Viewing Signals
Contents
In MxVDev, TestCases are presented in the form of a Behavior Diagram. All the Signals in a Behavior Diagram are plotted with the same X Axis scaling so you can see how they change relative to one another. Among other things, a Behavior Diagram graphically represents each signal, shows the behavior pattern of each signal, and may show causal relationships between one signal and another.
In a TestCase, the Signal names and the Signal icons are color coded to differentiate how they are being used. •Stimulus Signals oBlack indicates the signal is a Stimulus Signal. That is, it is generated by MxVDev and delivered to the SUT. oRust indicates the signal is "built-in" and being used to perform specific kind of operation, such as initializing CAN drivers, resetting inputs to their initial states (MxV Input Reset), or causing a soft-reset (MxV Module Reset). oGreen indicates the signal is an Event or Task. For example, it is used for a Function Call signal when using MxVMC (Virtual MicroController) such as initializing the SUT (SUT Init) or providing a scheduler tick (SUT Tick). •Response Signals oBlue indicates the signal is a Response Signal, or an output from the SUT. See video below. |
Three colors are used for the plot lines as follows: •Commanded Pattern (Black): Also known as the Specified Stimulus Pattern. This is the specified sequence of transitions for Stimulus signals, defining how the signal should be changed over time as the TestCase progresses. •Expected Pattern (Blue): Also known as the Specified Response Pattern. This is the specified pattern that you expect a Response Signal to exhibit as the test progresses. •Actual Pattern (Violet dots): This line shows how a Response Signal actually changes as the test progresses. This is generally shown only for Response Signals, however see Stimulus Signals Actual Pattern. As a TestCase executes, it is plotted as a row of dots.
One or more square gray dots indicates that the Signal has no defined value (null data) at that time.
In the example above, Value2 is a field or message-based Signal in the MsgHazard message signal. There is no data for MsgHazard·Value2 until the first transition (at 1.5 seconds) on its parent message, MsgHazard. For more information, see Null Data. See video below. |
For numeric Signals, the first transition is marked with a bow-tie symbol ( A bow-tie on the commanded pattern of a message-based Signal causes the parent message to be transmitted (for Spontaneous Messages only) even if the value of the Signal is unchanged. Message-based Signals, such as MsgHazard·Value2 above, are marked with a bracket }. |
The Signal Pattern for Reactive Signals is defined by Reactive code and cannot be edited in the TestCase. Before a test is exectued, the expected pattern is displayed as as gray dots as shown here:
Move the mouse over the Signal's icon to display the Signal Classification in a tool-tip bubble. |
You can also have the Actual Pattern of a stimulus (input) Signal plotted. Use the Project Settings–Execution tab to enable this feature. Then right-click on the Signal name in the Job window, and select Show Actual Values from the Signal context menu. This is useful in the following cases: •During Software-in-the-Loop testing, when a stimulus Signal may be modified by the System Under Test. •When recording. You can capture the stimulus Signal changes into a TestCase, as stimuli are generated by an Interactive Test Panel. •To see transitions originating from an Interactive Test Panel or other TestCases that are running concurrently.
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Below is a brief summary of the active behaviors of the Signal Pattern Viewer. To change the signal pattern, see Editing Test Patterns. •Examining Data Values oAs the mouse is moved over a Signal plot area, the value of the Signal at that point is displayed in a pop-up window and in the status bar at the bottom of the MxVDev screen. The actual values are available only after the test has run. It is not necessary to click to see the values. oTransition Descriptions and Comments are marked by an orange dot at the base of the Plot Area. When you mouse over a transition that has a comment, the comment appears in the yellow pop-up text window.  Orange dot and Transition Comment in Pop-Up Window oFor Signal values which reference External Data Files, you can easily view the external data. Right-click over the Signal Plot Area and select DataBlock‑>Properties. Choose the Data Source tab and click the View Data File button. oTo select a horizontal or vertical line segment, just move the mouse over it. Once selected, the line turns red and can be edited. •Transition List oYou can use the Transition List to view and modify all transitions on a Signal. Click Main Menu‑>View‑>Transition List. When you mouse over a transition, it is highlighted in the list and detailed information is displayed at the bottom of the Transition List box. •Y-Axis Scaling oTo switch the Y-Axis horizontal grid lines on or off, right-click on the Signal Plot Area and select Signal‑>Y‑Axis‑>Grid On/Off. oYou can change the vertical height of the Plot Area for a Signal. Right-click on the Signal Plot Area and select Signal‑>Y‑Axis‑>Enlarge or Shrink. You can also access these commands using toolbar icons. oYou can automatically cause the Y Axis scale to be adjusted so the minimum and maximum values of the Y Axis match the minimum and maximum values of the Signal. From the main menu, select Signal‑>Y‑Axis‑>Auto Scale. To revert to the default values, select Signals‑>Y‑Axis‑>Default Scale. This feature is also available from the toolbar. Note you can also adjust the scaling by selecting the Display Settings tab on the Signal Properties dialog. oTo save the changes to the display height of a Signal, save the TestCase. Height settings for maximized and normal views are saved separately. Any changes are discarded if the TestCase viewer is closed without saving. oRegardless of the vertical scaling, vertical lines representing transitions have a minimum height of one pixel. This ensures that transitions are always visible. This dot can be selected just like a vertical line segment. oYou can change how the plot line is presented on the screen. This is useful when lines overlap, or you want to know exactly where a particular transition is. Select the Signal, and then use the Plot Line View Options toolbar buttons:
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 Status Bar When you move the mouse over the plot area of a TestCase, the following information is displayed in the Status Bar at the bottom of MxVDev: T: The time at the mouse location Cursor Sim Time: The time at the green Execution Cursor. Delta T: The difference between T and the Cursor Sim Time. y: The y (vertical) value of the mouse location. Expected: The Expected value of the Signal at the mouse location. Actual: The Actual value of the Signal at the mouse location. This value is displayed only if the test has run. Information is also displayed in a yellow mouse-over pop-up window (tool tip). |
To switch to full-screen view, press F11. Press F11 again to return to normal view. |
