A model-driven approach to variability management in product-line engineering

Abstract

Object-oriented frameworks play an essential role in the implementation of product-line architectures (PLAs) for product families. However, recent case studies reveal that deriving products from the shared software assets of a product-line is a time-consuming and expensive activity. In this paper, we present a model-driven approach for product derivation in framework-based product-lines. This approach aims to alleviate the aforementioned problems by bridging the gap between domain and application engineering activities in product-line-based development. Our approach is centered on a layered model embracing different artifacts ranging from models for conceptual and architectural variability to models for the realization of variation points. The approach provides mechanisms for enforcing the variation rules throughout the product derivation process and for documenting the variability issues in frameworks and the derived applications. We demonstate the approach using an existing Java GUI framework.