rel0
|
Guideline
|
consists_of |
Plan
|
A guideline must be at least a Plan |
rel1
|
Plan
|
consists_of |
Plan
|
Plans can subsume other Plans |
rel2
|
Guideline
|
maps_onto |
ProForma code
|
Code may also be inspected at enactment |
rel3
|
Composer Task
|
consists_of |
Composer Task.Task type
|
Plan, Action, Enquiry, Decision, Keystone |
rel4
|
Keystone
|
maps_onto |
Composer Task.Task type
|
Keystones can be changed into one of the other tasks |
rel5
|
Composer Task
|
affects |
Focus Task
|
Only one task can be edited at a time (in this version) |
rel6
|
Composer Task
|
device_constraint |
ProForma code
|
ProForma code attaches to each task |
rel7
|
Composer Task.Task type
|
device_constraint |
Composer Task.Specific Task Attributes
|
Tasks have type-specific attributes |
rel8
|
Common Attrib[utes].Name
|
affects |
Common Attrib[utes].Name
|
Changes to copied components may affect originals |
rel9
|
Enacted guideline
|
goal_constraint |
Runtime outcome
|
The goal of running the guideline is to produce the runtime outcom |
Relns: actor in upright, acted-on in italics.
|
Action
|
|
|
|
|
|
HTML
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
present |
present |
|
For formatting of Action runtime output |
Plain text
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
|
Common Attrib[utes]
|
|
|
|
|
Common attributes are those which every task type have |
Automatic
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
(But don't know what they do) |
Caption
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
As appears in the task window |
Cycle interval
|
hard |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
Ditto |
Cycle number
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
Don't know why it would be other than 1 |
Cycle until
|
hard |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
As for other components |
Goal
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
What was Description (which is now Caption) ? (New in build 66) |
Name
|
easy |
easy |
rel8
rel8
|
|
Naming is a major issue in Tallis: have to be different, but usefully meaningful, versions of ones already used. |
Optional
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
These last two components probably replace Boolean in build 66 |
Parameters
|
indirect |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
Equally indirect (though have not used them) |
Postcondition
|
hard |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
which is therefore both indirect and hard to maintain |
Precondition
|
hard |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
expressions and code syntax |
Triggers
|
hard |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
All these involve use of Proforma |
Composer Task
|
easy |
easy |
rel3
rel5
rel6
|
|
The first four task types (Actions, Plans, Enquiries, Decisions) are the building blocks of ProForma guidelines. Instances of each type are created and manipulated using the Composer. |
Selected task type
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
The currently selected task type determines which specific task attributes are available for setting and changing. |
Specific Task Attributes
|
hard |
cant |
rel7
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
Setting and changing task attributes is what Tallis Composer is for. These are not simple processes either to accomplish or predict outcomes for. |
Task type
|
easy |
cant |
rel7
rel3
rel4
|
|
Setting task type is a one-shot action (but can be initially deferred by using Keystones to stand for to-be-filled components) |
Context View mode
|
|
|
|
|
Context is additional web page content (such as illustrations or supporting text) which amplifies the task material |
HTML
|
indirect |
indirect |
|
difficult |
present |
present |
|
Allows insertion and formatting of supporting material |
Plain Text
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
present |
present |
|
Code fragment relating to the task, created automatically |
Decision Candidates
|
|
|
|
|
|
Description
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
|
Name
|
indirect |
easy |
|
|
Changes involve re-edit step |
Priority
|
notSure |
notSure |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
Don't know what these are |
Decision Sources
|
|
|
|
|
|
Caption
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
|
Data type
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
|
Name
|
indirect |
easy |
|
|
Changes involve re-edit step |
Selection mode
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
|
Enacted guideline
|
fixed |
fixed |
rel9
|
|
The enacted guideline is the result when run (remotely) in a browser. |
Enacted plans
|
fixed |
fixed |
|
|
These guideline components are interrogable via the Enactor interface, |
Enacted ProForma
|
fixed |
fixed |
|
difficult |
present |
present |
|
... Composer (and then Tester) in order to debug the guideline. |
Enactment summary
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
The data entered so far in a run |
Enacted tasks
|
fixed |
fixed |
|
|
... as debugging toolsfor the guideline designer. They are not changeable at |
Enacted triggers
|
fixed |
fixed |
|
difficult |
present |
present |
|
... the time of enactment, but the designer can switch between Enactor and |
Enquiry Source
|
|
|
|
|
|
Caption
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
|
Data type
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
|
Default value
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
|
Name
|
hard |
easy |
|
|
Names have to be kept compatible with later changes |
Range
|
indirect |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
Ranges values are less easily set and changed than other attributes |
Selection mode
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
|
Status
|
easy |
easy |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
|
Focus Task
|
easy |
easy |
rel5
|
|
The focus task is the one currently selected. It's MUCH too easy to inadvertently delete the current task, by clicking the adjacent icons (Copy and Save to repository, in Build 66): needs a 'Delete: are you sure? error trap |
Guideline
|
easy |
easy |
rel0
rel2
|
|
Guidelines map onto ProForma code, created automatically by the Composer |
Guideline interface
|
hard |
easy |
|
|
... while the Composer is used to build guideline interfaces |
Interface file name
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
... which are held in named .ui files. |
Keystone
|
easy |
easy |
rel4
|
|
Kyestones are placeholders for the other four tasks; they have no task-specific attributes |
Plan
|
easy |
easy |
rel1
rel0
rel1
|
|
But even whole Plans (and their contents) can be deleted without a warning ! |
Abort condition
|
hard |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
|
Parameter values
|
indirect |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
Haven't used parameters |
Termination condition
|
hard |
indirect |
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
|
ProForma code
|
indirect |
indirect |
rel2
rel6
|
difficult |
difficult |
present |
|
ProForma code is created and deleted (and set or changed) as an indirect result of creating a guideline using the Composer. |
ProForma code file name
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
... and is held in named .pf files |
Runtime outcome
|
indirect |
hard |
rel9
|
difficult |
difficult |
absent |
|
But Tallis cannot predict outcomes (for guideline users), which are hard for even experienced designers |
Tallis Composer
|
fixed |
fixed |
|
|
Tallis Composer is the GUI environment in which guidelines are constructed. |
Tallis Enactor
|
fixed |
fixed |
|
|
The Enactor is the environment via which guidelines are run in a browser. Enactment takes place on a remote server. |
Tallis Tester
|
fixed |
fixed |
|
|
The Tester is the environment in which guidelines can be run on the local (host) machine prior to enactment. In v 1.3 it is run from Composer. |
Tested guideline
|
easy |
easy |
|
|
It is easy to create, delete, set and change the output from a guideline in the Tester. |