Authors:
Rodrigo M. L. M. Moreira
and
Ana C. R. Paiva
Affiliation:
University of Porto, Portugal
Keyword(s):
Domain-specific Language, DSL Engineering, DSL Development, GUI Modeling, GUI Testing.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Constraint Modeling and Languages
;
Domain-Specific Modeling and Domain-Specific Languages
;
Languages, Tools and Architectures
;
Model-Driven Software Development
;
Software Engineering
;
Syntax and Semantics of Modeling Languages
Abstract:
Modeling and building software systems for a given specific domain is a complex task. Domain-Specific
Languages (DSLs) have been increasingly gaining attention because they are developed to cope with particularities
of specific domains. However, DSL development consists in a set of tasks to be performed and some
can be error-prone. Identifying the correct set of elements within a DSL and their constraints can be very
demanding. Alloy is a popular lightweight intuitive formal language with a simple notation that is easy to read
and write. When models of a DSL are specified using Alloy, it becomes possible to generate instances that
should represent valid models. So, this paper presents a generic innovative methodology using Alloy in DSL
engineering, in order to find and tune language constraints in a systematic way. It also presents an empirical
study illustrating the applicability of the proposed methodology.