**2.2. Efficient interactive training**

In the situation in which the left-click mouse button was clicked over a device, but it was not

Proceedings of the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Studies (ICIS 2016) - Interdisciplinarity and Creativity

**Step 3.** If the Euclidean distance between P\_initial (the initial point of click) and P\_current (the current cursor location) is smaller than 6 px, it is considered that the user's hand just

**Step 4.** If the distance increases over 6 px, this means that the user actually wants to move the selected device. This movement will be done continuously until the left click is released (the 6 px protection from step 1 is deactivated). During this movement, two scenarios may occur: **•** If the device starts to overlap with another (unwanted behaviour), both the devices are highlighted with yellow. When the overlap stops, they will revert to their original colours. If during the overlap scenario the left click button is released – which represents an illegal movement – the position of the displaced object will be re-established. Note that it will be re-established, not to the position of left click (P\_initial) but to the original device

**•** If the object approaches or leaves the limits of the graphical zone, the object will be high‐ lighted in red, and at the left-click release event, it will be deleted. Of course, if the object is placed back inside the margins of the graphical zone, without releasing the left-click button, its colour will be reverted to its original, and it will not be deleted at the button release event.

**Step 5.** If at the left-click button release event, the distance between P\_initial and P\_current has never exceeded 6 px, this means the user wanted to select the object, thus it will be

The management of these warning colours is done through the existence of multiple Booleantype variables throughout the Device class. They determine the current status of a device. The

yet released, mouse movements are monitored as follows:

position.

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58

highlighted as such (with green).

{

{

}

{

}

{

}

{

}

order of colouring is given by the following method:

colour = Settings.getColor\_Device\_Dispose();

colour = Settings.getColor\_Device\_Overlap();

colour = Settings.getColor\_Device\_Traced();

colour = Settings.getColor\_Device\_Selected();

private void setNormalColor()

if (flag\_deletion)

else if (flag\_overlapp)

else if (flag\_tracert)

else if (flag\_selected)

else if (flag\_online)

trembled when the button was pressed, thus no action will be taken.

This version of the HypeRSimRIP application contains a new functionality of interactive training that allows the user to quickly learn how to use the program.

The training consists of a series of tutorial-type messages transmitted to the user via the console in some special identified moments (see Table 1). These messages are shown only once, each one of them having annexed a Boolean variable, which states if the message was previously shown, in which case the triggering event will be ignored.



**Table 1.** Messages and their triggering events

All these messages can be re-shown by choosing the option Help from the Help menu. Note that this action will print in the console only the help messages characteristic to the current stage of the simulation.
