The Introduce Tool

This option is invoked from the TopBar Introduce pull-down and provides the usual method of introducing a new construct into a development.

The name of each construct should not already be in use (irrespective of the type of the construct); the only exception to this is for an interface, which shares the name of the specification it interfaces.

There is a restriction on the length of the name of a construct: the maximum length is 20 characters (12 for base constructs) excluding the extension.

Introduce New Construct

This facility enables the introduction of a new construct in template form (e.g. with appropriate keywords included in the construct) into the development; the construct name is prompted for, and the construct created in the user's SRC directory and opened for editing:

This option provides a sub-menu of twelve options; the following seven:

Machine
Refinement
Implementation
Base
Enumeration
Interface
Document

each causes a file containing appropriate keywords to be created in SRC.

The remaining five:

Refinement of analysed construct
Implementation of analysed construct
Enumeration of analysed machine(s)
Interface of implemented machine
Document of configured constructs

cause the toolkit to prompt for the appropriate construct(s) required, after which a file containing as much information as possible (e.g. all operation names with skeleton operations in the first two cases) be created in SRC.

Introduce construct(s) from SRC

This option produces a menu of constructs currently in the user's SRC directory (constructs whose name is already in use will not be offered).

If the construct parses, it will be committed to the CFG directory; if it does not parse, an appropriate parsing error message is given in the Display Area and the construct is opened for editing.

After successful introduction, the construct will appear in red the Constructs Area of the appropriate Environment Window(s).

Introduce construct from SLIB

If a construct is introduced from the system library the library specification will be copied into the development CFG directory and the construct will appear in blue in the Constructs Area of the appropriate Environment Window(s).

In the case of a renamable SLIB machine, the user will first be prompted for the rename prefix (the length of the renamed construct should not exceed 20 characters).

Since library machines, like generated machines, are guaranteed to be syntactically correct and well-typed, related analysed forms and type information files are also copied to the ANL and TYP directories. The status of these constructs is reflected in the various B-Toolkit environments by the command buttons that are active.

Further, when a library construct is introduced, its matching code (renamed, if necessary) is also compiled and copied to the CDE/C directory.

The mathematical content of these library machines may NOT be changed and committed to the system (i.e. they are `read-only' in that sense). It is, however, possible to commit annotation changes.

A full on-line help listing is available in the Contents Page Also available in the form of a complete Index. Blogo