Domain-specific code generator modeling: A case study for multi-faceted concurrent systems

Abstract

In this paper we discuss an elaborate case study utilizing the domain-specific development of code generators within the Cinco meta tooling suite. Cinco is a framework that allows for the automatic generation of a wide range of graphical modeling tools from an abstract high-level specification. The presented case study makes use of Cinco to rapidly construct custom graphical interfaces for multi-faceted, concurrent systems, comprising non-functional properties like time, probability, data, and costs. The point of this approach is to provide user communities and their favorite tools with graphical interfaces tailored to their specific needs. This will be illustrated by generating graphical interfaces for timed automata (TA), probabilistic timed automata (PTA), Markov decision processes (MDP) and simple labeled transition systems (LTS). The main contribution of the presented work, however, is the metamodel-based domain-specific construction of the corresponding code generators for the verification tools Uppaal, Spin, PLASMA-lab, and Prism.