MetaCase Newsletter 2015/1

Jan 2015

DSM for automotive architectures

MetaCase has released support for EAST-ADL modeling and generators. EAST-ADL is a domain-specific language developed in collaboration with European automotive manufacturers and suppliers. It is used to create, specify and manage complete functional vehicle architectures including requirements, functionality, and behavior for early level analysis.

MetaEdit+ provides collaborative tools for integrating various architectural views and levels. The models are checked based on the correctness, consistency and completeness rules of EAST-ADL. The verified and valid models can then be used with various generators and transformations — many developed in collaboration with our partners. You can generate allocations for software architectures like AUTOSAR, transform to models for other modeling tools like Simulink, to verification tools like UPPAAL, and to safety design tools like HiPHOPS and Sistema.

For more details see our EAST-ADL pages and the recent embedded.com article on the benefits of architecture modeling.

The Evaluation version of MetaEdit+ 5.1 includes sample models created with Volvo, Fiat, Continental, and KTH. For other automotive-specific languages see DSM solutions for automotive and transport.

In this issue: 

  • Automotive architectures with EAST-ADL
  • A complete DSM example at embedded.com
  • DSL of the week: Hundreds of DSM examples will be released
  • From the forums: Question about rotating symbol elements
  • 21st January: Webinar on creating Domain-Specific Modeling languages with MetaEdit+
  • Upcoming events this winter
     

A complete DSM example at embedded.com

Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM) raises the level of abstraction beyond current programming languages by specifying the solution directly using problem domain concepts. The final products are then generated from these high level specifications. This automation is possible because both the language and generators need fit the requirements of only one company and domain.

Embedded.com has published three extracts from the DSM Book as articles describing one complete DSM solution:

The articles use a domain we all are familiar with: digital watches. The actual process of creating the modeling language has been made as natural as possible, following the practices that have become established in real projects. The artificial background of the example is perhaps most clearly seen in its limited scale. Conversely, this small size is its strength as a pedagogical tool: small enough to be understood in a relatively short time but large enough to provide realistic insights into every aspect of DSM.

DSL of the week: Hundreds of public examples

MetaEdit+ is used to create hundreds, if not thousands, of domain-specific languages and generators. While most of them are understandably not made available to the public, hundreds of them are. We have started a 'DSL of the week' posting in our Twitter, Google+ and Facebook accounts.

Follow the weekly updates (DSL of the week), and if you want to share yours here too please let us know.

If you want to have a more in-depth view on any of the examples, let's have an online meeting.

From the Forums: Question about rotating symbol elements in Symbol Editor

When you have a question, the MetaEdit+ Web Forums have have proven to be a great way to get accurate answers quickly. At the same time, your question helps others for the future: some threads have been read over 20 000 times. 

This issue's highlighted topic comes from bernardino who asks about how to rotate a symbol element into Symbol Editor.

*** 

Q: How to rotate a symbol element into Symbol Editor?

I would create a graphical symbol like a "gear", thus I am designing each of gear teeth, some of them need to be in diagonal form.

There is an easy or another way to do this?

________ 

A: You can import SVG vector graphics - a quick Google shows dozens of results for: gear filetype:svg. I picked one and imported it into the Symbol Editor with Symbol | Import SVG. The circle in the middle ended up black for some reason, so I corrected it to white. There are different SVG versions, and some parts go way beyond what we need for static vector graphics. MetaEdit+ imports and exports symbols to SVG (e.g. along with types in MXT files), using SVG 1.2 Tiny [W3C] with some extensions, but it can also import some frequently-used parts of other SVG schema versions. This gear was in SVG 1.1 from Adobe Illustrator 16.

I've attached a zip of some SVG symbols, including that gear. I don't think we're going to try to maintain any kind of official library of sharable symbols - there are so many on the net that it seems pointless for us to duplicate them, whether bitmaps or vectors.

SVG doesn't include connectables; after importing you can select the largest/best individual element and choose "Duplicate As | Connectable" from its pop-up menu.

***

See other topics from the MetaEdit+ Web Forums here.

21st Jan: Webinar on Domain-Specific Modeling with MetaEdit+ 5.1

This 30-minute webinar will demonstrate how MetaEdit+ allows you to incrementally define your own modeling tool — without having to write a single line of code. As soon as you define a modeling language, or even a partial prototype, you and your team can start to use it in MetaEdit+. You will learn:

  • How to define domain-specific languages with MetaEdit++
  • How to define rich, dynamically changing notations 
  • How MetaEdit+ updates models on the fly as the modeling language changes
  • How to test and debug the modeling language and generator 

For the webinar you can use your computer's microphone and speakers — a headset is recommended. The schedule for the webinars and instructions are available on the webinar page.

Alongside the webinars, we're also offering company-specific webmeetings for DSM. These allow us to focus on your particular vertical, e.g. automotive, product line, UI, telecom or service specification. We can show you and your team DSM languages and cases from your vertical as well as discussing your company-specific requirements — all of course with no obligation. Book your own free one-to-one webmeeting now!

Upcoming events this winter

Meet our experts and see a demonstration of Domain-Specific Modeling with MetaEdit+ at any of the following events:

OOP 2015, Munich, Germany, 26-30 January (Hands-on tutorial 26th Jan)