UML-F: A Modeling Language for Object-Oriented Frameworks
This addresses the need for better modeling tools in software engineering for developers working with object-oriented frameworks, but it is incremental as it builds on standard UML mechanisms.
The paper introduces UML-F, a UML extension for modeling object-oriented frameworks, enabling explicit representation of framework variation points, and demonstrates its application through a case study in framework development.
The paper presents the essential features of a new member of the UML language family that supports working with object-oriented frameworks. This UML extension, called UML-F, allows the explicit representation of framework variation points. The paper discusses some of the relevant aspects of UML-F, which is based on standard UML extension mechanisms. A case study shows how it can be used to assist framework development. A discussion of additional tools for automating framework implementation and instantiation rounds out the paper.