GMFEvolution

The Eclipse Graphical Modeling (GMF) Framework provides the major approach for developing visual editors on top of the Eclipse platform. This is a model-driven development approach where a domain model and additional GMF models need to be authored, and GMF’s generators and model-to-model transformations (wizards) are to be applied.

The framework, as it stands, provides very little support for evolution. In particular, there is no support for progating changes from say the domain model to other models. In the SLE2010 paper the resulting co-evolution challenge is analized, and a solution (called GMFEvolution) in the form of automated model-to-model transformations, say GMF model adapters is provided. It serves the propagation of domain-model changes based on the interpretation of difference models (see the figure below).

The framework, as it stands, provides very little support for evolution. In particular, there is no support for progating changes from say the domain model to other models. In the SLE2010 paper the resulting co-evolution challenge is analized, and a solution (called GMFEvolution) in the form of automated model-to-model transformations, say GMF model adapters is provided. It serves the propagation of domain-model changes based on the interpretation of difference models (see the figure below).

 

A prototypical implementation of the approach is available for download here and the interested reader can have a look at this screencast.