Advanced Model Decoration with EMF Profiles

This work has been finished in February 2015.

EMF Profiles is an adaptation of the well-known UML profile concept to DSMLs. Profiles have been a key enabler for the success of UML by providing a lightweight language-inherent extension mechanism which is expressive enough to cover an important subset of adaptation scenarios. Thus, we believe a similar concept for DSMLs provides an easier extension mechanism that has been so far neglected by current metamodeling tools.

With EMF Profiles, users can apply profiles within graphical modeling editors that are created in GMF. Applied stereotypes are visualized using icons that are attached to shapes that represent the model elements to which stereotypes are applied. However, in many scenarios, visualization methods going beyond simple icons are helpful for locating and grasping the applied stereotypes and to allow for more domain-specific decorations according to the domain of the applied profile. For instance, a specific background color or a dedicated shape reflects the meaning of a stereotype application more adequately than a simple icon.

This thesis aims at providing decoration methods for applied stereotype in EMF Profiles going beyond simple icons. Therefore, we investigate the decoration facilities in GMF and Graphiti and extend the profile definition language to allow users to define specific decorations for stereotypes. Once a specific decoration is defined, applications of these stereotypes are visualized using the defined decorations in any GMF-based and Graphiti-based modeling editor. The results and benefits of the extensions developed in this thesis are evaluated in the context of a case study. In particular, we will assess how the runtime information of executable models can be visualized appropriately and dynamically updated during the execution with EMF Profiles.