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Trigger
Description
A Trigger indicates an event that initiates an action (and might arise from completion of a previous action). You initially define a Trigger in one of four ways:
- As a property of a Transition relationship
- As a property of an Accept Event Action (on the 'Triggers' tab of the element 'Properties' dialog)
- As an event in a StateMachine Table
- Directly, as a Trigger element, through the 'New Element' dialog or Diagram Toolbox ('State Additional' page)
When you save the Trigger, it is added to the list of elements for the parent Package in the Project Browser. You can then click on it and press to display the Properties window for the element, to view and, if required, edit its properties as an element rather than as a property itself. Triggers created as events remain as Event elements, whilst Triggers created in other ways are Trigger elements, with a 'Trigger' tab in the Properties window.
Field |
Action |
See also |
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Type |
If necessary, edit the type of trigger:
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|
Specification |
Either type in the event instigating the Trigger, or click on the button and select the event (depending on the Type value). |
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Ports |
Click on the and select the appropriate Port from the 'Select Port' dialog.
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Select Port Dialog |
Notes
- You can also drag an existing Trigger element onto another diagram, although there are limited uses for the element in that context
- This element is not the same as a Trigger Operation, which is an operation automatically executed as a result of the modification of data in a database
Toolbox icon
Learn more
- Action
- State Toolbox
- Transition Relationship
- Insert Trigger
- Triggers (as an Operation)
OMG UML Specification:
The OMG UML specification (UML Superstructure Specification, v2.1.1, p.456) states:
Events may cause execution of behavior (e.g. the execution of the effect activity of a transition in a state machine). A trigger specifies the event that may trigger a behavior execution as well as any constraints on the event to filter out events not of interest.