A Quick
Guide to
PASE 4
A simple manual for the Personal Assistant
for Software Engineering 4.0
Computing Education Research Group (CERG)
School of Computer Science and Software
Engineering
Monash University
(Version 1.0 – 31/07/01 -  Monash University 2001)
A Quick Guide to PASE 4
Table of Contents
Installation .................................................................................................................................. 3
Starting PASE ............................................................................................................................ 3
Viewing the details of a PASE database ................................................................................ 3
Opening a PASE Database ..................................................................................................... 4
Creating a new PASE Database ............................................................................................. 4
Updating Project Details ........................................................................................................ 4
Understanding the PASE Main Screen ...................................................................................... 5
Project Stages ......................................................................................................................... 5
Changing Stages ..................................................................................................................... 5
To enter data for Stage 0 ........................................................................................................ 5
Main Screen Components for a Project.................................................................................. 5
Adding a Defect ......................................................................................................................... 6
Rules for entering Defects ...................................................................................................... 6
PASE Defect Recording Log ................................................................................................. 7
Adding a Time ............................................................................................................................ 7
Rules for Entering Times ....................................................................................................... 8
PASE Time Record Log ......................................................................................................... 8
Summary Screen ........................................................................................................................ 8
Stages ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Summary ................................................................................................................................ 8
Size Metrics ............................................................................................................................ 9
Effort Metrics ......................................................................................................................... 9
Defect Metrics ........................................................................................................................ 9
LOC Type ............................................................................................................................... 9
LOC Type Count .................................................................................................................... 9
Counting Lines of Code ........................................................................................................... 10
Doing a LOC Count ............................................................................................................. 10
Function Point Counting .......................................................................................................... 11
Estimation................................................................................................................................. 11
Merging Databases ................................................................................................................... 12
Known Defects ......................................................................................................................... 12
General SQL Error on creating a project ............................................................................. 12
Function Point Count Data not retained ............................................................................... 12
Non-Productive Time field reads 99:__ ............................................................................... 12
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
Installation
To install PASE 4, follow the steps
1. Download PASE 4 from the PASE website:
(http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/software/pase)
2. Unzip the pase4.zip file
3. Run the file setup.exe
4. Follow the installation procedure
Note: When installing on Windows 2000, you may get the message, that it was unable to selfregister a particular file. Ignore this message, as it does not actually affect the installation of
PASE
Starting PASE
After selecting PASE from the Start Menu of from a shortcut on your desktop, you will see
the following screen:
Viewing the details of a PASE database
To see the details of a project, click on the listed project and the screen will change as
follows:
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
Opening a PASE Database
From the start screen you can open a PASE database in three different ways:
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Double-click on the file name of one of the recently used databases
Click and select one of the file names of the recently used databases and then click the
Open button
Double-click on Other Projects… and a standard Open File dialog box will appear for
you to choose a PASE database
Creating a new PASE Database
To create a new PASE database, simply click on the New button. A screen which requires you
to complete the properties for the project will be placed on the screen which appears as
follows:
Enter the relevant details and then click on the Apply button. You should then click on the
OK button to take you to the Project Main Screen.
Updating Project Details
You can update these details at any time by clicking the Properties button on the PASE Main
Screen
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
Understanding the PASE Main Screen
When you create a new project, you will see the following screen:
Project Stages
A project in PASE is divided into Stages. Each stage represents the delivery of a different set
of user requirements. Stage 0 is used to enter data about pre-existing code that will be used in
the development of Stage 1. In general, this would be for a maintenance project.
Changing Stages
To change stages, either click on the >> button to move ahead a stage or click on the << to
move back a stage
To enter data for Stage 0
Change to Stage 1 and bring up the Summary screen. You will then be able to enter data via
the Stage 0 Tab.
Main Screen Components for a Project
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
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Project Details: this section gives the basic data about the project
Stage: this section tells you which stage you are currently in and allows you to change
stages
Project Metrics: this section gives the basic metrics for the current stage
Options: this section provides access to the functions of PASE
MinControl: this button opens a minimal set of functions for PASE that will float on top
of your screen and thus be continually available while working on a project. You can add
a time or defect or return to the Project Main Screen
Adding a Defect
To add a defect in PASE, click on the Add Defect button and the following screen will appear
(this screen has sample data already entered):
Rules for entering Defects
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Date: the date must not be before the project start date
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
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Defect Injected: this indicates the phase of the project in which the defect was created.
For example, if the analysis and design were correct, but the defect was caused by
incorrect coding, then the defect was injected in the coding phase
Defect Fixed?: indicates whether the defect has been fixed yet. It is quite possible to have
spent time on fixing the defect but not have fixed it yet. To edit this, click on List Defects
on the PASE Main Screen.
Defect Found: this indicates which phase the defect was detected. For example, if the
above coding defect was found as a result of a test you performed, it was found in the
Testing phase
All fields must be completed except for the Notes field
Save Button – save the current defect record and clear the screen to add another defect
Exit Button – exit the Add Defect screen without saving the current defect
PASE Defect Recording Log
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Listing Defects - click the List Defects button on the PASE Main Screen. This will take
you to the PASE Defect Recording Log for the current stage
Editing Defects – in the PASE Defect Recording Log, you are able to edit the defects for
the current stage directly
Printing Defects – the Print button will print a complete list of the defects for the stage.
The Print Preview button will allow you to view the printed list of defects for the stage
prior to printing
Add a Defect - you can add a new defect by clicking on the Add Defect button and then
entering the relevant data
Delete a Defect – you can delete a defect by placing the cursor in the relevant defect and
then clicking on the Delete Defect button. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.
Adding a Time
To add a time in PASE, click on the Add Time button and the following screen will appear
(this screen has sample data already entered):
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
Rules for Entering Times
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Times are entered in 24 hour clock format e.g. 9.00am is 09:00, 11.00am is 11:00, 3.00pm
is 15:00, 6.45pm is 18:45, midnight is 00:00
Finish Time must be after the Start Time
Start Date must not be after Finish Date
Non-Productive time cannot be greater than Finish Time minus Start Time, i.e. your nonproductive time can’t be more than the time spent in the whole session. For example,
started work at 10:00, finished work at 12.00. Non-Productive time must be less than 2
hours
All fields must be completed except for the Notes field
Due to a defect in the edit mask of the text field component in C++ Builder, when editing
the Non-Productive time field, it will show as 99:__ This may be ignored or edited
without affecting the time.
Save Button – save the current time record and clear the screen to add another time
Exit Button – exit Add Time without saving the current time
PASE Time Record Log
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Listing Times - click the List Times button on the PASE Main Screen. This will take you
to the PASE Time Record Log for the current stage
Editing Times – in the PASE Time Record Log, you are able to edit the times for the
current stage directly
Printing Times – the Print button will print a complete list of the times for the stage. The
Print Preview button will allow you to view the printed list of times for the stage prior to
printing
Add a Time - you can add a new time by clicking on the Add Time button and then
entering the relevant data
Delete a Time – you can delete a time by placing the cursor in the relevant time and then
clicking on the Delete Time button. You will be asked to confirm the deletion.
Summary Screen
The Summary Screen provides a listing of the metrics for all stages in the project and
provides access to Line of Code and Function Point Counting and to the Estimation facilities.
The screen appears on the following page.
Stages
The Summary Screen allows you to see a summary of the work done for your project for each
stage and for the entire project to date. By clicking on the tab at the top of the screen, the
relevant data for each stage or the project to date will be displayed.
Summary
This section shows the time in phase for the stage, the defects injected by phase, the defects
found by phase and the defects remaining to be fixed.
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
Size Metrics
This section shows the function points, lines of code (physical or logical) and the number of
routines. The number of lines deleted in the stage can also be entered manually. The adjusted
LOC is calculated by adding the LOC plus the deleted LOC. The LOC per routine is
calculated using the adjusted LOC figure.
Effort Metrics
Displays the calculations for effort (Function points per hour, Lines of Code (Physical or
Logical) and Routines per Hours based on the data input by the project members.
Defect Metrics
Displays the calculations for defects (errors per function point, errors per Line of Code
(Physical or Logical), errors per routine and errors per hour based on the data input by the
project members.
LOC Type
For a project you may choose to use either Physical LOC or Logical LOC for calculating the
LOC metrics. If you change the LOC Type for any stage, it will be changed for all stages. It
does not make sense to use both LOC Types in the same project.
LOC Type Count
The LOC Type Count, may be either System or Manual. If it is Manual, then you can
manually enter the data for total function points, total LOC (Physical or Logical) and total
routines. If System is chosen, then the data for total function points, total LOC (Physical or
Logical) and total routines will be taken automatically from the LOC count done by PASE.
Currently this is only possible for the Eiffel language.
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
LOC Type Count can vary between stages, for example, Stage 1 can be Manual while Stage 2
can be System.
Counting Lines of Code
PASE 4.0 lets you count the lines of code in an application. It does both Physical LOC
counting and Logical LOC counting. By clicking on the LOC Count button in the summary
screen, the following screen will appear:
The SLOC Counter screen allows you to select the files and directories to be counted.
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Selecting an individual file – click on the check box next to the file name. The file will
then be selected to be counted.
Selecting a directory – click on the check box next to the directory name. All files in that
directory and any sub-directories will be selected to be counted
When a file or directory is selected for counting, all the directories above the file/directory
will be given a shaded selected check box. A shaded check box does not mean that the
files in that directory are selected for counting.
Doing a LOC Count
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Select the files/directories to be counted
Click on the Count Button
A Progress Indicator will appear
When the progress indicator disappears, the count is done and you may now print and
preview the LOC count
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Click on the Print Options radio buttons to select the type of LOC report you want
If you make a change to the selected files, then you must do another count
Count Comments check box changes whether comments are counted in the LOC count
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
Function Point Counting
Function Point counting in PASE 4.0 works exactly like the manual process for Function
Point counting. There are three basic steps:
1. On the Step 1 Tab, enter the numbers for the five function point measurement parameters
and estimate the complexity for each of the parameters. The raw function point count will
be calculated automatically
2. On the Step 2 Tab, select the relevant complexity rating for each of the questions. The
software complexity rating will be calculated automatically for you
3. View the calculated function points on the Step 3 Tab
Estimation
PASE 4 allows you to do estimation for stages after Stage 1. It takes the calculated
productivity rates and defect rates from the previous stage and applies them to the estimated
size of the current stage. To enter the estimated size of the current stage, select the Estimation
button on the Summary screen and enter the relevant LOC estimate or Function Point estimate
on the following screen:
You can choose to estimate based on the LOC estimate or the Function Point estimate. The
summary screen will display your estimate as follows:
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A Quick Guide to PASE 4
The type of estimate (LOC or FP) is selected by the Metric Measurement radio buttons in the
bottom left-hand corner of the screen.
Merging Databases
You can import the data from another PASE 4 database by selecting the Merge Database
function from the File menu. An Open File dialog box will open. You then select the database
you want to import the data from and click on the Open button. PASE will automatically
import all the time and defect records from the PASE 4 database you selected. It will also
import any new team members in the imported database.
You cannot import data from earlier versions of PASE.
Known Defects
General SQL Error on creating a project
Problem: In some installations of Windows, the DAO has not been correctly updated. If this
is the case, then you will get the following error screen:
Solution: To solve this problem, download the DAO patch file (JET35SP3.exe) from the web
site and run it. This should fix the problem. If this doesn’t work, check that the file you
downloaded is pase4.zip - 8,206KB - 1/08/2001 - 12.14pm or later
Function Point Count Data not retained
Problem: The system while retaining the calculated number of function points doesn't retain
the data which was used to make that calculation and it must therefore be completely reentered each time that you wish to re-calculate the function points for a stage
Solution: No solution at this time, the data must be re-entered. The next version of PASE will
address this defect.
Non-Productive Time field reads 99:__
Problem: When adding a time, the non-productive time field shows 99:__ as the edit mask
when the field is selected.
Solution: Ignore the edit mask, if you tab through it will revert to 00:00 or you may edit it
normally without effect. It appears to be a problem with the edit mask function of the text
field component in C++ Builder 5.
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