Chapter 5 - Generating Rewrite Theories from UML Collaborations

Abstract

This chapter presents an executable model for collaborations and interactions of the Unified Modeling Language as a rewriting logic theory in CafeOBJ. The Unified Modeling Language comprises a notion of interaction modeling, called collaborations, and simultaneously features a sound abstract syntax and a rich and detailed, though informal, semantics for this concept. However, the transfer of known simulation results is limited by some semantical deviations and the integration of new characteristics. In an UML model, collaborations specify how an operation or a use case of the model is realized by a cooperation of several instances of model elements. Therefore this chapter proposes an executable formal model for UML collaborations that is directly based on UML's abstract syntax and provably correct with respect to the temporal logic semantics of interactions, thus yielding simulation capabilities for UML's specific notion of interaction modeling. The chapter uses rewriting logic dimension of the algebraic specification language CafeOBJ, as a semantic framework that allows for a unified treatment of object-orientation and concurrency. Moreover, it summarizes UML collaboration's concrete and abstract syntax and the formal semantics of UML interactions in temporal logic. This chapter also describes the generation of a CafeOBJ specification from UML collaboration along with the correctness proof for the generated rewrite theory with respect to the temporal logic specification of the collaboration's interaction. The chapter concludes conclude with an outlook to possible refinements and extensions.