SuMo: A Supportive Modeling Language Environment for Guided Model Transformations

Abstract

Adoption of model-driven software engineering is limited by the steep mastery curve of leading approaches and their associated technologies. To help combat this, we research and develop a supportive modeling language and environment, SuMo, that ensures modelers are able to produce valid models, model transformations, and generated artifacts in their development projects. SuMo includes a custom modeling language definition, a structure-and semantic-enforcing live modeling environment to support model creation, a transparent code generation engine that includes model element mapping to better integrate modeling and programming languages, and a guided model-to-model transformation engine to help users through the complex task of transformation specification. Each of these guided approaches to model design and transformation development are included in a single, web-based, environment to avoid complex configurations, which often cause issues for novice developers. We conduct a systematic evaluation that assesses SuMo’s code generation and model-to-model transformation processes independently. We conclude that both types of model transformations developed using SuMo produce valid and correct outputs in all cases.