Using ATL to define advanced and flexible constraint model transformations

Transforming constraint models is an important task in re- cent constraint programming systems. User-understandable models are defined during the modeling phase but rewriting or tuning them is manda- tory to get solving-efficient models. We propose a new architecture al- lowing to define bridges between any (modeling or solver) languages and to implement model optimizations. This architecture follows a model- driven approach where the constraint modeling process is seen as a set of model transformations. Among others, an interesting feature is the def- inition of transformations as concept-oriented rules, i.e. based on types of model elements where the types are organized into a hierarchy called a metamodel

Measuring Model Repositories

International audienceWe first present a model repository that has been built as part of the open source Eclipse GMT/AM3 project (Generative Modeling Technology/ATLAS MegaModel Management). Several contributed artifacts present in this repository are organized into sets of models of similar nature called zoos. The structure of the repository will be rapidly described. Its content is very rapidly extending, providing a publicly available source of experimental data to evaluate real life sets of model engineering artifacts. As an initial experiment, this paper shows how the elements contained in the AM3 zoos can be measured. Some examples of such measurements are provided for illustration purposes

A Collaborative testbed Web Tool for Learning Model Transformation in Software Engineering Education

Software Engineering provides mechanisms to design, develop, manage and maintain social and collaborative software systems. At present, the Software Engineering Curricula includes teaching Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) as a new paradigm that enables higher productivity, attempting to maximize compatibility between systems. Modern learning methods MDE require the use of practical approaches to analyze new model-transformation techniques. Model transformations are carried out by using very high-level languages, like the ATL language. This model transformation language is built as a plugin for the Eclipse framework, and users who want to collaborate and develop software with it, have some difficulties executing ATL transformations outside this platform. To handle models at runtime, it is interesting to perform the transformations in a standalone way. In this context, we have developed a testbed web tool which aims to be useful for learning model transformation techniques. The tool offers a Graphical User Interface to test and verify the involved model transformations.The proposal is useful as a collaborative scenario for learning MDE and model transformation issues and techniques in Software Engineering education

An Architecture Description Language for Embedded Hardware Platforms

Embedded software development relies on various tools - compilers, simulators, execution time estimators - that encapsulate a more-or-less detailed knowledge of the target hardware platform. These tools can be costly to develop and maintain:significant benefits could be expected if they were automatically generated from models expressed in a dedicated modeling language.In contrast with Hardware Description Languages (HDLs), that focus on the internal structure and behavior of an electronic board of chip, Hardware Architecture Description Languages consider hardware as a platform for software execution. Such a platform will be described in terms of low-level programming interface (processor instruction set),resources (processing elements, memory and peripheral devices) and elementary services (arithmetic and logic operations, bus transactions).This paper gives an overview of HARMLESS (Hardware ARchitecture Modeling Language for Embedded Software Simulation), a new domain-specific language for modeling embedded hardware platforms. HARMLESS and its associated tools follow the Model-Driven Engineering philosophy: metamodeling and model transformations have been successfully applied to the automatic generation of processor simulators

An Architecture Description Language for Embedded Hardware Platforms

Embedded software development relies on various tools - compilers, simulators, execution time estimators - that encapsulate a more-or-less detailed knowledge of the target hardware platform. These tools can be costly to develop and maintain:significant benefits could be expected if they were automatically generated from models expressed in a dedicated modeling language.In contrast with Hardware Description Languages (HDLs), that focus on the internal structure and behavior of an electronic board of chip, Hardware Architecture Description Languages consider hardware as a platform for software execution. Such a platform will be described in terms of low-level programming interface (processor instruction set),resources (processing elements, memory and peripheral devices) and elementary services (arithmetic and logic operations, bus transactions).This paper gives an overview of HARMLESS (Hardware ARchitecture Modeling Language for Embedded Software Simulation), a new domain-specific language for modeling embedded hardware platforms. HARMLESS and its associated tools follow the Model-Driven Engineering philosophy: metamodeling and model transformations have been successfully applied to the automatic generation of processor simulators

Contracts for Model Execution Verification

International audienceOne of the main goals of model-driven engineering is the manipulation of models as exclusive software artifacts. Model execution is in particular a means to substitute models for code. We focus in this paper on verifying model executions. We use a contract-based approach to specify an execution semantics for a meta-model. We show that an execution semantics is a seamless extension of a rigorous meta-model specification and is composed of complementary levels, from static element definition to dynamic elements, execution specifications as well. We use model transformation contracts for controlling the dynamic consistent evolution of a model during its execution. As an illustration, we apply our approach to UML state machines using OCL as the contract expression language

Extending AMMA for Supporting Dynamic Semantics Specifications of DSLs

Over the last years, Model Driven Engineering platforms evolved from fixed metamodel tools to systems with variable metamodels. This enables dealing with a variety of Domain Specific Languages (DSLs). These generic platforms are increasingly adopted to solve problems like code generation. However, these environments are often limited to syntax definitions. The AMMA platform conceives DSLs as collections of coordinated models defined using a set of core DSLs. For broadening the approach to semantics definition, AMMA should thus be extended. The paper presents an extension of the core DSLs of AMMA to specify the dynamic semantics of a range of DSLs by means of Abstract State Machines. Thus, DSLs can be defined not only according to their abstract and concrete syntaxes but also to their semantics in a uniform and systematic way. The approach is validated by means of the semantic bootstrap of the ATL transformation language

Measuring Model Repositories

International audienceWe first present a model repository that has been built as part of the open source Eclipse GMT/AM3 project (Generative Modeling Technology/ATLAS MegaModel Management). Several contributed artifacts present in this repository are organized into sets of models of similar nature called zoos. The structure of the repository will be rapidly described. Its content is very rapidly extending, providing a publicly available source of experimental data to evaluate real life sets of model engineering artifacts. As an initial experiment, this paper shows how the elements contained in the AM3 zoos can be measured. Some examples of such measurements are provided for illustration purposes