Upgrade – A framework for graph-based visual applications

Abstract

This paper gives a brief introduction to the UPGRADE framework which is designed to support generating code for structure oriented software engineering tools from graph-based specifications. The framework is written in Java and contains a variety of mechanisms for configuring the representation of internal models of generated tools. The tool designer can therefore build tools which offer to the user a convenient representation of a visual language instead of restricting him to a predefined notation. Generation of a tool requires no additional programming effort after finishing the specification. It is thus easy to alter the tools internal logic just by changing its specification and by generating a modified tool version from it.