18 research outputs found
Architectural Consistency Checking in Plugin-Based Software Systems
Manually ensuring that the implementation of a software system is consistent
with the software architecture is a laborious and error-prone task. Thus, a
variety of approaches towards automated consistency checking have been
developed to counteract architecture erosion. However, these approaches lack
means to define and check architectural restrictions concerning plugin
dependencies, which is required for plugin-based software systems. In this
paper, we propose a domain-specific language called Dependency Constraint
Language (DepCoL) to facilitate the definition of constraints concerning plugin
dependencies. Using DepCoL, it is possible to define constraints affecting
groups of plugins, reducing the required specification effort, to formulate
constraints for specific plugins only and to refine constraints. Moreover, we
provide an Eclipse plugin, which checks whether the software system under
development is consistent with the modeled constraints. This enables a seamless
integration into the development process to effortless check consistency during
development of the software system. In this way, developers are informed about
dependency violations immediately and this supports developers in counteracting
architecture erosion.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 4 listings, European Conference on Software
Architecture Workshops (ECSAW), pp. 58:1-58:7, Cavtat, Croatia, ACM New York,
201
Modeling Variability in Template-based Code Generators for Product Line Engineering
Generating software from abstract models is a prime activity in
model-drivenengineering. Adaptable and extendable code generators are important
to address changing technologies as well as user needs. However, theyare less
established, as variability is often designed as configuration options of
monolithic systems. Thus, code generation is often tied to a fixed set of
features, hardly reusable in different contexts, and without means for
configuration of variants. In this paper,we present an approach for developing
product lines of template-based code generators. This approach applies concepts
from feature-oriented programming to make variability explicit and manageable.
Moreover, it relies on explicit variability regions (VR) in a code generators
templates, refinements of VRs, and the aggregation of templates and refinements
into reusable layers. Aconcrete product is defined by selecting one or multiple
layers. If necessary, additional layers required due to VR refinements are
automatically selected.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, Modellierung 2016 Conferenc