Model driven language engineering with Kermeta

Abstract

In many domains such as telecom, aerospace and automotive industries, engineers rely on Domain Specific Modeling Languages (DSML) to solve the complex issues of engineering safety critical software. Traditional Language Engineering starts with the grammar of a language to produce a variety of tools for processing programs expressed in this language. Recently however, many new languages tend to be first defined through metamodels, i.e. models describing their abstract syntax. Relying on well tooled standards such as E-MOF, this approach makes it possible to readily benefit from a set of tools such as reflexive editors, or XML serialization of models. This article aims at showing how Model Driven Engineering can easily complement these off-the-shelf tools to obtain a complete environment for such a language, including interpreter, compiler, pretty-printer and customizable editors. We illustrate the conceptual simplicity and elegance of this approach using the running example of the well known LOGO programming language, developed within the Kermeta environment. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.