The figure shows two VisualWorks snapshots both
including an Assistant window (labeled ``Assistant'') and the main APE
window (labeled ``Ape Agents'') showing (Watch button) that the
three agents are active. In this example, a user is testing his
application : a multi-process simulation of the classical ``n-queens''
problem, implemented by a main class Board.
In the ``situation before firing a habit''
(top snapshot), the user selects a Smalltalk expression (arrow 1) in
the ``Workspace window'' (a simple editor)
whose evaluation (arrow 2) raises an exception
leading to the opening of an ``Exception'' window. Because the user is not performing this
activity for the first time, a repetitive sequence has been detected
and an habit has been learned: the Assistant offers to perform the
related repetitive task: ``open, move, resize a debugger and select
stack index 5''. This repetitive task is exactly what the user intents
to do and he mouse-clicks on the proposition (arrow 3), resulting in a
debugger displaying a user's method (``situation after a habit has been
fired'' - bottom snapshot). In this example, the Assistant has saved
five actions to the user.