The Work Flow Tab contains the Work Flow editor, the graphical tool you use to describe the computational problem you want to solve. In other words, this is how you tell the system how to compute the design measures you are interested in. Using this tool you can:

To be more precise, we should look at a Work Flow as the combination of a Process Flow and a Data Flow. The Process Flow describes all the possible sequences of actions, and the conditions that have to be evaluated to determine, at each branching point, what action should be taken next. The Data Flow describes instead what pieces of data should be moved from one step to another. Typically, the Process Flow is then represented by a set of interconnected applications and switch nodes, whereas the Data Flow is represented by the set of values (variables) and files that are passed from one application to another.

Within modeFRONTIER^TM the Process and the Data Flows are laid down together, but they can be distinguished by the different color used for the links that support them. Input and output connectors for each node are also similarly colored to indicate whether they are part of the Process or Data Flow (accordingly, we talk about process connectors and data connectors).

Figure 4.1. The Work Flow Editor

The Work Flow Editor is composed of four main elements:

The Work Flow canvas is the area where you actually build the Work Flow. The Work Flow is built connecting a set of nodes, selected from the node library. As you build the Work Flow, in the logic log you'll find error and warning messages that highlight problems with the current Work Flow, assisting you in correctly setting up your design chain. Finally, the summary panel gives you a more synthetic view of your Work Flow, grouping your nodes by type, and allowing you to quickly edit some of their properties.

In the following sections we will now provide a detailed description of each of these elements.