Supporting the UML state machine diagrams at runtime

Abstract

Input models that are not completely checked generate ill-formed output models in MDA transformation processes. Model executability is a means for, at development time, simulating/testing models and thus making them compliant with requirements. At runtime, persistent models bring added values like the monitoring and control of applications through the observation of the active states, the guards which hold true, the occurring events... This paper on purpose presents a Java-based execution engine for the UML State Machine Diagrams. In order to incorporate this UML interpreter into MDA tools, the execution semantics of the UML State Machine Diagrams is first analyzed and next disambiguated. Execution semantics choices are thus proposed and justified accordingly. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.