JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 26(9): 1148-1176, doi: 10.3897/jucs.2020.060

Model Driven Software Engineering Meta-Workbenches: An XTools Approach

Tony Clark^‡, Jens Gulden^§

‡ Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom§ Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

Corresponding author: Tony Clark ( tony.clark@aston.ac.uk )

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-ND 4.0). This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.

Citation: Clark T, Gulden J (2020) Model Driven Software Engineering Meta-Workbenches: An XTools Approach. JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 26(9): 1148-1176. https://doi.org/10.3897/jucs.2020.060

Abstract

Model Driven Software Engineering aims to provide a quality assured process for designing and generating software. Modelling frameworks that offer technologies for domain specific language and associated tool construction are called language workbenches. Since modelling is itself a domain, there are benefits to applying a workbenchbased approach to the construction of modelling languages and tools. Such a framework is a meta-modelling tool and those that can generate themselves are reflective metatools. This article reviews the current state of the art for modelling tools and proposes a set of reflective meta-modelling tool requirements. The XTools framework has been designed as a reflective meta-tool and is used as a benchmark.

Keywords

model driven engineering, meta modelling, reexive software tools