Setools September 2006

setools@lists.squeakfoundation.org

11 participants
23 discussions

[gjallar] Playing with the model
by goran＠krampe.se 21 Sep '06

21 Sep '06

Hi! A mini howto on how to play in a workspace with the Gjallar model in Magma etc. In Gjallar there is a session class called Q2Session. It is a subclass of WASession (Seaside session class) that primarily adds a MagmaSession in it. There is also a class called Q2SessionWithoutSeaside that you use when being outside of Seaside, and a Q2MockSession that simulates Magma when running unit tests (for speed). You can get (and release) a session like this: Q2Session sessionDo: [ session _ Q2Session current. model _ session model. ....] #sessionDo: will allocate a session (a Q2Session or a Q2SessionWithoutSeaside depending) and bind it to the current running Process using DynamicBindings. It also sets the current user of the session to 'system' by default. Please trace (or just browse) the above code and you will find Q2Session>>current that does the actual instantiation of the correct session class. You can also allocate a current session to the UI process in Morphic and get its model: Q2Session current model Evaluating this the first time allocates a Q2SessionWithoutSeaside (with a MagmaCollection from the Q2MagmaSessionPool) and gets its model from Magma. Evaluating this another time should give you the same already bound session and thus the same model. When you are done you can get rid of it using: Q2Session releaseCurrent Which unbinds and releases the session from the UI process. You can see that it is gone by using: Q2Session currentOrNil Which should return nil if none is allocated. One "problem" with exploring the model is that it uses MagmaCollections for a few things (like the cases themselves) and they are not explorer/inspector-enabled yet. One way to more easily learn a bit about the model is to then use the Q2MockMagmaSession instead which will use Q2MockMagmaCollections (subclass of SortedCollection). Do it like this: Q2Session useMock: true. "this sets a class var" Q2Session current createMockModel. "this allocates a Q2MockMagmaSession and then does the initializeDatabase and bootStrap of the model. The model is then held in a class var in Q2Session." Q2Session current model explore. "open up an explorer. Have a look." Q2Model loadSampleData "this now works fine, the code is the same if we use Magma or Mock. Notice that the model in the explorer now has cases in it." Finally, how do we run "doits" in an equivalent way as it is done in the console in Gjallar? Well, one could think it would be enough to do it like: Q2Session sessionDo: [ session _ Q2Session current. model _ session model. ....] ...but that will not package it as a Q2Txn. So if we want to be "true" to the transaction model (might not matter when just playing around etc) we need to make sure we create proper txns. There are essentially two ways, either we use the messages in Q2Model category "transactions". All (almost - but deviations are known bugs) modifications in Gjallar go (and should go) through one of those methods! This means that in order for a "doit" to become a proper txn we need to use #modifyProcessDefinitionIn:to: and #modifyGlobalDefinitionTo: (I should rename them) which takes a String of code. To be completely true to the model that code must not rely on dynamic properties like the current time or randomness etc - in other words - they need to give the same result if replayed once more. This is similar to how Prevayler/SPrevayler works. So if you are just playing around you can do like the above (with proper compilation and syntax errors etc) but to produce "correct" txns we unfortunately today need to do: Q2Session sessionDo: [ Q2Session current model modifyGlobalDefinitionTo: '(self findUserNamed: ''balder'') username: ''newbalder'''] Btw, when exploring the mock model the Q2MockMagmaCollections seem to be "wrongly ordered" like for example the transactions in Q2Model. This is because they use an ordering by hash by default. If you do "transactions read: #number" you get a correctly ordered collection based on that index. See #initializeTransactionsCollection where we create the index. Well, over and out for now - gotta write some code. :) regards, Göran

1 0

Gjallar - how to dive in
by Hans N Beck 21 Sep '06

21 Sep '06

Hi Göran, now I'm running Gjallar, had a first look into sources, and now I want to ask how to go on ? From my experience, the best to learn a new system in code is to make a small task (independent from the Mac version). So - what could be done by me on Gjallar ? The problem is, at the moment my time is more limited as I want, so it can not be something which is input for others. Regards Hans

2 1

gjallar creating processes
by Herbert König 20 Sep '06

20 Sep '06

Hello, I created a process by addProcessPrototype.. and then crateProcess:fromPrototypeNamed:.. and assigned an administrator. Then I created a workflow with several stages, like described in the swiki. This worked, in that the process console showed all stages lined up beside each other. Next step was to add transitions like: flow := self workflow. stage := flow findStage: 'In'. "findStageNamed seems to only return the name, not the stage." stage transition: 'Check if infos complete' to: 'Check infos'. and so on with several transitions. This produced a workflow where e.g. the stage 'Check infos' was duplicated in the graph. Once hanging under 'In' and once in the original position besides 'In'. Further transitions from 'Check infos' originate in the original stage and all duplicate their destination. What am I doing wrong? Thanks, Herbert mailto:herbertkoenig@gmx.net

2 1

Thanks Herbert!
by goran＠krampe.se 20 Sep '06

20 Sep '06

Hi! Just wanted to thank you for your test work - this is bloody great! I added a legend on the bug reports page and commented using the ordereredlist (pretty neat). For detailed comments I use a horizontal ruler on the bug report page itself and write below it. This is an interesting way of playing with a bug process btw. :) Until we get Gjallar up and ready to take it on, which should be quite soon btw. regards, Göran

1 0

gjallar error after update to 182
by Herbert König 20 Sep '06

20 Sep '06

Hello Göran, wanted to give gjallar the next try. First thing I looked for changes in the swiki and upgraded Q2v0.3-gk.182.mcz I got an error when logging in. So I copied the changes and image from gjallar0.2.zip, loaded 181 from the cache but got the same problem. So I must have messed up something in the database. Back to 182 but it is valid for 181 too: If starting via Q2Model>>recreateDatabase I can log in, open a case via view cases. There on case 11 I pressed "move in workflow" and immediately afterwards (well had to scroll up first) went to the workflow tab. This got me the next error. It worked in the second attempt. Opening several other cases and trying in vain to reproduce this error I went back to case 11 moving it again and went to the workflow tab. This time the history was updated, the case was moved but the workflow graph was not updated. This now is a general behaviour (graph not updated) so all cases graphs stay in the input stage except case 11 which stays in analysis. Logout and login doesn't help, leaving squeak and restarting everything does. What kind of reports do you want? The list has a limit of 40K which overflows already if i include the files to the fullStack.html. How to go about this? I don't want to pester you but I got the opposite of the midas touch which makes me useful in software testing. Not always popular though :-)) I plan to use gjallar to organize my own work as a project leader, so I can easily write reports on what I encounter. Next I'll try to create processes. Should I first create a process and then copy it to prototypes? I seem to remember I failed when trying to create a process prototype. BTW, having links only on the rightmost column of "view cases" adds mouse-miles (TM) to the UI. It looks less confusing but after some usage I prefer the old state. Alternatively only links in the leftmost column. Another thing: Directly after login there is no button below "jump to case" or Firefox can't scroll down far enough. Cheers, Herbert mailto:herbertkoenig@gmx.net

2 3

Gjallar's composite processes
by Balázs Kósi 19 Sep '06

19 Sep '06

Hi Göran! > So we could add a subclass to Q2WorkflowCriterion that has an action > that "spawns" a case(s) in another Process(es). And that can then > "watch" those cases and their states in order to validate. Well, that > could of course be another criterion type - not the same. Yes. Indeed. > Definitely. Feel free to hack that up! :) I've tried, and failed at the very beginning of it. The story: I subclassed Q2WorkflowCriterion: Q2WorkflowSpawnCase I overwrote ------------------------------------------------------ actionOnEnterForEnter: aCase | subcase | subcase := process newCase. self model createCase: subcase. ------------------------------------------------------ and some other methods (isValidFor, targets), which i suspect not to be relevant (but correct me). I created two processes both from the 'Simple prototype': 'Parallel' and 'Sub'. I gave a new Q2WorkflowSpawnCase enterCriterion to the 'Working' stage of 'Parallel'. When i create a new case for 'Parallel', and then move along the 'start working' transition to the Working stage, it calls my code, creates the sub-case, and halts in Q2CreatedCaseEvent class's #for: method: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- for: aCase aCase ifNil: [self halt]. ^(self new) initializeWith: aCase; yourself ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- which is called from the Q2CaseCreateTxn #postMasterOutsideTransaction: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- postMasterOutsideTransaction super postMasterOutsideTransaction. "At this point, the instance var 'case' is not the case created in the model." self session addEvent: (Q2CreatedCaseEvent for: (self model findCaseById: case id)) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This means that (self model findCaseById: case id) gives back nil, which means that the case is not added to the model yet. If i let it to proceed after the halt then it adds the sub-case to the model. My guess is that the create case txn is not commited yet, because it runs inside another txn: the case transition txn. I am not sure that the problem is that, but i know, that the solution is beyond me. please help :) thanks : balazs ps: sorry for the unclear subject Alexandre.

2 2

Composite processes
by Balázs Kósi 13 Sep '06

13 Sep '06

Hi! >> I am exploring case linking and criteria mechanism, to implement >> "composite processes". >> Does it make sense? > > Mmmmm, need more explanation of what you mean. Sure :) Sadly i don't have a clear definition on what i want to accomplish, because i don't have a clear view on the processes of the company, which workings i want to automate. But probably sometimes later this (incremental process exploration) will be a subject of another thread. Luckily i have some idea on what i want to implement :) So: I want a mechanism for spawning new cases (of arbitary processes) on stage transition events (or maybe on case events in general). Such a new case will be linked (as a sub-case) to the parent case, and its state (more specially: its stage) can be used in the parents criterions. Typical usage: the parent case steps in a stage, then it spawns some children cases. Then the stage's outgoing transition becomes enabled, when all of the children cases are in an end stage. I think this is already in the system (actions on transition events, case linking, and criterions). We need some mechanism (i overuse this word) to make it more explicit. And we need UI elements which support it (as for so much more things). What do you think? cheers: balazs

3 4

Enhancement of OB
by Alexandre Bergel 11 Sep '06

11 Sep '06

Hello! Damien and I have been working at ESUG on improving the OB browser. We identified two problems: -the method actionsForNode: has to be overridden whenever one wants to add a new action to a class/method/... -OBMethodActor did not exist. I attached a changeset that contains an improvement: -new actions are defined as a method extension on the actor containing a pragma -definition of OBMethodActor We plan to post it in the inbox. What is your opinion ? In the meantime we created a project on squeaksource: MCHttpRepository location: 'http://www.squeaksource.com/OmniBrowserEnhanceme' user: 'ab' password: '' That contains a testing (pressing Alt-t when a testCase is selected) enh for OB. Cheers, Alexandre -- _,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;: Alexandre Bergel http://www.cs.tcd.ie/Alexandre.Bergel ^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;._,.;:~^~:;.

2 1

Nitpicking Gjallar
by Balázs Kósi 08 Sep '06

08 Sep '06

Hi! Until we get somewhat deeper in Gjallar, and a bit more confident with our Squeak developing skills to start real contribution, is it worthwile to continue to report my small inconveniences with the framework? The latest such scenario was: I wanted to log in, but typed an incorrect username, and i get back a seaside stacktrace. It was easy to find out, that the LDAP service failed - cause i have no LDAP - and i have to set [LDAP] autoCreateUser in the infile to false. But a more fault tolerant behaviour would be better. I am exploring case linking and criteria mechanism, to implement "composite processes". Does it make sense? I have to go for now. Have a good weekend. thanks: balazs

2 1

[ANN] Gjallar release "Saerimner" 0.2
by goran＠krampe.se 08 Sep '06

08 Sep '06

Hi folks! Another "developer dump release" of Gjallar has finally been prepared. It was a bit rushed so it probably has some holes in it, but anyway. Lots of new things of course, don't have a nice changelog though. It is still mainly daredevil developers only. :) We are trying hard to make Gjallar easily accessible for development. The dev image is prepared and has instructions in it (doits are a bit changed btw). We also now have build scripts and a minimal download in which you just drop a 3.8-6665-basic image+changes and the V3 sources file and follow instructions in Readme-dev.txt to build the dev image yourself. If Gjallar seems interesting and you wish to help, make addons or even base a product around the codebase - feel free to contact us to get on the team and join the mailinglist - we are currently using the setools list. For more info (including screenshots) check the homepage: http://swiki.krampe.se/gjallar Last minute notes: - When using the doits in the doit window you will end up in an "ugly" Gjallar. Click on "Configure" at the bottom and fix libraries to be these: * Q2StandardScripts * Q2StandardStyles * SULibrary - The gjallar.st script sometimes fails, I am not sure why. regards, Göran & Magnus

2 3

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

Setools September 2006