The STAR use case editor

This is a sample STAR application that provides a browser and editor for use models. It has the following features:

• Understands your use case model to some extent
• Syntax hilighting based on your model - actor names, use case names, the keyword None, inline tags :inc: and :ext:
• Performs some basic validation
  • If you reference an actor that has not been defined, the actor name will not be hilighted
  • If you reference a use case that has not been defined, the use case name will not be hilighted
• Autonumbers the appropriate sections based on tag multiplicity and line indents
• Renders the STAR use cases to XML and HTML

The editor is a very simple application, and you should be able to modify it to add your own functions. It currently has the following limitations that you need to be aware of:

• It always saves the current file when you browse to a new file - it does not ask you first
• The autonumber button will renumber and re-hilight the current file
• If you change a use case or actor name, the editor will only pick up the changed name in the list panes after you restart the editor
• Cut, copy, paste and undo are accessible from the right mouse button

We hope to address all of these limitations in future releases. Or, even better, why not fix them yourself and participate in open source by sending us the fixes!

Using the STAR use case editor

First create a directory to contain all of your use cases. Copy into this directory the following schema:

• UseCase.sss
• AlternativeFlow.sss
• ExtensionUseCase.sss
• Actor.sss

These can be the schema that we supply, or your own schema, but they must have these file names as these are what the editor looks for.

This directory is your use case model and is where you will create use cases.

Start the editor as follows:

  python UseCaseEditor.py

Edit away!