Derived features for EMF by integrating advanced model queries

Abstract

When designing complex domain-specific languages, metamodels are frequently enriched with derived features that correspond to attribute values or references (edges) representing computed information in the model. In the popular Eclipse Modeling Framework, these are typically implemented as imperative Java code. In the paper, we propose to integrate the EMF-IncQuery model query framework to the Ecore metamodeling infrastructure in order to facilitate the efficient and automated (re-)computation of derived attributes and references over EMF models. Such an integration allows to define derived features using an expressive graph-based model query language [1], and offers high performance and scalability thanks to the incremental evaluation technique of EMF-IncQuery [2]. In addition, our approach offers to automate two typical associated challenges of EMF tools: (1) values of derived features are immediately recalculated upon model changes and (2) notifications are sent automatically to other EMF model elements to report changes in derived features. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.