Integrating Alf Editor with Eclipse UML Editors

Lazr Codru Lucian Babe-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Contents

Introduction

fUML (Executable Foundational UML) Alf (Action Language for fUML) UML Editors Xtext Editors

Eclipse Editors

Editors Integration Future Work

Foundational Executable UML (fUML)

fUML Specification

Object Management Group (OMG) Standard

2011, version 1.0 http://www.omg.org/spec/FUML/

a computationally complete and compact subset of UML

provides a simplified subset of UML Action Semantics package

simplifies the context to which the actions may be applied enforces a data flow abstract representation

fUML Reference Implementation

ModelDriven.org

2011, version 0.4.1

executes fUML models

Action Language for fUML (Alf)

Alf Specification

Object Management Group (OMG) Standard

2010, version 1.0-Beta1 http://www.omg.org/spec/ALF/

a textual surface representation for UML modeling elements

execution semantics: Alf concrete syntax is mapped to the abstract syntax of fUML

UML Editors

Eclipse UML2 project

EMF-based implementation of UML metamodel XMI schema persistence in .uml files tree based editor UML Diagrams based on Eclipse GMF (Graphical Modeling Framework) not supported since 2009 UML and SysML Diagrams

Eclipse MDT/UML2Tools project

Eclipse MDT/Papyrus

Xtext Editors

Eclipse Xtext project

a framework/tool for development of external textual DSLs simple EBNF grammar language generates / reuses EMF meta-models generates a full-featured Eclipse Text Editor

Xtext Editors (2)

custom fUML based Action Language

part of ComDeValCo project similar to Alf editor based on Xtext

Xtext Editors (3)

The custom AL editor generates the structure of UML elements and fills in the elements not covered by the Xtext grammar

Editors Integration - introduction

Each editor works with its own editing domain and resources Xtext editor replaces the model at a frequent rate Synchronization is performed on Save operations

Editors Integration introduction (2)

Each resource persists its own root model element By default, each element is contained in the same resource as its owner Cross-resource containment relation is established for the element we want to persist with a different resource

Editors Integration initial steps

Editing starts with an empty Activity

With an action (bound to a key): - a Comment will be created - an ealf resource is loaded (related to the comment) - the Activitys resource is changed to the new ealf resource) - the Activity is serialized

Editors Integration initial steps (2)

The Activitys reference contains the ID of the Comment

The Xtext editor is loaded with the custom ealf resource. It can be reloaded if the workbench is restarted.

Editors Integration tree editing

Elements can be added in the tree editor to the Activity. The Activity with the new Variable will be serialized in the resources Comment.

The updated Activity is visible in the textual editor.

Editors Integration textual editing

The new text added in the textual editor is reparsed.

On save action, it will be serialized in the Comment.

The text Parser recreates the whole model, so the new root Activity needs to be reconnected to the previous container element form the UML resource.

The tree editors main UMLResource will notice that the file has changed and will perform a refresh

Future Work

update the custom editor (that uses our fUML based Action Language) to function with the new Eclipse Modeling Framework plugins integrate the editor with the UML tree editor integrate the editor with a Diagram editor (Papyrus or a new custom editor based on Eclipse GMF)

Thank you!