Reusing user interfaces for multiple embedded systems via differential logical UI modeling

Abstract

User interface (UI) centric embedded systems such as smart phones, tablets, and smart TVs are ever proliferating. While many model-based UI development environments provide automatic UI executable generation, they are focused on web-based systems and not suitable for embedded systems. Accordingly, developers create a separate UI model for each target embedded system while failing to reuse their UI models.This paper proposes differential logical UI modeling (DLUM) that solves these difficulties. DLUM comprises (1) a graphical modeling language for logical UI model (LUM) and differential LUM, (2) a method for deriving a UI implementation by weaving a base LUM and a differential LUM, and (3) its supporting tool. DLUM enables developers to model only differential parts of UI models compared to a base model. DLU generates LUM from differential LUM, which consequently enables deriving complete UI implementations. We have fully implemented a modeling tool for DLUM as Eclipse plug-in using Eclipse Graphical Modeling Framework (GMF). We have also performed a case study with an alarm application in Android targeted for multiple embedded systems with various resolutions from HVGA to XGA. The case study clearly shows how DLUM makes the modeling of UIs for embedded systems concise and allows reusing UIs for multiple embedded systems. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.