ScxmlEditor-Tutorial

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Video overview - v.1.0

Video overview - v.2.0

Video overview - v.2.1

Video overview - v.2.2

Scxml Editor 2.5.3

Powerful tool for creating, editing and debugging SCXML charts.

New: IDE Insight, DOT-based autolayout, SCXML to DOT, Inheritance, visual chart splitting, conditional project definitions, GIF maker etc.

Quick Support

Changelog

2.5.3: Chart Draw Constraints, Select Chart Elements
2.5.1: Fast Triggers
2.5: Virtual Invoke
2.4: Post Save Commands, Self-Transitions Inside
2.3: Highlight Transitions
2.2.4: Import QtCreator state charts
2.2.3: Transition indexes bugfix
2.2.2: Option to override SmartTransitions
2.2.1: Qt SVG Monitors Released
2.2: Invoke ID is sending by testing apps
2.1.10: New breakpoints interface
2.1.9: Better handling of virtual states
2.1.8: Support of custom console testing applications like SCION command-line tool
2.1.7: SVG Export Settings
2.1.6: UScxmlTester with EcmaScript, In() predicate autocomplete, QtScxmlTester 5.9.1->5.15
2.1.5: Refactored Qt external debugger
2.1.4: Export SCXML to SVG, Structure View

System requirements

• Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 (MSVC 2010, MSVC 2015 Update 3 Runtimes installed)
• Linux via Wine
• Mac OS via Wine and Wineskin

NOTICE! Dot '.' must be a float-point delimiter in OS Regional Settings !!!

Installation

You can find portable version as attached Zip in ScxmlEditor Github Release page

Latest version: [2.5.3.1759]

Windows Installation

First Install

1. Download from latest Release page and unpack it in any target location
2. Install ScxmlEditor\vcredist_x86.exe for UscxmlTester, Graphviz
3. Install ScxmlEditor\vcredist_x64.exe for QtScxmlTester
   (You may skip steps 2 and 3 if you have previously installed MSVC 2015 Update 3 redistributable)
4. Install ScxmlEditor\UScxmlTester\vcredist_x86_vc10.exe for UscxmlTester with EcmaScript datamodel
   (You may skip step 4 if you have previously installed MSVC 2010 redistributable)

Update

1. Download from latest Release page and unpack it into Temporary folder
2. Run Temporary\ScxmlEditor\ScxmlEditor_InstallOrUpdate.cmd "Path\To\Location\ScxmlEditor"

NOTICE! We are continiously making updates, so follow the version number on the README page and update to the latest to have all last cool features

Linux Installation

1. Install Wine:

sudo apt -y install wine

2. Install Microsoft fonts

• Install a collection of Microsoft fonts.

sudo apt install ttf-mscorefonts-installer

• Acknowledge the terms of the EULA in your terminal when prompted.

3. Download ScxmlEditor from latest Release page and unpack it in any target location
4. Run program

cd /path/to/ScxmlEditor
wine ScxmlEditor.exe

MacOS Installation

Read detailed installation steps here

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Roadmap

• [ ] Make Open API (Lua based)
• [ ] Make cross-platform
• [x] Make opensource

Donations

If you are interested in the development of ScxmlEditor we would be highly appreciated for any help.

Paypal

Licensing

ScxmlEditor source code is distributed under under the terms of the BSD 3-Clause License but if you want to compile binary application by yourself you need to purchase external components with their own licensies by yourself.

Current binaries are compiled with single development licensies registered by this github account owner name. Many thanks to all who made donations and especially to Ed K for his valuable contribution

External Components	License	Comment
TeeChart Pro	Steema Software Licenses	State chart editor is based on TTree
LMD VCL Complete	LMD Innovative License	Used in Dock Panels, Property inspector, etc.
VCL Components	C++Builder Community Edition	General application compilation and VCL standard components
log4cpp	LGPL-2.1 license	Logger
myJSON	MIT License	JSON Parsing
PNG Functions	Mozilla Public License 1.1	PNG Functions

Table of contents

• Common
  • IDE Insight
  • Main menu
  • Main toolbar
  • Project tree
    • Post Save Unit
  • Property inspector
  • SCXML source code view and live editing
• Projects
  • Building a Project
  • Visual State Chart Splitting
    • Virtual Invoke
  • Conditional Project Definitions
• State chart
  • Interface
    • SCXML Structure View
    • Side toolbar
    • Tool (bookmarks) panel
    • Shapes panel
    • Chart design panel
  • States and children (Shapes)
  • Transitions (Connections)
    • Self-Transitions
    • Smart Switch Transitions
  • Inheritance
  • DOT-based autolayout
• Imports
  • Import from QtCreator state charts
  • Import from ScxmlGui (by fmorbini) state charts
• Exports
  • Convert SCXML to DOT
  • Export SCXML to SVG
• Run and Debug
  • How to debug SCXML statecharts
  • Qt SCXML framework debugging
    • Qt SCXML Monitors (UDP, SVG)

Creating SCXML charts

Creating a unit

Unit is a single scxml chart. It is mostly used for simple charts without invokable sessions.

Select File->New Unit or press Shift+Ctrl+N

Creating a project

Project is the most preferred choice of designing scxml charts to get all benefits (custom triggers, nested scxml charts, etc.)

Select File->New Project or press Ctrl+N

Editing SCXML charts

ScxmlEditor provides a project wizard for opening scxml. It supports either opening files with metainformation about the position of states and transitions or plain scxml files. You can use ScxmlEditor to add states and transitions to the chart. You can add executable content to a state chart to enable the state machine to modify its data model and to interact with external entities.

1. Select File->Open Unit or press Shift+Ctrl+O (for all types of .scxml files)
2. Select File->Open Project or press Ctrl+O (for ScxmlEditor .sproj files)

Property inspector

Is used to edit and examine the properties of the currently selected states, executable contents and transitions.

Editor tabs

Are used to add scxml elements, zoom, align, change chart visual options, etc.

NEW! IDE Insight

Press 'Ctrl+.' to call IDE Insight dialog where you may search for all actions through the application. Add shapes, edit properties in one place!

Structure View with quick search

Debugging

ScxmlEditor has an ability to receive and send string UDP commands:

Receive API:

• @@@ - clear highlighted states in all statecharts
• @@@ScxmlName - clear highlighted states in statechart where <scxml> 'name' is equal ScxmlName
• Type@ScxmlName@Msg@Id - commands to highlight state or display message in CallStack panel
  Description: Type - integer type of command: 1 - AfterEnter, 2 - BeforeEnter, 3 - AfterExit, 4 - BeforeExit, 5 - Step, 6 - BeforeExecContent, 7 - AfterExecContent, 8 - BeforeInvoke, 9 - AfterInvoke, 10 - BeforeUnInvoke, 11 - AfterUnInvoke, 12 - BeforeTakingTransition, 13 - AfterTakingTransition, 14 - StableConfiguration, 15 - BeforeProcessingEvent
ScxmlName - name of <scxml>
  Msg - message which depends on type of command. For example: for BeforeEnter or BeforeExit - it is the id(name) of states, for BeforeInvoke or BeforeUnInvoke it is the name of invoked element, etc.
  Id - identifier of the invoked state machine (Since ScxmlEditor 2.2). Can be empty for root machines

BeforeEnter graphically highlight and BeforeExit unhighlight the corresponding states, other commands are displayed in CallStack panel

Since ScxmlEditor 2.3 there is an option to highlight taking transitions in BeforeTakingTransition Message format: FromState|TransitionIndex where TransitionIndex is transition xml child index

Example of commands:

• 2@CalculatorStateMachine@operand1 - highlight state operand1 in statechart CalculatorStateMachine
  
• 4@CalculatorStateMachine@operand1 - unhighlight state operand1 in statechart CalculatorStateMachine
  
• 2@ScxmlSub1@isSub1@ID_SUB_1 - highlight state isSub1 in statechart ScxmlSub1 when invoke Id is ID_SUB_1
  
• 12@CalculatorStateMachine@operand1|0 - highlight the first transition from operand1 state in statechart CalculatorStateMachine
  

You can also trace the execution of the chart and use breakpoints.

Local debugging

ScxmlEditor starts a testing application, intercepts its command line output and may communicate in two modes:

• UDP mode (receives UDP commands and sends events as UDP packages to testing application)
• Pipes mode (since version 2.1.8) (capture enter-exit events from console output by regexp, and submit trigger event to state machine to console input)

There are two ready-to-use testing applications:

1. Based on USCXML framework. Supports null, lua, ecmascript datamodels

2. QtScxmlTester - based on Qt SCXML framework Supports null, ecmascript datamodels

Also you may write your own testing application using the corresponding API

External debugging

In this mode ScxmlEditor only listens UDP commands for highlighting states and displaying messages in CallStack panel

Breakpoints

Qt SCXML framework debugging

NEW! Qt SCXML Debug Via SVG

It was an old dream to monitor state machine workflow without any external dependencies in Qt and finally it comes true. We prepared some native SCXML SVG monitors:

• scxmlsvgview.h - for widgets (based on QGraphicsView)
  • see how to use it in Dining Philosophers Example
• scxmlsvgqmlitem.h - for QML (based on QQuickPaintedItem)
  • see how to use it in Stopwatch Example

Since ScxmlEditor 2.2.1 you can export SCXML to SVG, include only monitor headers in your app and create monitor instances any time.

NOTICE: While state machine pointer is not set, the monitor does nothing and can be left in Release.

Qt SCXML External Debugging with ScxmlEditor

For Qt SCXML applications you may include scxmlexternmonitor2.h header to your project and follow the instructions

Example of debugging Qt Calculator-QML project

1. Select Run->Start listening from external application
2. Select Run->Run
3. Launch Calculator-QML.exe
4. Use Pause for tracing (optionally)

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