RePLEX: A Model-Based Reengineering Tool for PLEX Telecommunication Systems

Maintenance of complex legacy software systems is a challenging task. In the first place, maintenance requires understanding the system. Reverse engineering and reengineering tools, which make the design of the current system available on-line and which support planning and performing changes to the system, are urgently needed. We present a new tool for reengineering telecommunication systems, recovering the current architecture, and extracting state machines reflecting the system behavior. The tool is based on a structure graph of the architecture and allows architectural modifications with according code changes. The modifications are specified as graph transformations using FUJABA enabling the generation of a Java prototype, which is accessible via a GUI based on the Graphical Editor Framework (GEF) plug-in for the Eclipse workbench

Investigation of Air Transportation Technology at Princeton University, 1989-1990

The Air Transportation Technology Program at Princeton University proceeded along six avenues during the past year: microburst hazards to aircraft; machine-intelligent, fault tolerant flight control; computer aided heuristics for piloted flight; stochastic robustness for flight control systems; neural networks for flight control; and computer aided control system design. These topics are briefly discussed, and an annotated bibliography of publications that appeared between January 1989 and June 1990 is given

Design, construction, and application of a generic visual language generation environment

2000-2001 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Towards Translating Graph Transformation Approaches by Model Transformations

Recently, many researchers are working on semantics preserving model transformation. In the field of graph transformation one can think of translating graph grammars written in one approach to a behaviourally equivalent graph grammar in another approach. In this paper we translate graph grammars developed with the GROOVE tool to AGG graph grammars by first investigating the set of core graph transformation concepts supported by both tools. Then, we define what it means for two graph grammars to be behaviourally equivalent, and for the regarded approaches we actually show how to handle different definitions of both - application conditions and graph structures. The translation itself is explained by means of intuitive examples

A Reference Interpreter for the Graph Programming Language GP 2

GP 2 is an experimental programming language for computing by graph transformation. An initial interpreter for GP 2, written in the functional language Haskell, provides a concise and simply structured reference implementation. Despite its simplicity, the performance of the interpreter is sufficient for the comparative investigation of a range of test programs. It also provides a platform for the development of more sophisticated implementations.Comment: In Proceedings GaM 2015, arXiv:1504.0244

Refactoring of UML models using AGG

Model refactoring is an emerging research topic that is heavily inspired by refactoring of object-oriented programs. Current-day UML modeling environments provide poor support for evolving UML models and applying refactoring techniques at model level. As UML models are intrinsically graph-based in nature we propose to use graph transformations to specify and apply model refactoring. More in particular, we use a specific graph transformation tool, AGG, and provide recommendations of how AGG may be improved to better support model refactoring. These recommendations are based on a small experiment that we have carried out with refactoring of UML class diagrams and state machines

Formalizing graphical notations

The thesis describes research into graphical notations for software engineering, with a principal interest in ways of formalizing them. The research seeks to provide a theoretical basis that will help in designing both notations and the software tools that process them. The work starts from a survey of literature on notation, followed by a review of techniques for formal description and for computational handling of notations. The survey concentrates on collecting views of the benefits and the problems attending notation use in software development; the review covers picture description languages, grammars and tools such as generic editors and visual programming environments. The main problem of notation is found to be a lack of any coherent, rigorous description methods. The current approaches to this problem are analysed as lacking in consensus on syntax specification and also lacking a clear focus on a defined concept of notated expression. To address these deficiencies, the thesis embarks upon an exploration of serniotic, linguistic and logical theory; this culminates in a proposed formalization of serniosis in notations, using categorial model theory as a mathematical foundation. An argument about the structure of sign systems leads to an analysis of notation into a layered system of tractable theories, spanning the gap between expressive pictorial medium and subject domain. This notion of 'tectonic' theory aims to treat both diagrams and formulae together. The research gives details of how syntactic structure can be sketched in a mathematical sense, with examples applying to software development diagrams, offering a new solution to the problem of notation specification. Based on these methods, the thesis discusses directions for resolving the harder problems of supporting notation design, processing and computer-aided generic editing. A number of future research areas are thereby opened up. For practical trial of the ideas, the work proceeds to the development and partial implementation of a system to aid the design of notations and editors. Finally the thesis is evaluated as a contribution to theory in an area which has not attracted a standard approach

PORGY: Strategy-Driven Interactive Transformation of Graphs

This paper investigates the use of graph rewriting systems as a modelling tool, and advocates the embedding of such systems in an interactive environment. One important application domain is the modelling of biochemical systems, where states are represented by port graphs and the dynamics is driven by rules and strategies. A graph rewriting tool's capability to interactively explore the features of the rewriting system provides useful insights into possible behaviours of the model and its properties. We describe PORGY, a visual and interactive tool we have developed to model complex systems using port graphs and port graph rewrite rules guided by strategies, and to navigate in the derivation history. We demonstrate via examples some functionalities provided by PORGY.Comment: In Proceedings TERMGRAPH 2011, arXiv:1102.226