MODELS 2022
Sun 23 - Fri 28 October 2022 Montréal, Canada
Wed 26 Oct 2022 14:37 - 15:00 at A-5502.1 - Model Management Chair(s): Ileana Ober

We present a template composition mechanism and its typing and instantiation algorithms for model-driven low-code development environments. We evolve OSTRICH a rich template language for the OutSystems platform to support nested templates. We allow the instantiation (hatching) of templates in the definition of other templates, thus significantly increasing the potential for code reuse leading to a safer evolution of applications. The present definition seamlessly extends the existing OutSystems metamodel with template constructs expressed by (innocuous) model annotations, thus maintaining backward compatibility with the existing language toolchain. We present the metamodel, its annotations, and the corresponding validation and instantiation algorithms. In particular, we introduce a type-based validation procedure that ensures that using a template inside a template produces valid models.

Our presentation is driven by a running example that starts with an application illustrating a common code pattern, a screen displaying a database table. We progressively use compositions of focused templates that generalise the pattern making the code modular and reusable. The initial application, and its variants, can be readily instantiated by using the presented template composition mechanism.

The work is validated and compared to the state of the art using the OSTRICH benchmark. Our prototype is an extension of the OutSystems IDE allowing the annotation of models and their use to produce new models. We also analyse which existing OutSystems sample screens templates can be improved by using and sharing nested templates.

Wed 26 Oct

Displayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change

13:30 - 15:00
Model ManagementJournal-first / Technical Track at A-5502.1
Chair(s): Ileana Ober University of Toulouse
13:30
22m
Talk
Accelerating Similarity-Based Model Matching Using On-The-Fly Similarity Preserving HashingFT
Technical Track
Xiao He University of Science and Technology Beijing, China, Letian Tang School of Computer and Communication Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Yutong Li School of Computer and Communication Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing
13:52
22m
Talk
An efficient line-based approach for resolving merge conflicts in XMI-based modelsJ1st
Journal-first
Alfonso de la Vega Universidad de Cantabria, Dimitris Kolovos University of York
Link to publication
14:15
22m
Talk
A generic approach to detect design patterns in model transformations using a string-matching algorithmJ1st
Journal-first
Chihab eddine Mokaddem DIRO, Université de Montréal, Houari Sahraoui Université de Montréal, Eugene Syriani Université de Montréal
Link to publication
14:37
22m
Talk
Nested OSTRICH: Hatching Compositions of Low-code TemplatesP&I
Technical Track
João Costa Seco NOVA LINCS -- Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Hugo Lourenço OutSystems SA, Joana Baptista Parreira NOVA University of Lisbon, Carla Ferreira NOVA University Lisbon