IAR visualstate. From idea to target! DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURES. ONE SOLUTION.

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1 IAR visualstate From idea to target! DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURES. ONE SOLUTION.

2 The concept of IAR visualstate IAR visualstate is based on a range of powerful technologies for designing, testing and implementing real-time applications based on state/event models. The visualstate tools integrate the technologies into a consistent solution, that makes coding, testing and documentation a lot easier, so that you can concentrate on the important: designing the system. The visualstate tools lets you navigate easily between the different activities in the development cycle. It supports an iterative development model, where you start out with a simple outline of your product, and then add features incrementally. At any time you are able to verify and validate the work you have done so far. Up-to-date documentation You always have access to documentation that is up-to-date with the current implementation. Design description and test reports describe how your application is designed and how you have tested it. Human Communcation By using a graphical design format, the behavior of your software gets more understandable - both for engineers and non-engineers. Whenever a new project member needs to understand your software, he will be able to do that in a fraction of the time otherwise required. When you need to discuss a problem with a customer, you have a format he understands. The prototyping concept enables you to quickly create a prototype of your product or just a part of it. This can be used to test and evaluate different solutions, and since the prototype can be made user-friendly, end-users can take part in the evaluation. Let selected customers and members of the sales force try the product even before the requirement specification is completed. Thanks to the fully integrated tools, no job has to be done twice. Everything you design can be tested, simulated, prototyped and be made to run on the target. Flexible implementation The application created with IAR visualstate can be implemented on virtually any target platform, with or without a real-time operating system. It typically requires less code and data memory than a corresponding handwritten application - so it is wellsuited even for 8-bit systems. Superior Technology Technically visualstate solves many of the traditional implementation problems. It automatically generates code for your target system, and this code is totally consistent with your design. The generated code executes fully deterministically so your applications will always behave the same. There are no possibilities of race-conditions or other random behavior. Thanks to the deterministic model it is also possible to make a complete Dynamic Formal Verification of your application. The visualstate Verificator will check all combinations of your system and report any errors.

3 Graphical design IAR visualstate features UML compliant state-charts with concurrent and hierarchical state machines. This gives you a superior graphical representation of parallel execution threads in a multi-tasking application. Rapid prototyping Let others see what the product is going to look like. IAR visualstate easily lets you create a Windows prototype based on your design. This can be a very powerful way to enhance communication between marketing and engineering. Automatic code generation IAR visualstate generates production ready code for integration to your target platform. The auto-generated code ensures that your target application will run consistent with your design - and eliminates the possibility of manual coding errors. Extensive testing IAR visualstate has very powerful verification and validation tools. It employs a technique for complete dynamic formal verification, and features interactive simulation, test script execution, advanced breakpoints, and static and dynamic analysis. Once you ve gotten used to visualstate, it s like a good sharp knife when cooking, you cannot do without it! It helps you with your task in an instant, precise and complete way. Anders Gunnarsson, Viking Sewing Machines

4 Now you can concentrate on designing software In today s complex software systems it is impossible to maintain an overview without the aid of graphical documentation. IAR visualstate uses a graphical format to create the application, so you always have an overview, and there is absolute consistency between documentation and implementation. State Charts Using state charts is a well-established method for describing a system s behavioral model. The format is well-suited for realtime systems with many concurrent and interrelated processes or execution threads. Each process or thread can be described in a state chart, and by using the hierarchical model it is possible to design for maximum clarity at various levels. The use of state charts also enables a more interactive and iterative working model where you begin with an outline of your application, and then step by step add functionality at a more detailed level. It is possible at any time to simulate the behavior of the model using the visualstate Validator, and you can also create a Prototype or Target implementation whenever you want. The basic elements are: States A state describes that the system is doing something, usually waiting for an event to occur. It is also possible to perform a task while waiting. Transitions A transition describes under what condition the system changes from one state to another. The transition is triggered by an event, and can perform one or several actions during the transitions. A user-friendly dragand-drop interface allows you to focus on the intended behavior of the state machine model Modern GUI The Graphical User Interface of the visualstate Designer provides a state-of-the-art tool for creating state charts. The window layout is fully user-configurable and several state charts can be open for editing or viewing simultaneously. Project Browser The tree browser allows you to overview and navigate with ease through your project. All elements of the system are visible and accessible through the browser, and a double-click on the appropriate element brings up the desired drawing on the screen. Individual Coloring and Sizing To give your state charts maximum clarity you have the option to individually color and size all drawing objects. This makes it possible to distinguish between normal operation and error handling in your application. Simply by using a red color for all transitions involved in the error processing, and black for all others, instant clarity is given to the reader. Events An event is a message to the state machine that something has occurred, i.e. a button has been pressed, a time has elapsed, or a communication has been received. Actions An action triggers the execution of a C-function in the outside application. This function will for instance set an output, write text to the LCD, or send a message. IAR visualstate also includes: Concurrent Regions, Guards, Signals, Parameters, UnitStates, Initial States, Timer Actions, Entry/Exit Actions, History States, Deep History States, Internal & External Variables

5 EXHAUSTIVE TESTING With the traditional manual implementation strategies it is not possible to test every corner of an application. Even to identify all possible combinations of its operation is difficult. The technology on which visualstate is based makes complete test-coverage possible. It includes tools for interactive simulation, prototyping, Real-Link for in-target testing, complete dynamic formal verification, static and dynamic analysis. Validation With the interactive simulator it is possible to see how the application reacts to events. The simulator shows all information about the application, all current states, active events, guards, variables, triggered actions and signals. For the testing of time-based behavior, the simulator has scalable timers. You can decide that one second in real-time should be stretched to for instance ten seconds in the simulator so there is time to monitor the action. Prototyping By using the visualstate Prototyper you can design your own customized simulation environment. It is possible to design a graphical model of the product, and then interactively test the behavior of it. You still have access to the capabilities of the Simulator, and the log-file functions. Real-Link For testing the application in a real target system, we provide the Real-Link, which allows you to communicate with the target over a standard communication interface, like RS-232, CAN or Ethernet. Through this link it is possible to monitor and log the system s behavior, and to execute test vectors from the host computer. Log All testing through the simulator can be recorded into a log file. Within the same log file several independent sequences can be defined. The log file can be saved for documentation purposes, or it can be used as a script file for repeated testing. Regression Testing After changing the design, visualstate allows you to reexecute all previous tests, and compare the result automatically. This is done by using the log file from a previous test. Exactly the same sequence of events is then evaluated. The visualstate Validator compares the results with the previous run, and reports any differences. Static Analysis With the Static Analysis tool you can ask questions about your system s behavior. You can analyze the system from either the event or the action side. For example you can ask What can happen when button A is pressed the analysis tool will then report all possible state-transitions and actions triggered by this particular event. The same analysis can be made for a specific action like what can clear the display? visualstate will immediately report all possible statetransitions which cause that particular action. Dynamic Analysis The dynamic analysis tool is used to calculate the exact test coverage and to profile your application. The analysis is based on the log file from a simulation, prototype execution or target execution. By invoking the dynamic analysis tool, visualstate will calculate how many times certain events, actions, signals, variables and state-transitions have occurred. It will also identify and pinpoint any un-executed parts of the application. An exact test coverage is also calculated.

6 DYNAMIC FORMAL VERIFICATION visualstate employs a patented technology for verification of the run-time model of your application. This technology handles multiple concurrent state machines, and is able to perform a test of all possible combinations. Thus visualstate can verify that your application is fully logically consistent, and that the run-time implementation is consistent with the design. Implementation The visualstate Verificator checks that only the explicitly expressed behavior exists. It checks that all defined state-transitions can take place. It also performs a negative check, to verify that there are no other possible transitions as an implicit result of the design or implementation. Unreachable Transitions If a transition is guarded, then the visualstate Verificator checks that the transition is reachable in at least one of the system s state combinations. This way you are able to identify parts of your application that will never work. Dead Ends The visualstate Verificator searches the system for dead ends. If a state is entered, and there is no way to exit, then it is reported as a dead end. Dead ends are detected both at a local level and at system level. This way you will even be able to identify state machines that are correct in themselves, but when executed together cause a problem. Conflicting Behavior If several transitions are triggered by the same event, there is a possibility that they may be in conflict with each other. The visualstate Verificator checks that there are no such conflicts. PROTOTYPING The prototyping concept of visualstate makes communication between engineering, marketing and customers much easier. Even at a very early stage of a development project it is possible to have several people try out the new product and give important feedback. This reduces the number of last-minute changes significantly. You will only have to do the design work once. The design model used in your prototype is the very same as the one used in your final product. Thanks to the unique technology in visualstate, your final product will behave in a way identical to that of your prototype. Specification Validation Using visualstate allows you to have an iterative and interactive specification process. You will start out with an outline of your product which you design in visualstate. Then you rapidly create a virtual prototype, using the visualstate Prototyper. This prototype can be evaluated and validated against the specification. More details are continuously added to the specification and necessary changes are made. These are implemented in the design and can almost instantly be evaluated and validated against the new specification. With this method of working, you can freeze the requirement specification at a later stage in your development than a traditional way of working would allow. All the work you have done in visualstate during this phase can be re-used without changes during the remaining phases of the project. User Behavior Analysis Especially in the consumer products market it is vital to get feedback about how customers actually use the products. visualstate allows you to send out prototypes that log all user behavior which you can then analyze with the dynamic analysis tool in the visualstate Tester. Advanced Simulation When developing complex systems, there is often a need to create a customized simulation environment. You now get the possibility to simulate a distributed system on a single PC, or to simulate communication protocols. You even get the possibility to create a platform for execution of custom test scripts. The visualstate Prototyper allows you to create an environment suitable to your particular needs. You define the simulator GUI in your standard Windows development tools, and the visualstate Prototyper can graphically interact with the visualstate Designer and visualstate Validator.

7 AUTOMATIC CODE GENERATION IAR visualstate generates code for your target system - automatically. This gives you the benefit of having program code that is totally consistent with the design. No errors can be introduced in the manual coding process since there is none. The generated code is ANSI-C source code and it is very efficient it typically occupies less code and data space than a corresponding handwritten implementation. FLEXIBLE INTEGRATION The code generated by visualstate can execute on any microprocessor, with or without a real-time operating system. The target implementation consists of two parts one application part which by definition is application specific, but target independent and the firmware part which is target specific, but independent of the application behavior. The technique used by visualstate ensures that the generated code is fully consistent with your design. Every time you invoke the visualstate Generator to generate your code, it is always built from scratch only based on the current design. No legacy of older versions of the design will remain. visualstate employs a technology that ensures fully deterministic execution of your code. Both execution time and sequence are deterministic. There is no possibility for race conditions to occur when executing concurrent processes in the visualstate implementation model. This means that your product will always behave the same. For interaction with your device drivers and any other part of the application, visualstate has a well-defined API. This gives a very structured and portable application. visualstate generates code for the complete dynamic behavior of your application. One small part remains to be done by you writing the target specific device drivers. This way you get full control over how visualstate interacts with your hardware and any other parts of your application. Thanks to the independence of device drivers, the application created with visualstate is very portable. It is possible for you to implement the very same application on several hardware platforms without redesign. The basic method for implementation of a visualstate application is to run the application logic as one task. The firmware layer, and other parts of your application can be run in the same or in any other task - the choise is yours. A more advanced method for implementation is to run the generated visualstate application in several tasks. You can then map each subsystem to a specific task. The multitask API of visualstate has entries for loading multiple models and allows re-entrant execution of the code common to the various parts. By using a native code C-compiler, you will compile, link and locate the generated code together with your firmware, and the outcome is a complete executable application for your target platform. CREATING DOCUMENTATION The documentation generator helps you create documentation in the format most suitable for you. You have the option of generating text, MS-Word, RTF and HTML documents from your visualstate application. By using visualstate much of your documentation can be created automatically. So, not only are you sure to get documentation, it s sure to be up-to-date.

8 Sweden IAR Systems AB PO Box Islandsgatan 2 S Phone: Fax: info@iar.se Why embed with IAR? Different Architectures One Solution During the last two decades IAR Systems has established itself on the world market as a leading supplier of C/C++ compiler tools for microprocessors. Our successful concept Different Architectures One Solution, means that we have developed programming tools for approximately 30 different processors/controllers architectures in the 8-, 16-, and 32-bit segments. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to reuse the application code when upgrading from one architecture to another. By using the tools from IAR Systems the customer can be comfortable and work more efficiently since the development environment is already familiar. Naturally, chip-specific support is always available. The result is that you can now transfer code from one chip architecture to another without massive problems and delays. IAR is the only company in the embedded industry that can provide this solution across the 8-, 16-, and 32-bit segments. United States IAR Systems Software Inc. One Maritime Plaza San Francisco, CA Phone: Fax: info@iar.com DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURES. ONE SOLUTION. United States/Eastcoast IAR Systems Software Inc. 2 Mount Royal Marlborough, MA Phone: Fax: info@iar.com IAR Systems IAR Systems, a provider of solutions We have also transformed our business to better reflect the needs of all our customers. IAR is not only a company that supplies code-efficient development tools. We have now developed expert services to help you with application development, special support and maintenance. We also offer customized development of tools for specific needs and expert design advice. In this new role, IAR can be the strategic development partner for very large customers, supplying not only standard or customized tools but also contributing to the joint development of customer products. The IAR visualstate technology plays an important role for IAR Systems to fulfil its mission to further simplify and improve the development of embedded systems software. Germany IAR Systems AG Posthalterring 5 D Parsdorf Phone: Fax: info@iar.de United Kingdom IAR Systems Ltd. 9 Spice Court, Ivorysquare Plantation Wharf, York Rd London SW 11 3UE Phone: Fax: info@iarsys.co.uk IAR is a trademark owned by IAR Systems. visualstate is a registered trademark owned by IAR Systems. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Product features availability, pricing and other terms and conditions are subject to change by IAR Systems without prior notice. Denmark IAR Systems A/S Elkjærvej Åbyhøj Phone: Fax: info@iar.dk