequence chart, a state recognition part from a case description of a message sequence chart, an input event recognition part from an input message, an action recognition part from processing after message input, and an output from an output message An event recognition unit and an analysis unit for the data are provided.

According to the present invention, in a software development support system having means for describing a message sequence chart and means for describing a state transition table, when a state transition is to be described, a message A case description means for a sequence chart, a state recognition means from a case description of a message sequence chart, an input event recognition means from an input message, an action recognition means from processing after a message is input, and an output from an output message A state transition table is automatically created by the event recognition means and the data analysis means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a software development support system having a means for describing a message sequence chart and a means for describing a state transition table, when a state transition is to be described, the above-mentioned claim is made. In addition to item 1, a state transition table is automatically created by a hierarchical state recognizing means from the case description of the message sequence chart and a data analyzing means.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in a device having a means for describing a message sequence chart and a means for describing a state transition table, when a state transition is to be described, a message sequence chart is used. A classification description section, a state recognition section from a case description of a message sequence chart, an input event recognition section from an input message, an action recognition section from processing after message input, and an output event recognition section from an output message. And a data analysis unit for automatically creating a state transition table.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in a software development support system having means for describing a message sequence chart and means for describing a state transition table, when the state transition is to be described, In addition to item 1, the state transition table is grouped by action recognition means of the state transition table, output recognition means of the state transition table, classification recognition means of the state transition table, and analysis means of the data. The state is automatically generated.

[0010]

FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 show a first embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 7 show a second embodiment.
Next, a third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 8, respectively.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a software development support system according to the present embodiment. Describing each part, first, the case description unit 31 describes the case in the message sequence chart, and the state recognition unit 32 recognizes the case described in the message sequence chart. Also,
The input event recognition unit 33 recognizes an input message described in the message sequence chart, and the action recognition unit 34 recognizes an action described in the message sequence chart. Further, the output event recognition unit 35
Recognizes the output message described in the message sequence chart, and the data analysis unit 36
2, input event recognition unit 33, action recognition unit 34,
The contents recognized by the output event recognition unit 35 are analyzed, and the state, input event, action, and output event of the state transition table are determined.

In the MSC of this embodiment, "task bar", "message", "processing", and "condition" can be described. The file storing the MSC needs to hold the information of each figure. The file manages the information of each figure as an object. FIG. 5 shows a conceptual diagram of the MSC.

Here, each graphic object has the following attributes (1) to (4). (1) “Task bar”: start position, end position, task name (2) “Message”: start point information (task name and position information on the corresponding “task bar”), end point information (task name and corresponding “task bar”) ), Arrow shape information, name information (3) "Processing": position information (task name and position information on the corresponding "task bar"), name information (4) "Condition": start position information (task There is an application that describes a name and position information on the corresponding “task bar”, end position information (task name and position information on the corresponding “task bar”), name information, and a state transition table. The state transition table describes a state transition of a certain task, and needs to hold a task name. As shown in FIG. 6B, the user can obtain the task name by writing the corresponding task name in the upper left corner of the state transition table. The state transition table stores the target MSC file in, for example, the extension .m that exists in the same directory.
You can find out by searching the sc file.

After the task name is entered by the user, the state transition table is automatically created in the following steps (1) to (5). (1) Acquire the number of events and the event name: The MSC file is searched based on the task name described by the user, and the input message is detected. What is necessary is just to pick up the input message to which the task name of the end point information of "message" corresponds. The number of "messages" picked up can be acquired as the number of events, and the corresponding name information of "messages" can be acquired as the event name. (2) Acquire the number of states and the state name: Based on the task name described by the user, search the MSC file and detect “condition”. What is necessary is just to pick up the "condition" to which the task name of the position information of "condition" corresponds. The number of “conditions” picked up can be obtained as the number of states, and the corresponding name information of “condition” can be obtained as the state name. (3) Describe the state transition table: Based on the information obtained in (1) and (2), specify the size of the state transition table and describe the names of events and states. (4) Acquisition of action description content for each cell: In the state transition table, the event name and the state name can be known for each cell. The event name is equivalent to the name information of “message” in the MSC, and the state name is equivalent to the name information of “condition” in the MSC. In this phase, the following items 1) to 3) are executed.

1) Specify the execution start position of the corresponding cell: M
By searching for the name information of the “condition” from the SC file group, the start position information (task name and position information on the corresponding “task bar”) A and the end position information (task name and the corresponding “task bar”) of the “condition” are retrieved. Position information B) can be obtained. Next, from the MSC file group,
"Message" name information and "Message" end point information (task name and corresponding "taskbar" location information)
Among them, the position information C at the corresponding “task bar” can be obtained using the task name as a key. Next, only the position information of C included in the time series starting from A and ending with B is picked up. The position information of the picked-up C becomes the execution start position of the corresponding cell. 2) Identify the execution end position of the relevant cell: Within the time-series range starting from A and ending with B found in 1),
If the input message exists, that is, if the MSC file is searched and the end point information (the task name and the position information on the corresponding “task bar”) exists, the time point is set as the execution end position of the corresponding cell. If not, B is set as the execution end position. 3) Acquisition of action description information of the corresponding cell: From the MSC file, between the execution start position and the execution end position acquired in 1) and 2), start point information (task name and position information on the corresponding "task bar") ) Exists, and the location information (task name and corresponding “task bar”)
All the “processes” with “location information” are picked up in chronological order. (5) Describe the action description for each cell: (4)
Name information of "message" picked up at
The name information of “process” is described in the corresponding cell as “process 1 event a” 104 and “process 2 event a” 105 shown in FIG. 6B. The above (4) and (5) are performed for all cells. However, if there is no relevant information, leave blank.

[Second Embodiment] In the present embodiment,
In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment described above, conditions can be hierarchically described in MSC description. This can be realized by judging that the “condition” has a hierarchical structure if the “condition” description includes a line feed code.

In the state transition table, states can be described hierarchically, and the MSC editor can enter "conditions" on a plurality of lines. In this case, the attribute of “condition” is as follows: ~ 7. become that way. "Conditions": Start position information (task name and corresponding "task bar")
Location information). End position information (task name and corresponding "task bar")
2. Location information at 3. Name information (layer 1) 4. Name information (layer 2) 5. Name information (layer 3) 6. Name information (layer 4) Name Information (Level 5) In the case of this embodiment, notation up to five levels is possible. Thus, description is made as “condition 2” 106 shown in FIG.

[Third Embodiment] In the present embodiment,
The configuration of the first and second embodiments has a function of automatically editing the created state transition table. Note that the state transition table originally has a case classification function based on a cell division method as shown in FIG. 8B, but in the present embodiment, the following steps (1) to (4) are performed. , It is possible to automatically edit the created state transition table. (1) Pick up any two from all the states held in the corresponding state transition table. (It is assumed that the state B and the state C are picked up in the example of FIG. 8). (2) For the two picked up states, description information is compared for every event (event B in FIG. 8). For example, "process 2, event a" 108 and "process 2, event a" 109 have the same content.) (3) When only one event is different and the other event has the same content, FIG. "Process 4 shown in (b),
Event d "114-1" and "Process 5, Event f" 114-
As shown in 2, the cells of different parts are divided, and the description of the conditional branch and the description of the processing content are automatically performed. (4) In the pop-up menu, the name of the newly integrated state is obtained by user input.

Based on the above, the message sequence chart is divided into cases, input messages, actions,
By recognizing the output message and analyzing the recognized content, the state transition table state extraction, input event extraction,
The time required for action extraction and output event extraction can be reduced.

[0020]

As described above, according to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the input message, the action and the output message are recognized from the message sequence chart, and the recognized contents are analyzed. As a result, the time required for extracting the state, input event, action, and output event of the state transition table can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a state transition model creation method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a state transition model creation method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a state transition model creation method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a state transition model creation method according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state transition model creation method according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state transition model creation method according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state transition model creation method according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state transition model creation method according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a conventional state transition model creation method.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a conventional state transition model creation method.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a conventional state transition diagram.

[Explanation of symbols]

 31 case description part 32 state recognition part 33 input event recognition part 34 action recognition part 35 output event recognition part 36 data analysis part 51 state description part 52 input event description part 53 action description part 54 output event description part

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] August 9, 2000 (200.8.9)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0002

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 9, a software development support system comprises a state description section 51, an input event description section 52, an action description section 53, and an output event description section 54. , when describing a state transition table, designers state extracted based on the specification input event extraction and describes the state transition table shown in FIG. 11 and the output event extraction. Further, the flowchart diagram
As shown in FIG.

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Fig. 6

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 6

Claims (4)

[Claims] In a software development support system having means for describing a message sequence chart and means for describing a state transition table, when describing a state transition, a case description means for a message sequence chart; State recognition means from a case description of a message sequence chart, input event recognition means from an input message, action recognition means from processing after message input, output event recognition means from an output message, and the case description A state transition model creation method, wherein a state transition table is automatically created by means for analyzing data from means, state recognition means, input event recognition means, action recognition means, and output event recognition means. 2. When describing a state transition, a state transition table is created by a hierarchical state recognizing means from the case description of the message sequence chart and a data analyzing means from the hierarchical state recognizing means. The method according to claim 1, wherein the state transition model is automatically created. 3. An apparatus having a means for describing a message sequence chart and a means for describing a state transition table, wherein when describing a state transition, a case description part of the message sequence chart, A state recognition unit from the case description;
An input event recognition unit from an input message, an action recognition unit from processing after message input, an output event recognition unit from an output message, the case description unit, a state recognition unit, an input event recognition unit, and an action recognition unit A state transition model creation device, wherein a state transition table is automatically created by a data analysis unit from an output event recognition unit. 4. When describing a state transition, an action recognizing means of a state transition table, an output recognizing means of a state transition table, a case recognizing means of a state transition table, the action recognizing means, and an output recognizing means. 2. The grouping state of the state transition table is automatically generated by the means for analyzing data from the means and the case recognizing means.
State transition model creation method described.