Domain-Specific Textual Meta-Modelling Languages for Model Driven Engineering

Abstract

El acceso a la versión del editor puede requerir la suscripción del recurso Access to the published version may require subscription Domain-Specific Textual Meta-Modelling Languages for Model Driven EngineeringJuan de Lara and Esther GuerraUniversidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain)Abstract. Domain-specific modelling languages are normally defined through general-purpose meta-modelling languages like the MOF. While this is satisfactory for many Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) projects, several researchers have identified the need for domain-specific metamodelling (DSMM) languages providing customised meta-modelling primitives aimed at the definition of modelling languages in a specific domain, as well as the construction of meta-model families.In this paper, we discuss the potential of multi-level meta-modelling for the systematic engineering of DSMM architectures. For this purpose, we present: (i) several primitives and techniques to control the metamodelling facilities offered to the users of the DSMM languages, (ii) a flexible approach to define textual concrete syntaxes for DSMM languages, (iii) extensions to model management languages enabling the practical use of DSMM in MDE, and (iv) an implementation of these ideas in the metaDepth tool.

Reverse-Engineering Reusable Language Modules from Legacy Domain-Specific Languages

“…Another approach to leverage reuse in DSLs is the definition of domainspecific metamodeling languages [14,26]. The idea is to define abstract language constructs that can be useful in several DSLs, and to provide mechanisms to specialize such abstract constructs to particular application contexts.…”

Model-driven engineering with domain-specific meta-modelling languages

“…MetaDepth [12,14,15] is a multi-level meta-modelling tool that supports textual modelling and implements deep characterization through potency. Listing 1 shows the definition of our DSMM language for domainspecific process models in MetaDepth.…”

“…This paper is an extended version of [14], where we have included more detailed discussions, a more realistic and challenging running example, a formalization of the main multi-level meta-modelling concepts, an improved language to define the concrete syntax, extensions to consider multi-level target domains in modelto-model transformations, as well as multi-level support for new model management languages besides modelto-model transformation (which was presented in [14]): for model manipulation with the Epsilon Object Language (EOL) [29] and for code generation with the Epsilon Generation Language (EGL) [40].…”

Composing textual modelling languages in practice

“…Domain-specific textual concrete syntax is modelled using a designated MetaDepth meta-model named TextualSyntax, which enables assigning the meta-model and each meta-class a syntactic template indicating how their instances should be represented. Models conforming to TextualSyntax are compiled to ANTLR grammars 1 , with appropriate semantic actions to create the model in-memory [6]. MetaDepth integrates the Epsilon family of model management languages 2 .…”

“…In MetaDepth, textual concrete syntax can be defined by creating a TextualSyntax model as described in detail in [6]. Similar to defining the abstract syntax, we use the four steps 4 The syntax is explained in [4].…”