Overview: Feature Modeling
Integrating openArchitectureWare with the pure::variants feature modeling tool.
The pure::variants feature modeling tool is a commercial tool for defining feature models and, based on this model, define variants. The tool is available from pure-systems. It is based on Eclipse, and thus integrates nicely with openArchitectureWare.
The view in (1) shows the definition of a feature model. It shows the hierarchy of features in a tree, the various icons define how legal subsets of these features ("variants") can be defined. In (2), such a variant is defined; the tool verifies that the variant is consistent with the constraints defined in (1). Of course, you can define any number of (valid) variants. The view (3) shows the properties of the currently selected feature.
(4) shows one aspect of the integration with openArchitectureWare. The currently selected variant in (2) is displayed with the oAW Eclipse plugin - just like any other model.
How to get it?
Currently it is available in the CVS see CVS Archive page, in the misc/pureVariantsMMGenerator directory.What is feature modeling?
Feature Modeling is an established technique for managing (complex) variants of products or software systems. It has been invented as part of the FODA method; a good description of the approach can be found in Krzysztof Czarnecki's and Ulrich Eiseneckers book on Generative Programming.The modelling tool
The pure::variants feature modeling tool is a commercial tool for defining feature models and, based on this model, define variants. The tool is available from pure-systems. It is based on Eclipse, and thus integrates nicely with openArchitectureWare.
The view in (1) shows the definition of a feature model. It shows the hierarchy of features in a tree, the various icons define how legal subsets of these features ("variants") can be defined. In (2), such a variant is defined; the tool verifies that the variant is consistent with the constraints defined in (1). Of course, you can define any number of (valid) variants. The view (3) shows the properties of the currently selected feature.
(4) shows one aspect of the integration with openArchitectureWare. The currently selected variant in (2) is displayed with the oAW Eclipse plugin - just like any other model.
What it does
- Based on the feature model (1), you can generate oAW metaclasses.
- Based on a variant (2), you can instantiate the respective metaclasses.
- Based on this model, you can generate code, just as from any other openArchitectureWare model.