We present our Eclipse-based IDE for POOSL (Parallel Object-Oriented Specification Language), which is an expressive industry-proven modeling language with a formal semantics to describe both structure and concurrent, real-time and stochastic behavior; see http://poosl.esi.nl/. In this talk we focus in particular on the integration of textual (Xtext) and graphical (Sirius) editing. We discuss our experiences based on the challenges we have encountered, the design decisions we have made, and some open issues.

1. POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
Koen Staal and Arjan Mooij
SiriusCon, 15th November 2016
Integrating Textual and
Graphical Editing

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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POOSL background
• Parallel Object Oriented Specification Language (POOSL)
- Graphical and textual syntax
- Expressive, industrially-proven modelling language with formal semantics
- Describe structure and concurrent, real-time and stochastic behavior
• Eindhoven University of Technology
- Original development of the language
- (Smalltalk based POOSL editor and simulator)
- C++ based POOSL simulator
• Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
- Successful applications in the high-tech industry
- Eclipse based POOSL IDE (using the C++ based simulator)

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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POOSL: Architecture
• Program-like text
• UML-like graphical diagrams
- Class diagram
- Composite structure diagram

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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POOSL: Behavior
• Program-like text
• UML-like graphical diagrams
- Class diagram
- Composite structure diagram
Validation for early fault detection:
• Errors:
• Cyclic relations (inheritance, containment)
• …
• Warnings:
• Static type-checking (partial)
• Message mismatch per channel
• …

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Application: Architecture/requirements validation
(physical views)(functional views)

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Application: Performance analysis of systems
TRACE (for Gantt charts)
(http://trace.esi.nl/)

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Implementation of POOSL IDE

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Implementation of POOSL IDE
• Used Eclipse technologies:
- EMF internal model and indexer
- Xtext textual editors and validators
- Sirius graphical editors and viewers
- Launch Framework interactive debugger
• Integration combines the strengths of the different syntaxes:
- Textual syntax: leading artifacts, editing of all model details
- Graphical syntax: optional views, overview and model creation
• Next topics:
- Tension between textual, graphical and EMF
- Integration of editing and dynamic overlays

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Drawing implicit elements

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Drawing implicit elements
Note: more than one Instance of the same InstantiableClass

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Drawing implicit elements
Note: more than one Instance of the same InstantiableClass

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Manage representations

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Sirius Content Management
• Inside Project Explorer
Hide validation icons from Xtext validation
 Currently we disable “Sirius Content Management”
- But we would like the possibility to manage representations…
Manage representations Expose EMF internals to textual users

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Navigation
• Opening a model:
- Double-click on the textual file  custom window to choose editor
• Navigate between different representation of elements (custom)
• Navigate via references (<F3>, <CTRL>-<click>, <double-click>)

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Problems with references

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Problems with references
• Deleting a referred element:
- Textual: validation will indicate broken references
- Graphical: all references must explicitly be removed
• Get name of referred element without accessing the element:
E.g., for displaying types of variables and parameters in a class diagram
Aim for scalability based on modular files, indexer, and on-demand loading
- Textual: use parse tree (NodeModel)
- Graphical: missing information (textual parse tree is not reliable)

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Problems with references
• Encoding of a reference to a target element:
- Name of the target element
• Textual view on the model [stored on disk] [visible by user]
• Parse tree (Xtext node model)
- URI of the target element
• Model (Ecore)
• Sirius representations.aird [stored on disk]
- Arrow to a graphical view of the element
• Graphical view on the model [visible by user]
We have eliminated all references
- Name approach feels natural, but is incompatible with URI / Arrow
- Custom implementation of navigate, rename, etc.

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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More problems with references
• Rename/reorder elements
• Rename/move/copy files/directories
- Textual: mostly works out of the box
- Graphical: diagrams loose track of the related model elements
• Target element URI in EMF based on:
- #Index (default): insensitive to rename, sensitive to reorder
- #Name (custom): sensitive to rename, insensitive to reorder
• Suggestions are very welcome!

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Graphical diagrams and the Launch Framework

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Graphical diagrams and the Launch Framework
Not based on SiriusBased on Sirius
 Diagrams are modified during (high-speed) execution

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POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Graphical diagrams and the Launch Framework
• Communication Diagram = Static structure + Dynamic overlay
• Static structure: Copied from a Composite Structure Diagram
- Linked to the same text file
- Locked (not modifiable) during execution
- Closed in case of modifications in the underlying model
• Dynamic overlay: Updated during execution
- Slows down the simulation
- GUI refresh rate is low
• But still useful for the user
- Add textual elements
• Message content and counters
- Connections:
• Highlighting and arrowheads

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Summary
• Integrating textual and graphical editing
- Basic integration works out-of-the-box
- Tension between textual, graphical and EMF
• Drawing implicit elements
• Manage representations
• Problems with references
- Integration of editing and dynamic overlays