EventStudio System Designer Overview

• Model call flows, object interactions, use cases and business processes with a simple modeling language.
• Catch memory leaks, resource leaks and free running timers at design time.
• Document alternative scenarios by just specifying the differences with the base scenario.
• Understand complex systems by viewing the interactions at object, component, module, subsystem or system levels (represented below with tier1 to tier5 sequence diagrams).
• Development teams may focus on the part of the model they are implementing (shown below by the sequence diagrams for SFO, Vegas and LA).

• EventStudio extension installs as the Community Edition
• Learn more and explore Professional Edition licensing
• This extension is designed to work on Windows 10 and macOS Catalina.

getting started

1. CREATE NEW PROJECT

Create a new folder named getting-started using Windows Explorer/Finder/Console.

Invoke Visual Studio Code and invoke the File -> Open Folder... (Windows) or File -> Open... (macOS) menu.

Click on the EventStudio icon and then create a new project.

2. SELECT STARTER PROJECT TO LEARN

Select Learn FDL visually with a starter tutorial template.

3. EVENTSTUDIO CREATES PROJECT

EventStudio sets up the project with the following files:

• project.scn.json defining the project scenarios and documents.
• sequence_diagram.FDL contains the FDL starter tutorial.

4. EVENTSTUDIO GENERATES SEQUENCE DIAGRAMS

EventStudio automatically builds the project and displays the output in your default browser. You may rebuild with Alt+B.

5. LEARN FEATURE DESCRIPTION LANGUAGE (FDL)

Quickest way to learn FDL is to match the content of the sequence_diagram.FDL file with the live preview.

• Make sure that sequence_diagram.FDL window is active in Visual Studio Code.
• EventStudio opens a live PDF preview for the file. All saved FDL changes will be automatically reflected in the live preview.

TIP: Enable auto save (File -> Auto Save) so that FDL changes show up in the preview as you type.

6. NAVIGATE BETWEEN PREVIEW AND MODEL

• Clicking Alt+P (Opt+P on Mac) in the FDL editor window at any time to synchronize the preview to the cursor position in FDL.

• Locate an FDL statement corresponding to the preview statement by issuing an Alt+O (Opt+O on Mac) command in the FDL editor window. You will be prompted to enter a sequence number. The sequence number is shown along with interactions in the preview. Refer to the following figure for an example.

• Navigate within the preview by clicking the bookmarks in the preview window. EventStudio automatically generates PDF bookmarks for sequence and heading statements.

7. EXPLORE PROJECT.SCN.JSON

In the FDL file you will see sections marked in the #ifdef ADVANCED … #endif blocks. These declarations are used generate "FDL Basics Tutorial" and "FDL Advanced Tutorial" using two scenarios defined in the project.scn.json file.

8. LEARN MORE

You have mastered the basics. Click on the Help icon in the status bar to open the complete user's manual.

EventStudio System Designer Features

model with sequence diagrams

CALL FLOW DIAGRAMS

Model call flows with sequence diagrams. Represent signaling interactions, state transitions and timers. Generate inter-system, inter-subsystem or detailed flows.

OBJECT INTERACTIONS

Model object interactions with sequence diagrams. Represent method calls with parameter lists. Manage creation and deletion of objects.

USE CASE DIAGRAMS

Visualize the use cases with use case diagrams. Define actors and systems as a multi-level hierarchy. Specify interactions between actions and the system.

simple modeling language

DECLARATIVE. EXPRESSIVE.

Enter your model in FDL, a declarative and expressive modeling language. There are no new quirky graphical editors to learn. No need to worry about diagram formatting.

MESSAGE. INTERACTIONS.

Model message and object interactions. Specify parameters. Represent compound messages like multicasts and message chains.

ACTIONS. TIMERS. STATES.

Define object level actions. Models timer start, stop and expiry. Define state transitions. Specify resources allocated and freed.

manage alternative scenarios

Document alternative scenarios by just specifying the differences with the base scenario. Use #ifdef statements to identify the differences. The differences you identify may be a completely different flow. In some cases, the difference might be just a parameter in a message.

Once you string together the defines into scenarios, EventStudio will verify the design for each scenario.

The defines may be used to customize the document content as well.

catch design flaws

EventStudio automatically checks for all scenarios for design errors. The review catches design errors like:

• Free running timers
• Resource leaks
• Memory leaks due to missed dynamic object deletes

In addition to the auto review comments, architects can enter issues right in the model.

analyze at different abstraction levels

Generate sequence diagrams at system, subsystem, module, component or object level.

This helps you generate documentation for different stake holders in the project:

System architects may view the complete model as a sequence diagram.

Members of the test team may work at component level view that hides object level interactions.

Business analysts may prefer a module level view that hides object and component level details.

focus on individual entities

Development teams may focus on the part of the model they are implementing. You can generate diagrams for a specific object, component, module or subsystem.

A development team manager may prefer a high-level view of the interactions.

collaborate

COLLABORATE WITH GIT

Use the built-in git client to collaborate within the systems engineering team. Use branching and merging features of git to manage parallel development of the architecture.

HEADER FILES AND MACROS

Use header files and macros to share common architecture design patterns within the team. You may also define custom snippets to enforce common design patterns.

SHARE WITH MICROSOFT OFFICE

Embed diagrams into Microsoft Office documents as full fidelity vector images. EventStudio exports diagram as Enhanced Meta Files (EMF).

Note: EMF file generation is a Windows only feature.

Community Edition vs Professional Edition