MAD: an Eclipse plugin for EMF model edition. MAD is a tool that was created to replace the standard properties view in order to make model editing easier. It allows using a configuration to provide custom edition form for each type of item to edit. MAD doesn't require code generation and any configuration change is applied immediately.

1. SYSORD - Model Aggregator eDitor – Fabien Vignal – Philippe Palau – Stephan Montagnes 1
MAD
Model Aggregator eDitor
Fabien Vignal – Philippe Palau
Http://www.sysord.com

2. SYSORD - Model Aggregator eDitor – Fabien Vignal – Philippe Palau – Stephan Montagnes 2
Who Are We ?
Software Engineer
SYSORD
- Small company (3 person-strong) located in Roquefort (FR12)
- Eclipse, RCP, Java, J2EE
- Software development for the food industry
Interested in MDA and development automation
Empirical approach before using EMF

3. SYSORD - Model Aggregator eDitor – Fabien Vignal – Philippe Palau – Stephan Montagnes 3
Motivation
Daily use of EMF / UML modelers
Properties view :
- Not very user friendly
- Not always adapted to user needs

4. SYSORD - Model Aggregator eDitor – Fabien Vignal – Philippe Palau – Stephan Montagnes 4
What Would Be Nice ...
An input form with adapted widgets
Properties adapted to user needs
Revised form design
Simple navigation between elements

5. SYSORD - Model Aggregator eDitor – Fabien Vignal – Philippe Palau – Stephan Montagnes 5
MAD :Model Aggregator
eDitor
Video MAD for UML Model (http://youtu.be/ACFS6ajAsV8)

6. SYSORD - Model Aggregator eDitor – Fabien Vignal – Philippe Palau – Stephan Montagnes 6
MAD Concepts (Configuration)
Use of metamodels
Description of views
- Template by EClassifier
- Includes configurable widgets
- Values obtained using queries
Reuse of templates :
- Inheritance (implicit / explicit)
- Composition
Configuration changes immediately applied :
- No code
- No generation

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MAD Concepts (Edit / Save)
Editing of the selected element
Property modification using widgets
Value validation before update
Two types of model
- Main model
- Foreign model
MAD only saves foreign models

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Architecture
Service-oriented architecture
Three main plugins
- API : interfaces (services / objects)
- Core : implementations
- UI : Eclipse view implementation

9. SYSORD - Model Aggregator eDitor – Fabien Vignal – Philippe Palau – Stephan Montagnes 9
Core
Main Services :
- View Builder
- Configuration Manager
- Model Access Object
- Query Evaluation Service
Core provides default service implementations
Any service can be replaced or customised

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User Interface (UI)
Uses Core to get the model for the view
Eclipse view (SWT)
Customisation :
- ViewBuilder et WidgetBuilder extensions
- New custom widgets
- New UI library target : (JavaFX / HTML)

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Technology Used
Eclipse
Xtext (configuration editor + DSL)
SWT + FormToolKit / Eclipse view
Query evaluators :
- OCL
- Acceleo
EMF Adapters (Model synchronization)
Dependency injection with Guice

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Queries (I)
Queries
"authors" no language defined, OCL by default
language:ACCELEO call authorsOfSeveralBooks() Acceleo Query call
language:MAD "CREATE('books')" MAD function to create a new book
Query chains
Query Chain {
"books->last()",
language: ACCELEO call authorMultiBook(),
"first()"
}

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Queries (II)
Subqueries
eContainer().oclAsType(Library).books->select(pages > [pages])->isEmpty()
The first 'pages' refers to the books in the iteration. '[pages]' is evaluated before the
iteration and corresponds to the number of pages of the book.
Contextual Variables
$CONTEXT, $VALUE, $UIVALUE, $MODEL … usable variables for queries.
$UIVALUE > 10 and $UIVALUE < 10000
Validation rule of a numerical widget's value
Need for evaluator monitoring

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MAD in Action
The Tinylibrary model

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tinylibrary.mad Configuration
MAD base configuration import
Tinylibrary metamodel import

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Widgets
Set of configurable widgets
InputWidgets :
- Text, Numeric, Date, Boolean
- ComboBox, List, PickList (popup or embedded)
- Embedded Xtext editor
OutputWidget
NavigationWidget
FlexibleWidget
Command
Extendable by customised implementation

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First Configuration (I)
//------------------------------------------
// MAD configuration for Tiny library model
//------------------------------------------
//MAD base configuration import
import "platform:/resource/mad.configuration/config.mad"
//Tiny library Ecore metamodel import
import
"platform:/plugin/com.sysord.mad.demo.tinylibrary/model/tinylibrary.ecore"
//Configuration for a Book element
Configuration BOOK for tinylibrary.Book {
template:
//Textbox widget for editing title property
widget:Title //the widget id
label:"Title" //widget label
type:TEXT_WIDGET //display a text widget
value:"title" //Ocl query for getting the 'title' property from the book.
}

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First Configuration (II)

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Simple Widgets
Configuration BOOK for tinylibrary.Book {
//Format expression for all Book elements Label computing
//queries between [] are evaluated parts.
label provider:"Book: [title]"
template:
...
//Number input widget
widget:Pages
label:"Pages"
type:NUMBER_WIDGET
value:"pages"
//Date input widget
widget:PublicationDate
label:"Publication date"
type:DATE_WIDGET
value:"published"
//Checkbox widget
widget:Damaged
label:"Is damaged"
type:BOOL_WIDGET
value:"damaged"
}

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List Widgets
List content (candidates) provided by queries
//Configuration for a Book element
Configuration BOOK for tinylibrary.Book {
...
//Combo widget
widget:Category
label:"Category"
type:SINGLE_SELECT_WIDGET
value:"category":tinylibrary.BookCategory
//OCL query for filling combo
candidates:"BookCategory.allInstances()"
//Popup PickList widget
widget:Authors
//Dynamic label value
label:"[authors->size()] authors"
type:MULTI_SELECT_WIDGET:POPUP_PICKLIST
value:"authors"
//Populate the list with candidates query results
candidates:"eContainer().oclAsType(Library).writers"
item label:"[name]"
}

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Navigation Widget
List of links to detail view of a selected element
Double-click to access detail element
Click on the left arrow to return
//Configuration for the Library element
Configuration LIBRARY for tinylibrary.Library {
template:
//Navigation for accessing Book detail
widget:BooksNavigation
label:"Books"
type:NAVIGATION_WIDGET
candidates:"books"
}

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Output Widget
Display read-only values
Elementary properties or computed values
Configuration BOOK for tinylibrary.Book {
...
//Output text
widget:avgPage
label:"Pages by author"
type:OUTPUTTEXT_WIDGET
//conditional visibility
visible when:"not authors->isEmpty()"
//Compute pages average by authors.
value:"(pages / authors->size())"
//value converter from double to string.
valueConverter:DOUBLE
}

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Flexible Widget (I)
//Configuration for a person element (abstract)
Configuration Abstract_PERSON for tinylibrary.Person {
label provider:"[name]"
template:
widget:Name
...
widget:FirstName
...
widget:LastName
...
}
//Configuration for a Writer element.
//(extends implicitly Person configuration)
Configuration WRITER for tinylibrary.Writer {
template:
widget:Books
label:"Books"
type:FLEXIBLE_WIDGET
//include Book template for each writen book
value:"books"
}

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Flexible Widget (II)
Selection of the template to use for the flexible elements
//Alternative configuration for a Book element
Configuration BOOK_SHORT for tinylibrary.Book {
//Explicit extension
extends: BOOK //Reuse the BOOK template
template:
//Display only those widgets
layout: Isbn Title
}
Configuration WRITER for tinylibrary.Writer {
template:
widget:Books
label:"Books"
type:FLEXIBLE_WIDGET
//Use the BOOK_SHORT template
//for book detail.
flexible template: BOOK_SHORT
value:"books"
}

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Command
//Icon declaration
Use icon DELETE_ICON URI:"platform:/resource/mad.configuration/icons/delete-icon_16.png"
//Shared command declaration
Common Command DELETE_ELEMENT_COMMAND {
ITEM_COMMAND
"Delete item" //Command label
icon:DELETE_ICON //Image for the command button
//launch the DELETE MAD Macro for deleting selected item
action: language:MAD "DELETE()"
on success: Reload view
}
Configuration LIBRARY for tinylibrary.Library {
template:
widget:BooksNavigation
label:"Books"
type:NAVIGATION_WIDGET
candidates:"books"
commands:
//Inner command for creating a new book
GLOBAL_COMMAND "New Book"
action: language:MAD "CREATE([OCL:'books'])"
//after creation displays view
//for the created item: the command RESULT.
on success: Display view for "$RESULT",
//Use shared command with label override
DELETE_ELEMENT_COMMAND("Delete the selected book.")
}

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Other Widgets
- Xtext embedded editor
- Custom Widgets
- HTML Link
- Google Map widget
Demonstration video for the first version of MAD:
MAD and Xtext (http://youtu.be/ShoLi5XoQOw)
MAD is customizable (http://youtu.be/2NTAP--Hi1I)

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« Layout »
Widgets distribution by tab
Display order selection
//tab declaration
UI Tab {
id:WRITEN_BOOKS
label:"Writen books"
}
Configuration WRITER for tinylibrary.Writer {
template:
widget:Books
//the widget will be diplayed
//on the WRITEN_BOOKS tab
tab:WRITEN_BOOKS
label:"Books"
type:FLEXIBLE_WIDGET
flexible template: BOOK_SHORT
value:"books"
//widgets display order definition
layout: LastName FirstName Name Books
}

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Validators
Validation based on rules
Configuration BOOK for tinylibrary.Book {
…
//Number input widget
widget:Pages
label:"Pages"
type:NUMBER_WIDGET
value:"pages"
validators:
//Validation: pages widget must be filled
//and its value between 10 and 10000
validation rule:
"not $UIVALUE.oclIsUndefined()"
I18N Error message:"REQUIRED_VALUE"
validation rule:
"$UIVALUE > 10 and $UIVALUE < 10000"
I18N Error message:"VALUE_OUT_OF_RANGE[10][10000]"
…
}

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Layers
Filter and aggregate information by domain
« Layers » are hierarchical and stackable
//Layers configuration
Layer INFO_LAYER {
label:"All Information"
Sub layers {
Layer BASIC {label:"Basic information"}
Layer DETAILED{label:"Additional information"}
}
}
Layer STATISTICS_LAYER {
label:"Statistics"
Sub layers {
Layer AUTHOR{label:"Authors statistics"}
Layer BOOKS{label:"Books statistics"}
}
}
Configuration BOOK_SHORT for tinylibrary.Book {
...
widget:Pages
//available only in books statistics layer
layers: STATISTICS_LAYER.BOOKS
...
//Output text
widget:avgPage
//available in the two layers
layers:STATISTICS_LAYER.BOOKS,
STATISTICS_LAYER.AUTHOR
label:"Pages by author"
...
}

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Other Functionalities
I18N : for all labels and messages
Referentials : Queries, Commands, Constants
Multimodel edition (decoration and extension)
- Extension manager
- Model Synchronisation

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Use Cases
MDE/MDA approach with Eclipse
RAD approach : editor creation with a user
Identical edition whatever the modeler used
Domain specific commands

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Conclusion
MAD is functional
Used by Sysord for all modelling works
(UML, etc …)
Ongoing evolutions : queries compilator
(performance optimisation)

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Perspectives
Queries creation wizards
CDO for multi-user mode
MAD configuration generator
MAD plugins generator
Multimedia element edition
sound, images, videos, Charts and Graph
Eclipse4, JavaFX

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Merci