Towards a Conceptual Framework Supporting Model Compilability

The ever-growing use of modeling languages today is largely due to a maturation of model-based development technologies. However, there is enough room for improving language specifications and consequently, the efficiency of their usage. The state of facts in specifying Well Formedness Rules is among the most important issues calling for improvements. Despite the fact that various papers have approached it, the topic is still open. To solve it, there is the need of a rigorous conceptual framework supporting the specification of modeling languages’ static semantics. This would stand as a basis for ensuring model compilability, a mandatory requirement in a model-driven context. Through this paper, we aim at providing core ideas that would contribute to the creation of such a framework. Our approach is testing-oriented and promotes the use of OCL specification patterns

How My Favorite Tool Supporting OCL Must Look Like

At this time, to decide on which tool supporting OCL to use, is a difficult task. This is influenced by a number of objective factors, including: the user's needs, knowledge of existing tools, knowledge of the Object Constraint Language and of the various possibilities of using it. Today, each tool maker states about implementing new features compared with the existent tools; moreover, different tools return different results when evaluating identical OCL specifications in the same context. A reason of this state of facts is due to the concepts which are incomplete or ambiguous specified in the standard. Therefore, before describing the criteria proposed for assessing tools supporting OCL, the following topics are examined: features that distinguish OCL within the modeling languages family, some aspects incomplet or ambiguous described in the OCL specification, main functionalities that a tool supporting OCL should implement, the universe of tools supporting OCL. In the end, five representative tools are characterized with respect to the functionalities proposed to be implemented by an ideal tool

Avoiding OCL specification pitfalls

This paper discusses about teaching software modeling by using OCL specifications, in the context in which the web represents the main source of information. The raise of the interest for models induced a higher need for clear and complete specifications. In case of models specified by means of MOF-based languages, adding OCL constraints proved to be an interesting answer to this need. Several OCL examples posted on web include hasty specifications, that are often dissuasive with respect to complementing models with OCL specification. OCL beginners, and not only, need to know how to avoid potential specification traps.Our proposal is based on a complete and unambiguous description of requirements, that represents the first step towards good OCL specifications. The work highlights several major aspects that need to be understood and complied with to produce meaningful and efficient OCL specifications. This approach was tested while teaching OCL at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca

Towards Improving the Static Semantics of XCore

Throughout this paper, we analyse the state of facts concerning the static semantics of the XCore meta-metamodel and we propose improvements in formalizing it