Re: [tlaplus] Architecture of the toolbox data

[Markus Alexander Kuppe <tlaplus-go...@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 10.11.2015 17:09, fl wrote:
> A word about the architecture of toolbox data.
>  
> I think the *.launch files are of equal dignity with the *.tla file
> since they document use cases.
> They should be stored at the same level instead of appearing in the
> *.toolbox directories.
> This way one can save them easily without bothering with the content of
> the *.toolbox
> that is more temporary.
>  
> I think that an extra line of comment in those files might be used to
> give the overall intention
> of the use case. This comment might also appear in the gui.
>  
> The launch files replace the former *.cfg files but they are less
> readable. I understand
> that an xml file can be easier to parse but it is also more difficult to
> read. I think one
> might want to improve the readibility of such files even outside the
> toolbox GUI.
> The reason is that one can that way copy them, or modify them by hand or
> through
> a regexp which can be useful
>  
> One way to improve the readibility is to remove the lines that are
> merely the copy of
> default options to focus on important data such as the models for the
> CONSTANTS.


Hi Frederic,

the launch files are provided by the Eclipse foundation/framework that
the Toolbox uses and we don't read or write them directly but through
(several layers of) Eclipse API. This technical fact does not make
enhancements impossible, but a lot more difficult.
You will find that the Toolbox rewrites the complete file upon each
save. If you add comments to a launch file outside the Toolbox or change
its order, they will be lost during the next Toolbox save. It is
incorrect, that the launch files replace the cfg files. A launch file is
a superset of a .cfg file content-wise. It e.g. also contains settings
about the mode in which TLC gets executed. They act as input to generate
a cfg file to the *.toolbox/Model_Name/ directory with which TLC
eventually gets launched.


What is your real use case that you read and write launch files outside
the Toolbox? Applying regular expressions sounds as if you want to
mass-edit launch files. Is this also about version-ing and diff-ing them?

Thanks
Markus