Documenting flow of events

A flow of events refers to the steps required to go through and then achieve a use case. When you want to specify the process of how to achieve a use case clearly as a guideline, you can define it step by step in flow of events editor. You can also define multiple flow of events for multiple scenarios. This page will introduce the flow of events editor by describing features, such as model element link presentation options, extension and generating activity diagram.

Opening flow of events editor

In a use case diagram, right click on the target use case and select Open Use Case Details... from the pop-up menu.
When the details pane pops out, select the Flow of Events tab.

Flow of Events tab

The flow of events editor

The flow of events editor consists of three parts: the topmost part, the middle part and the bottom part. The toolbar, which is located at the topmost of the editor, provides a number of functions for controlling the content of flow of events. The middle part is the flow of events editor where the steps for achieving a use case are recorded. The bottom part is extension pane where you can define extensions of main flow. More about extension will be covered below.

The flow of events editor

Button	Name	Description
	Drop-down menu of Flow of Events	You may select Manage... from the drop-down menu to create new flow of events.
	Control menu	You may select various functions in the menu: Step (Enter): Enter next step. Extension (Shift+Enter): Enter extension for the selected step. If: Enter conditional situation for the selected step. Else if: Insert another situation under If. Else: Insert it to control If and Else if. Clear control, Go to previous condition and Go to end. While: Perform some actions as long as the condition stated in the while clause is valid. For each: Perform some actions by walking through each item as stated by the for each clause. Loop until: Perform some actions until condition stated in loop remaining valid. Exit: Exit in the middle of loop. Jump: Insert Jump to manipulate the sub-step after the variable situation happened. You can go back to the previous step by clicking the small yellow arrow.
	Add menu	Select an existing use case/ actor/ requirement in the current project and insert it in the selected step for referenced link.
	Hyperlink...	Add a link in the selected step for reference.
	Font	Select font effect for the highlighted text: Bold, Italic and Font Color.
	Font size	Select font size for the highlighted text: Grow Font: To multiply the font size of flow of events and extension content. Shrink Font: To reduce the font size of flow of events and extension content. Default Font: To reset the font size to default. Moreover, you can adjust the font size for the highlighted text manually by slider.
	Move Up	Move a selected step upward.
	Move Down	Move a selected step downward.
	Decrease Indent	Decrease the indentation of flow of events by one level.
	Increase Indent	Increase the indentation of flow of events by one level.
	Delete Step	Delete the selected step.
	Undo	Undo a previous action.
	Redo	Revert a previous action.
	Synchronize to Activity Diagram	Synchronize the flow of events to activity diagram. If no activity diagram has created previously, a new activity diagram will be generated.
	Model Element Link Presentation Options	To select the presentation for use case link/ actor link/ requirement link. Name: To display the name of model element only. ID: To display the ID of model element only. ID: Name: To display both the name and ID of model element.
	Drop-down menu of Testing Procedure	Select Main to create testing procedure while select Manage... to create a new testing procedure. Columns of procedures and expected results will be shown respectively on the step pane for editing testing procedure.

Buttons in flow of events editor

Documenting flow of events

Click on the first row to start editing, press Enter or click from the control menu after finish editing the first event and then go to the next event.

Enter the first event

Repeat the previous steps for creating as much as events you need until all events are documented.

Fill flow of events

NOTE:

To add a sub event, click on the row of sub event, and either press the Tab/Ctrl-Period button or click on the

button at the toolbar to indent the event row. On the contrary, press Shift-Tab/Ctrl-Comma or click on the

button to decrease the indentation.

Inserting control menu in steps

You can insert control option(s) from the control menu to explain the variable situation, for example, If, While and Jump.

Insert If from the control menu

Inserting actor/usecase/requirement link

A new feature of actor/ usecase/ requirement link can be attached in a specific event with different presentations.

Select actor/ usecase/ requirement link from the add menu.

Select Actor...

When the Select [model element] dialog box pops out, select a specific one and then click OK button to insert.

As a result, the actor/ usecase/ requirement link will show on the specific event.

An actor link is applied

The presentation of link can be customized by pressing Model Element Link Presentation Options button. Select Name, ID or ID: Name from the corresponding drop-down menu in Model Element Link Presentation Options dialog box. Selecting Name refers to display the name of model elements only while selecting ID refers to display the ID of model element only. Selecting ID: Name refers to display both the name and ID of model element.

Select a presentation option

NOTE:

The searching scope of selecting actor/ usecase/ requirement in the dialog box can be limited by selecting a specific diagram from the drop-down menu.

Inserting hyperlink in steps

You can insert the hyperlink for a specific step for references.

Select your desired place in the step and click Hyperlink... button.

Click Hyperlink... button
Enter URL and text accordingly. Click OK button.

Enter URL and text

As a result, the link is added in the step.

Link is added

Adding extension

An extension can be seen as an extension point of use case. It documents the alternative flow that can be extended from the main flow. To add an extension:

Select a specific event and press Extension for adding extension.

Press Extension
You may enter a sub step of an event in the extension pane. Press the Enter key to add a sub step.

Fill extensions

NOTE: To add a sub item, click on the row of sub event, and click at the toolbar to indent the event row or press Tab key. On the contrary, click to decrease the indentation.

Documenting testing procedure

In order to ensure that a use case is able to achieve as your expectation, you can test each step of procedure defined in flow of events to view whether they will produce prospective result or not.

Choose Main from the drop-down menu of Testing Procedure to reveal the columns of Procedures and Expected Results respectively.

Select Main
Enter the testing procedure for the event that we need to test in Procedures text field.

Enter testing procedures
Enter the result we expected for the testing procedure in Expected Results text field.

Enter expected results
Repeat the previous steps until finish documenting the testing procedure.

Creating multiple flow of events

As Agilian provides easy-to-use editor to write flow of events, a use case supports multiple flow of events to describe different scenarios.

To create a new flow of events, select Manage... from the drop-down menu of Flow of Events at the toolbar.

Create multiple flow of events
When the Flow of Events dialog box pops out, click the New Flow of Events button to create a new flow of events.

Create a new flow of events
Enter the name of flow of events in Input dialog box. Click OK to confirm.
Click OK button to close the Flow of Events dialog box. As a result, the newly created flow of events will be available from the drop-down menu.

Generating activity diagram from flow of events

To generate activity diagram from flow of events, right click on the background of flow of events editor and select Synchronize to Activity Diagram from the pop-up menu.

Generate activity diagram from flow of events

NOTE:

If you want to view the specific event in an activity diagram, right click on the event and select Open "[step]" Activity Action from the pop-up menu.