A model transformation framework for domain specific languages: An approach using UML and attribute-oriented programming

This paper proposes a new model-driven framework that allows developers to model and program domain-specific concepts (ideas and mechanisms specific to a particular business or technology domain) and to transform them toward the final (compilable) source code. The proposed framework provides an abstraction to represent domain-specific concepts at both modeling and programming layers by leveraging the notions of UML and attribute-oriented programming. At the modeling layer, domain-specific concepts are represented as a Domain Specific Model (DSM), which is a set of UML 2.0 diagrams. At the programming layer, domain-specific concepts are represented as a Domain Specific Code (DSC), which consists of program elements and attributes associated with them. The proposed framework transforms domain-specific concepts from the modeling layer to programming layer, and vise versa, by providing a seamless mapping between DSMs and DSCs. The proposed framework transforms a DSM and DSC into a more detailed model and program that specialize in a particular implementation and deployment technologies. Finally, the framework combines the specialized DSM and DSC, and generates the final (compilable) source code. This paper describes the design and implementation of the proposed framework, and discusses how the framework can improve the productivity to implement domain-specific concepts.