Displaying Bitfields

Cradle can generate bitfields from hierarchies of data definition items. This used value entered into a special set of frames (called WORD SIZE, BIT SIZE, BIT ALIGNMENT, B IT ALIGN SIZE, BIT PAD, BIT EXPAND and BIT PRINT) in data definitions in Implementation domain models created using Cradle’s modelling tools. Typically, this is used for data definitions that describe the interfaces in a system architecture to describe how data is to be packed into the words of messages sent between the components of the architecture.

The mechanism was originally provided to allow such bitfields to be generated in output documents by Document Publisher.

Now these same bitfields can be generated directly from the Data Dictionary Editor (DDE) in Cradle Toolset, select Data Definition → Generate Bitfield..., for example: