ACS/TDK control tab (TDK)
The ACS/TDK Control tab appears in Modeler and has the following buttons.
Notes:
• If the ACS Profile (part of the TDK Generator Framework when installed) has not been added to the model, no tab buttons are available.
• If TDK is not loaded, only the following tab buttons are available:
Load or Unload ACS
Enable or Disable Code Generation
Enable or Disable Reverse Engineering• The buttons that relate to TDK and not ACS are available only when the TDK Generator Framework is installed.
Load or Unload ACS buttonIf TDK is not loaded (button not depressed), loads TDK.
If TDK is loaded (button depressed), unloads TDK.
Start buttonIf TDK is not started (button not depressed), the result of clicking the Start button is dependent on what is shown in the drop-down list:
• If the drop-down list shows a selected Generation Settings Scheme, starts TDK using the shown Generation Settings Scheme.
 | The drop-down list lists the Generation Settings Schemes that have been created for the selected item in Modeler. |
• If the drop-down list shows New Scheme..., opens the Launch ACS/TDK dialog for you to define the Generation Settings Scheme for the Model or Package that is selected in Modeler.
• If the drop-down list is blank, does not start TDK. You must select a valid item in Modeler, that is, the Model or a Package.
If TDK is started (button depressed), stops TDK running without unloading TDK.
Restart buttonRestarts TDK using the Generation Settings Scheme that is selected in the drop-down-list.
| | • The Generation Settings Schemes available in the list depend on the Model or Package that is selected in Modeler. • If New Scheme is selected in the drop-down-list, TDK opens the Launch ACS/TDK dialog for you to define the Generation Settings Scheme for the Model or Package that is selected in Modeler. |
Stop buttonMakes TDK stop generating, reversing or refreshing.
Enable or Disable Code Generation buttonEnables or disables the automatic generation of SDL files. When enabled, changes to the TDK model are automatically generated to the SDL files. By default, generation is enabled. When enabled, the button is depressed.
Enable or Disable Reverse Engineering buttonFor TDK Code Generation Transformation Patterns models, ensure that Enable or Disable Reverse Engineering is disabled.
Enables or disables the automatic reverse engineering of SDL files. When enabled, changes to generated SDL files are automatically reverse engineered to the TDK 3G model or TDK Legacy model. By default, reverse engineering is enabled. When enabled, the button is depressed.
Although you can reverse engineer changes made to SDL files, we recommend that you maintain your generation templates in the TDK model.
Force Generate buttonForces the forward generation of SDL files from the TDK model to the specified directory. When you force a generation, TDK deletes any redundant SDL files, but does not delete any redundant folders. In addition, forcing a generation can prompt the creation or update of an ACS Code Generator DLL. Use the Force Generate button when you want to make sure that the generated SDL files are in sync with the TDK model.
Force Generate button when you want to make sure that the generated SDL files are in sync with the TDK model.You may want to force a refresh before forcing a generation.
Force Reverse buttonFor TDK Code Generation Transformation Patterns models, ignore this button.
Forces the reverse engineering of generated SDL files to the generation templates in a TDK 3G model or TDK Legacy model. Use this button when you want the operation bodies (generation template content) in the TDK model to be in sync with the content of generated SDL files.
 | You should not force a reverse in a multi-user environment, because you may overwrite other users changes to reversible properties in the model. |
Although you can reverse engineer changes made to SDL files, we recommend that you maintain your generation templates in the TDK model.
Force Refresh buttonForces TDK to poll the model to identify differences between a TDK 3G model or TDK Legacy model and the associated SDL files.
Show Protected Properties buttonWrites the following information to the ACS/TDK Log pane which SDL files have changes that have not been reverse engineered.
Show Generation Information buttonWrites the following information to the ACS/TDK Log pane which model is loaded, which Model or Package is the root object for generation, which SDL files are being worked with, and which Code Generator DLL is being used.
 | If you hover the mouse pointer over the Generation Settings Scheme drop-down-list, the Modeler status bar displays the current TDK generator, model root item and target directory being used. |
Edit ACS Settings buttonOpens the ACS/TDK Settings dialog so that you can set the following options:
• Reverse on Startup check box
For TDK Code Generation Transformation Patterns models, ensure that Reverse On Startup Enabled is disabled.
Enables or disables the automatic reverse engineering of generated SDL files when starting TDK. When selected, on starting TDK, TDK reverse engineers the content of generated SDL files whose content is different from their associated operation bodies in the TDK 3G model or TDK Legacy model.
| | If the Reverse on Startup check box is selected and you disable reverse engineering through the Enable or Disable Reverse Engineering tab button, ACS clears the Reverse on Startup check box. |
| | In a multi-user model, you must never enable reverse on startup. If you do, on starting TDK, any updated generation templates in the TDK model will be overwritten with the out-of-date content of your SDL files. Likewise, you must never force a reverse. |
Although you can reverse engineer changes made to SDL files, we recommend that you maintain your generation templates in the TDK model.
• Generate on Startup check box
Enables or disables a generate on startup. If reverse and generate are enabled on startup, TDK performs the reverse engineering operation, followed by the force generation operation. When TDK forces a generation, TDK deletes any redundant SDL files, but does not delete any redundant folders.
| | If the Generate on Startup check box is selected and you disable generation through the Enable or Disable Code Generation tab button, ACS clears the Generate on Startup check box. |
• Generate Default Named Items check box
Enables or disables the automatic generation of operations that have default names. When enabled, TDK generates operations that have default names. When disabled, TDK ignores Package scoped operations whose names are Operation<integer> - TDK does this so that you can set up the Operation before generating it.
• Reset ACS / TDK button
Deletes the TDK cache file (SHM file) that is associated with the current model. You should delete the TDK cache file only if it is necessary to do so to resolve a problem.
• Logging options
Specifies which message types you want TDK to send to the ACS/TDK Log pane:
◦ Full Diagnostic — reports errors, warnings, messages and diagnostics.
◦ Standard — reports errors, warnings and messages.
◦ Errors and Warnings — reports errors and warnings.
In the ACS/TDK Log pane, errors, warnings, messages and diagnostics are shown as follows:
! indicates an error
? indicates a warning
- indicates a message
~ indicates diagnostics.
Edit ACS Scheme buttonOpens the Launch ACS/TDK dialog for you to create or change a Generation Settings Scheme:
• If the drop-down list shows a Generation Settings Scheme, opens the Launch ACS/TDK dialog for you to change that Generation Settings Scheme.
• If the drop-down list show New Scheme..., opens the Launch ACS/TDK dialog for you to create a Generation Settings Scheme for the Model or Package that is selected in Modeler.
• If the drop-down list is blank, you must select a valid item in Modeler, that is, the Model or a Package.
For more information about the Launch ACS/TDK dialog, see
Launch ACS/TDK dialog (TDK).
Generation Settings Scheme drop-down list
List Generation Settings Schemes that have been created for the item selected in Modeler. For the provided TDK models you should create Generation Settings Schemes only for the TheGenerator package.
To use a Generation Settings Scheme, select the Generation Settings Scheme, and then click the Edit ACS Scheme tab button.
Edit ACS Scheme tab button.To change a Generation Settings Scheme, select the Generation Settings Scheme, and then click the Start tab button.
Start tab button.| | If you hover the mouse pointer over the Generation Settings Scheme drop-down-list, the Modeler status bar displays the current TDK generator, model root item and target directory being used. |
Status space
Displays the current status of TDK.
Type | Status |
|---|---|
Connected | TDK is loaded, but has not been started using a Generation Settings Scheme. |
First Generation | TDK is generating to cache. After TDK has finished generating to cache, you can generate an ACS Code Generator DLL through the Force Generate tab button. |
Loading Model | TDK is loading the TDK model. |
Not Connected | TDK is not loaded. Load TDK through the Load toolbar button. |
Ready | TDK is waiting for changes to generate or reverse. |
Updating Code | TDK is generating. |
Updating Model | TDK is reverse engineering. |
| | If you hover the mouse pointer over the Status space, the Modeler status bar displays additional information about the current status of TDK. |
Enable or Disable TDK buttonEnables or disables the TDK compiler. When enabled, the button is depressed. The TDK compiler is enabled by default.
Run TDK buttonBuilds the Code Generator DLL. Use the Run TDK button when TDK has been disabled and you want to rebuild the Code Generator DLL.
Run TDK button when TDK has been disabled and you want to rebuild the Code Generator DLL.TDK Configuration drop-down list
Lists the available configurations for building the ACS Code Generator DLL. The configurations listed are those defined in the Maker.cfg file:
• VS2015Release — to build using Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 (Visual C++ 14.0), including the Express version, in Release mode.
• VS2015Debug — to build using Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 (Visual C++ 14.0), including the Express version, in Debug mode.
• VS2017Release — to build using Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 (Visual C++ 15.0), including the Express version, in Release mode.
• VS2017Debug — to build using Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 (Visual C++ 15.0), including the Express version, in Debug mode.
• VS2019Release — to build using Microsoft Visual C++ 2019 (Visual C++ 16.0), including the Express version, in Release mode.
• VS2019Debug — to build using Microsoft Visual C++ 2019 (Visual C++ 16.0), including the Express version, in Debug mode.
• GccRelease — to build using GNU GCC compiler version 3.4.4 in Release mode.
• GccDebug — to build using GNU GCC compiler version 3.4.4 in Debug mode.
| | A debug build will provide more diagnostics information that a release build, which is useful when developing an ACS Code Generator DLL. However, a debug build will take longer to generate code than a release build. |
Rebuild All TDK buttonThis button deletes all cpp and object files in the target and configuration directories, translates all the generator modules to C++, compiles and links them, producing a new Code Generator DLL.
Stop TDK Build buttonThis button stops the building of a Code Generator DLL.