7.1 Description
The expgupdate tool updates an EXPRESS-G diagram with a new EXPRESS schema. This tool preserves your EXPRESS-G layout when you make small changes to your original EXPRESS text. It compares the diagram and new schema and will produce a new diagram with the original layout information and new EXPRESS definitions.
7.2 Command Line (All Platforms)
expgupdate <expg-diagram> <express-schema>
The diagram update tool accepts the following options:
-help- Print this list of options. The tool performs no other action and ignores all other options.
-v / -verbose- Give more information about the conversion process. This will print all of the matches that it found, (and the likelihood that the two are supposed to be matched).
7.3 Control Panel (Windows Only)
Click EXPRESS-G Update in the ST-Developer Control Panel window. The EXPRESS-G Update dialog box will appear as shown in Figure 7.1. Specify the names of the EXPRESS-G diagram and the modified EXPRESS file. Click the OK button. The tool runs and changes the EXPRESS-G to reflect the changes you have made in the EXPRESS file.
Control Panel Options
EXPRESS-G Update Control Panel has the following elements.
EXPRESS-G diagram
Provides a space to type the name of the EXPRESS-G file to update. The [...] button displays the Open File dialog box that can be used to browse the file system and locate the file.
Modified EXPRESS file
Provides a space to type the name of the modified EXPRESS file. The [...] button displays the Open File dialog box that can be used to browse the file system and locate the files.
Verbose output
If selected, the tool displays information about matches that it found, and the likelihood that the two are supposed to be matched.
Option settings are saved in the system registry when you click the OK button, and will be reloaded from the registry next time you open the control panel. Settings are not saved if you click the Cancel button.
7.4 Overview
The expgupdate tool is useful for preserving your layout work. It is common to spend a fair amount of time arranging a diagram, for this reason, it is important to be able to preserve your layout when small changes are made in the underlying EXPRESS.
Here is an example of how to use the expgupdate tool to incorporate new schema definitions and carry over the graphics from an existing EXPRESS-G diagram. In this case we have an existing diagram AP210.exg and original EXPRESS source AP210.exp .
% expgupdate AP210.exg AP210.exp
The tool first generates the EXPRESS-G for the new AP210. This EXPRESS-G file will have the default layout. Next, the tool will compare the two schemas and repeat any changes you made to AP210.exg wherever possible. The result of this operation may still need some hand-tuning, but most of the layout will be carried over.