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From a freeform graphics tool to a repository based modeling tool

Published: 23 August 2010 Publication History

Abstract

Traditional software modeling tools are rigid and formal. There is no support for, e.g. freeform sketching that does not conform to the used meta-model, and hence, a lot of the actual modeling work gets done with other methods. Modeling tools are used merely for documenting the work later on, which is not economical. There is a need for flexible modeling tools that support the modeling in earlier phases of the work by allowing more freeform and informal descriptions as a part of the model. Tools like spreadsheets, word processing tools, and vector graphics tools are commonly used in software development. In this paper, we consider an approach where such a tool is enhanced with modeling support, in order to gain better support for the actual modeling work. We also show how we have created a graphical repository based case tool by using Microsoft Visio, and conclude the approach to be practical.

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Cited By

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  • (2024)How are informal diagrams used in software engineering? An exploratory study of open-source and industrial practicesSoftware and Systems Modeling10.1007/s10270-024-01252-3Online publication date: 20-Dec-2024
  • (2018)Improving model usability and utility by layered diagramsProceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Modelling in Software Engineering10.1145/3193954.3193958(59-66)Online publication date: 27-May-2018
  • (2010)8th Nordic Workshop on Model-Driven Software Engineering (NW-MODE 2010)Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on Software Architecture: Companion Volume10.1145/1842752.1842799(243-244)Online publication date: 23-Aug-2010

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cover image ACM Other conferences
ECSA '10: Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on Software Architecture: Companion Volume
August 2010
367 pages
ISBN:9781450301794
DOI:10.1145/1842752
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Publication History

Published: 23 August 2010

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Author Tags

  1. flexible tool support
  2. freeform graphics
  3. modeling

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ECSA '10
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ECSA '10: 4th European Conference on Software Architecture
August 23 - 26, 2010
Copenhagen, Denmark

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Cited By

View all
  • (2024)How are informal diagrams used in software engineering? An exploratory study of open-source and industrial practicesSoftware and Systems Modeling10.1007/s10270-024-01252-3Online publication date: 20-Dec-2024
  • (2018)Improving model usability and utility by layered diagramsProceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Modelling in Software Engineering10.1145/3193954.3193958(59-66)Online publication date: 27-May-2018
  • (2010)8th Nordic Workshop on Model-Driven Software Engineering (NW-MODE 2010)Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on Software Architecture: Companion Volume10.1145/1842752.1842799(243-244)Online publication date: 23-Aug-2010

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