Aspect] is a simple and practical aspect-oriented extension to Java With just a few new constructs, AspectJ provides support for modular implementation of a range of crosscutting concerns. In AspectJ's dynamic join point model, join points are well-defined points in the execution of the program; pointcuts are collections of join points; advice are special method-like constructs that can be attached to pointcuts; and aspects are modular units of crosscutting implementation, comprising pointcuts, advice, and ordinary Java member declarations. AspectJ code is compiled into standard Java bytecode. Simple extensions to existing Java development environments make it possible to browse the crosscutting structure of aspects in the same kind of way as one browses the inheritance structure of classes. Several examples show that AspectJ is powerful, and that programs written using it are easy to understand.

An overview of AspectJ

The authoritative guide to the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF)--written by the lead EMF designers! Shows how EMF unifies three important technologies: Java, XML, and UML @BULLET= Provides a comprehensive overview of the EMF classes including a complete quick reference for all the classes and methods in the EMF 1.1 API. Includes examples of many common framework customizations and programming techniques.

Eclipse Modeling Framework

The Object Management Group's (OMG) Model Driven Architecture (MDA) strategy envisages a world where models play a more direct role in software production, being amenable to manipulation and transformation by machine. Model Driven Engineering (MDE) is wider in scope than MDA. MDE combines process and analysis with architecture. This article sets out a framework for model driven engineering, which can be used as a point of reference for activity in this area. It proposes an organisation of the modelling 'space' and how to locate models in that space. It discusses different kinds of mappings between models. It explains why process and architecture are tightly connected. It discusses the importance and nature of tools. It identifies the need for defining families of languages and transformations, and for developing techniques for generating/configuring tools from such definitions. It concludes with a call to align metamodelling with formal language engineering techniques.

Model Driven Engineering

We provide an extensive overview of existing research in the field of software refactoring. This research is compared and discussed based on a number of different criteria: the refactoring activities that are supported, the specific techniques and formalisms that are used for supporting these activities, the types of software artifacts that are being refactored, the important issues that need to be taken into account when building refactoring tool support, and the effect of refactoring on the software process. A running example is used to explain and illustrate the main concepts.

/pdf/a-survey-of-software-refactoring-kgrdghit3u.pdf

A survey of software refactoring

Model transformations are touted to play a key role in Model Driven DevelopmentTM. Although well-established standards for creating metamodels such as the Meta-Object Facility exist, there is currently no mature foundation for specifying transformations among models. We propose a framework for the classification of several existing and proposed model transformation approaches. The classification framework is given as a feature model that makes explicit the different design choices for model transformations. Based on our analysis of model transformation approaches, we propose a few major categories in which most approaches fit.

/pdf/feature-based-survey-of-model-transformation-approaches-2hq9yv60ag.pdf

Feature-based survey of model transformation approaches

This is the first textbook treatment of the algebraic approach to graph transformation, based on algebraic structures and category theory. It contains an introduction to classical graphs. Basic and advanced results are first shown for an abstract form of replacement systems and are then instantiated to several forms of graph and Petri net transformation systems. The book develops typed attributed graph transformation and contains a practical case study.

Fundamentals of Algebraic Graph Transformation

AGG is a general development environment for algebraic graph transformation systems which follows the interpretative approach. Its special power comes from a very flexible attribution concept. AGG graphs are allowed to be attributed by any kind of Java objects. Graph transformations can be equipped with arbitrary computations on these Java objects described by a Java expression. The AGG environment consists of a graphical user interface comprising several visual editors, an interpreter, and a set of validation tools. The interpreter allows the stepwise transformation of graphs as well as rule applications as long as possible. AGG supports several kinds of validations which comprise graph parsing, consistency checking of graphs and conflict detection in concurrent transformations by critical pair analysis of graph rules. Applications of AGG include graph and rule-based modeling of software, validation of system properties by assigning a graph transformation based semantics to some system model, graph transformation based evolution of software, and the definition of visual languages based on graph grammars.

/pdf/agg-a-graph-transformation-environment-for-modeling-and-4thw9ectz3.pdf

AGG: A Graph Transformation Environment for Modeling and Validation of Software

The Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) provides modeling and code generation facilities for Java applications based on structured data models. Henshin is a new language and associated tool set for in-place transformations of EMF models. The Henshin transformation language uses pattern-based rules on the lowest level, which can be structured into nested transformation units with well-defined operational semantics. So-called amalgamation units are a special type of transformation units that provide a forall-operator for pattern replacement. For all of these concepts, Henshin offers a visual syntax, sophisticated editing functionalities, execution and analysis tools. The Henshin transformation language has its roots in attributed graph transformations, which offer a formal foundation for validation of EMF model transformations. The transformation concepts are demonstrated using two case studies: EMF model refactoring and meta-model evolution.

/pdf/henshin-advanced-concepts-and-tools-for-in-place-emf-model-g880jlkk1b.pdf

Henshin: advanced concepts and tools for in-place EMF model transformations

In each graph-grammar approach it is defined how and under which conditions graph productions can be applied to a given graph in order to obtain a derived graph. The conditions under which productions can be applied are called application conditions. Although the generative power of most of the known general graph-grammar approaches is sufficient to generate any recursively enumerable set of graphs, it is often convenient to have specific application conditions for each production. Such application conditions, on the one hand, include context conditions like the existence or non-existence of nodes, edges, or certain subgraphs in the given graph as well as embedding restrictions concerning the morphisms from the left-hand side of the production to the given graph. In this paper, the concept of application conditions introduced by Ehrig and Habel is restricted to contextual conditions, especially negative ones. In addition to the general concept, we state local confluence and the Parallelism Theorem for derivations with application conditions. Finally we study context-free graph grammars with application conditions with respect to their generative power.

Graph grammars with negative application conditions

The issue of confluence is of major importance for the successful application of attributed graph transformation, such as automated translation of UML models into semantic domains. Whereas termination is undecidable in general and must be established by carefully designing the rules, local confluence can be shown for term rewriting and graph rewriting using the concept of critical pairs. In this paper, we discuss typed attributed graph transformation using a new simplified notion of attribution. For this kind of attributed graph transformation systems we establish a definition of critical pairs and prove a critical pair lemma, stating that local confluence follows from confluence of all critical pairs.

Gabriele Taentzer

Papers

Fundamentals of Algebraic Graph Transformation

AGG: A Graph Transformation Environment for Modeling and Validation of Software

Henshin: advanced concepts and tools for in-place EMF model transformations

Graph grammars with negative application conditions

Confluence of Typed Attributed Graph Transformation Systems