Variability within Modeling Language Definitions
This work addresses the need for more precise management of variability in modeling languages, particularly for UML users, but it is incremental as it builds on existing concepts of language definition.
The paper tackles the problem of understanding and managing variability in modeling languages by presenting a taxonomy that classifies variability mechanisms based on syntax, semantics, and their mapping, and proposes a framework for documenting and customizing these variabilities, with a specific application to UML.
We present a taxonomy of the variability mechanisms offered by modeling languages. The definition of a formal language encompasses a syntax and a semantic domain as well as the mapping that relates them, thus language variabilities are classified according to which of those three pillars they address. This work furthermore proposes a framework to explicitly document and manage the variation points and their corresponding variants of a variable modeling language. The framework enables the systematic study of various kinds of variabilities and their interdependencies. Moreover, it allows a methodical customization of a language, for example, to a given application domain. The taxonomy of variability is explicitly of interest for the UML to provide a more precise understanding of its variation points.