1. An overview of the VisiRule decision logic charting tool
Here are some slides in which we give a overview of VisiRule

2. What is VisiRule? Graphical tool for visualising decision logic
Draw/Lay-out logic flow
Execute logic in-situ
Check results
Generate and export code
VisiRule is an intelligent design tool for problem solving and modeling decision making

3. Who is VisiRule for?
People involved with specifying and modeling decision processes
People involved with automating decision making
All sectors – legal, banking, finance, diagnostics
Different kinds of people use VisiRule for different purposes

4. What does VisiRule do? Lets you draw charts Lets you explore logic
Lets you generate code

5. What does VisiRule produce?
Charts as shareable diagrams
Code for exporting and embedding
Possible test suite
Possible audit trail

6. A Typical Chart & IDE
Charts are housed within the LPA IDE

7. VisiRule Point ‘n Click to add new objects
Delete link and associated objects
Edit expressions in-line
Automatic aggregation for menus
Analysis of logic flow
With VisiRule, you can draw you decision logic and execute the generated code

8. Intelligent Design Tool
Automatic linking/de-linking of objects
Horizontal/vertical alignment
Horizontal/vertical spacing
Syntax checker for expressions & code
Show/don’t show information fields
The tool helps you manage the actual drawing and lay-out aspect of the charts

9. A Simple Worked Example
New empty chart
Create the Nodes
Link the Nodes
Generate and Test the Code
Here we go thru a simple worked example

10. An empty chart
Here is a blank VisiRule worksheet, together with a floating toolbar in the top right-hand corner. You can use your mouse to explore this slide: point at anything of interest, and a popup window will tell you more about it.

11. Add a start node Add an initial start node
We're going to create a very simple program with one question and two outcomes. To begin, first create a "Start" box. Select the Start tool from the VisiRule toolbar and then click near the top of the worksheet. Click on the text of the newly created box and edit it as required.

12. Add a question Add a question which will be asked of the user
First, create a "Single Choice" Question box. To change the current box type from "Start" to "Single Choice", click on the Single Choice icon in the toolbar. Alternatively, you can right click on the background and select the Single Choice option from the "Box Type" submenu.
Next, click on the worksheet underneath the Start box to create a Single Choice box. Each question has three fields, its name, the text of the question itself and an explanation. Click on any one of the three fields to edit the text; the <tab> and <shift-tab> keys can be used to move between them.

13. Add some expressions
The expression boxes which will be used to analyse the answer given
Next, create two "Expression" boxes for the question. Select the Expression tool from the toolbar. Click on the worksheet below and to the left of the question and then again to the right of that. Each of the Expression boxes contains initially "? = " which means "the question directly above is equal to ...".

14. Add some end nodes
To edit the expressions, click and enter, after the "? =", the word "hello" in the first Expression box and "bye" in the second. To add an "End" box for each of the two branches, select the End tool from the toolbar, and click below the first Expression box and then again below the second.

15. Add links & Generate the Code
Edit the text in the first End box to "Hello There" and "Goodbye" in the second. Next, link all the boxes together. Click on the Start box and drag the rubber band and release over the Single Choice box; a directed link will be drawn between the two boxes.
Draw two links coming out of the Single Choice box, one going to each of the Expression boxes. Draw a link from each Expression box to the End box directly below it. Your VisiRule flowchart can now be run. Right-click over a blank area of the VisiRule worksheet and select the "Show Code..." option from the pop-up menu.

16. Run the Code
The "Generated flex code" dialog which appears shows your flowchart as flex (KSL) code. Clicking on the "Run" button will execute your flowchart.

17. Answer the question …
The Single Choice question, "Please choose a greeting", is now asked; the two possible answers being "hello" or "bye". Select the hello option from the list, and click the "OK" button.

18. … and get the answer
This takes you down the "hello" branch of the flowchart; the conclusion, "Hello There", is reported.

19. Another Worked Example
2 binary questions
4 outcome nodes
Compound logic in expressions
We're going to create a simple program with two questions and four outcomes. To

20. An empty chart
begin, create a Start box by clicking near the top of the worksheet. Click on the newly created box and edit its name as required.

21. Add a question
Select the Single Choice icon from the toolbar and click to the right of the Start box to create a Single Choice Question box.

22. Another question
The Start box needs to be linked to the Single Choice box. Click down on the Start box, and drag the mouse to the Single Choice box: this will draw a link between them. Now click underneath the Single Choice box to create another one.

23. Add some expressions
Next, select the Expression icon from the toolbar, and click four times across the lower middle of the worksheet to create a set of Expression boxes.

24. Edit the expressions
Edit each expression to define which combination of colour and size it will accept.

25. Add the end nodes
Next, add four End boxes to terminate each of the branches. Change to the End box type, and then click below each Expression box.

26. Link and finish
Link each Expression to its corresponding End box, and enter some appropriate text in each of the latter: for example, if the chosen colour is "green", and the size is "small", write, "You are fond of gooseberries".

27. Another Worked Example
2 binary questions
4 outcome nodes
Compound logic in expressions
We're going to create a simple program with two questions and four outcomes. To

28. Another Worked Example
2 binary questions
4 outcome nodes
Compound logic in expressions
We're going to create a simple program with two questions and four outcomes. To

29. Holiday Entitlement
This example covers the amount of holiday leave an employee is entitled to for the current year. To set the scene, the legislation has been put into a "Comment" box within the VisiRule worksheet.

30. Holiday Entitlement
First a start box and then a question is required to ask the employee's age. Create an "Integer Input" Question box; such a Question box can only take an integer as input and is a different colour to Question boxes used in previous demos.

31. Holiday Entitlement
The first branch out of the question will only be followed if the employee is less than 18 years old. This leads to an End box stating that such an employee is entitled to 27 (22 + 5) days leave a year.

32. Holiday Entitlement
The next branch is followed if the employee is 60 years old or over. Such an employee gets 30 ( ) days leave a year.

33. Holiday Entitlement
Where the employee is 18 or over but less than 60 years old, their length of service needs to be taken into account. Create another Integer Input box to ask this piece of information.

34. Holiday Entitlement
If age is between 18 and 59 inclusive and length of service is 30 or more years, then the entitlement is 30 ( ) days; this path can be joined to the same End box terminating an earlier path.

35. Holiday Entitlement
If the length of service is less than 15 years or the employee's age is less than 45, then their entitlement is the basic 22 days.

36. Holiday Entitlement
Everyone else is entitled to 24 (22 + 2) days; this can be represented via a more complex expression. If less than 30 years' service, the "< 30" part of the expression succeeds; if service length is 15 or more years or the employee is 45 or older, the part of the expression in brackets is true.

37. Various Nodes Types Question nodes Expression nodes Statement Boxes
Code Boxes
Start and End nodes
There are various different kinds of nodes supported in VisiRule

38. Different kinds of Nodes

39. Structured Expressions
Expressions can be simple, complex and structured, too

40. A Simple Statement Box
Statement boxes perform calculations and instantiate variables

41. Another Statement Box

42. Continuation Box
Continutaion boxes mean we can break charts down into smaller units

43. The VisiRule Palette

44. Future plans for VisiRule
Will extend to Bayesian Networks
Can extend to Fuzzy Rules
Can add modular logic (re-useable components)
Will add exporting to CSV
Re-write front-end for Visio
Currently the tool supports various question types and backward chaining rules, which in Flex are denoted by the keyword, relation.

45. The End Got to the LPA web-site and download a 28-day Free Trial
Contact LPA if you want a full evaluation CD