A generative approach to framework instantiation

Abstract

This paper describes the OBS Instantiation Environment, which demonstrates a generative approach to automating the instantiation process of a component-based framework. The process is automated in the sense that designers configure and assemble the framework components using intuitive visual operations in a GUI-based environment. Their configuration actions are then used to automatically generate the framework instantiation code. Generative techniques for framework instantiation are not new but tend to rely on domain-specific languages or on bespoke specification encoding and compilation techniques. Though effective and powerful, they are comparatively complex and present a high barrier to entry for general users. The distinctive feature of the approach proposed here is instead its simplicity and its reliance on mainstream technology and tools. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003.