C++ GUI
Introduction
Objecteering C++ Developer comes with a dedicated GUI, providing easy access to C++-related UML extensions (tagged values, notes and stereotypes) and convenient features, such as immediate code preview.
The GUI of Objecteering C++ Developer extends the Objecteering environment by providing the following additional elements, used to edit C++ properties and manage the application development process:
· The C++ toolbar
· The C++ auxiliary window including the context toolbar
· C++ edition dialog boxes
The C++ toolbar appears in the main Objecteering toolbar when Objecteering C++ Developer is deployed. The toolbar provides one-click access to the most frequently used C++-related functions, such as the editing of a model element's C++ properties or code generation.
In Objecteering, the auxiliary window is an essential window designed to help you in your modeling activities by providing rapid access to various services and information that you may wish to use.
The auxiliary window contains a number of tabs, including a "C++" tab when Objecteering C++ Developer is deployed. This tab contains fields used to enter and modify frequently used C++ properties of UML model elements.
The "C++" tab also contains the context toolbar, used to run various commands, such as the generation or visualization of documentation, and to access C++ edition dialog boxes in one simple click. Toolbar commands depend on the type of model element, and are updated dynamically according to the type of the selected element.
C++ is a very rich language, so UML elements may have a large set of C++ properties. For example, it would not be practical to use the "C++" tab of the auxiliary window to show two dozen C++ properties for a UML association end or to edit multi-line notes such as C++ code and documentation.
Objecteering C++ Developer provides a specific edition dialog box for each type of UML element that is translated to C++. An edition dialog box provides access to all the C++ properties available for a given type of UML element.
For greater convenience, C++ properties are grouped into categories according to their nature – declaration, code, documentation, and so on. For more simplicity, simple text fields are used wherever possible to input C++ code or perform GUI actions. These make the GUI easier and more natural to use for editing C++ code-related properties, such as class or attribute specifiers, lists of thrown exceptions, and so on.
Objecteering C++ Developer provides a handy new immediate code preview function. When modifying a C++ property of a model element in an edition dialog box, you can simply click on the "Preview" button to view the C++ code that will be generated for the element. This means that you immediately observe the effect of your modifications on the generated code, and can therefore avoid errors during the initial development stages.
The edition dialog boxes are also used to select type libraries and to select types exported by libraries. The code preview function lets you immediately observe the effect of your choice of type libraries and types on the generated code.
The Objecteering C++ Developer GUI is based on the following principles:
· Frequently used features are easier to access, while rarely used features are made less prominent. The most frequently used properties and commands are accessible by a simple click.
· Text input is used instead of GUI actions, where possible.
· Property effects can be immediately previewed.
These principles make the Objecteering C++ Developer GUI extremely convenient for entering and modifying low-level C++ code-specific properties at UML model level, and make UML models a stronger basis for the development of C++ applications.