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T-Core: a framework for custom-built model transformation engines

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Abstract

A large number of model transformation languages and tools have emerged since the early 2000s. A transformation engineer is thus left with too many choices for the language he use to perform a specific transformation task. Furthermore, it is currently not possible to combine or reuse transformations implemented in different languages. We therefore propose T-Core, a framework where primitive transformation constructs can be combined to define and encapsulate reusable model transformation idioms. In this context, the transformation engineer is free to use existing transformation building blocks from an extensible library or define his own transformation units. The proposed primitive transformation operators are the result of deconstructing different existing transformation languages. Reconstructing these languages offers a common basis to compare their expressiveness, provides a framework for inter-operating them, and allows the transformation engineer to design transformations with the most appropriate constructs for the task at hand.

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Notes

  1. A sub-transformation can be considered as a transformation on its own. But when designed modularly, composing these transformations can lead to a more complex transformation.

  2. Alternatively, some languages require units with a pre-condition and a set of actions to perform.

  3. The bound pivot nodes are stored in globalPivots. But the matching may also assign pivots (useful for nested rules, as discussed later) and stores them in localPivots.

  4. Similarly, an implementation in C would be called C-T-Core or in Java would be called J-T-Core.

  5. As opposed to modeled software where no artifacts are hard-coded.

  6. Note that rule patterns are explicitly modeled by an automatically generated meta-model [34], where patterns and models are encoded as graphs.

  7. In fact, it is homomorphic since the added attribute constraints in the pattern graphs describe constraints on the attributes of the source graph.

  8. Because in \(\hbox {AToM}^3\), rules can involve many meta-models as e.g., in multi graph grammars [31].

  9. \(K\) is a graph in which the nodes and edges consist of all nodes or edges present in both LHS and RHS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

    Eugene Syriani & Brian LaShomb

  2. University of Antwerp, 2020 , Antwerp, Belgium

    Hans Vangheluwe

  3. McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Hans Vangheluwe

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  1. Eugene Syriani
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  2. Hans Vangheluwe
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Correspondence to Eugene Syriani.

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Communicated by Dr. Dániel Varró

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Syriani, E., Vangheluwe, H. & LaShomb, B. T-Core: a framework for custom-built model transformation engines. Softw Syst Model 14, 1215–1243 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-013-0370-4

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