A quick overview of Epsilon

1. Dimitris Kolovos, Louis Rose
Richard Paige, Nikos Matragkas,
@dskolovos, @louismrose, @richpaige, @nmatragkas
Enterprise SystemsGroup
Department of Computer Science, University ofYork
Epsilon: Practical MDE
with Eclipse/EMF

2. What is MDE?

3. Model Driven Engineering
 Promotes models to first-class artefacts
 More than documentation
 Live entities that are amenable to automated
processing
 Validation, transformation, comparison, merging,
refactoring, code generation etc.

4. Models ≠ UML diagrams
 UML is just one modelling language
 Most domains have different
abstractions/semantics
 Domain Specific Languages (DSLs)
 Models ≠ Pictures
 Models can be graphical or textual
 ... or both

5. What is ?

6. Eclipse Modeling Project
 Top-level project of Eclipse
 Open-source project
 Provides tool-support for building Domain
Specific modelling languages (DSLs)
 UML is just another DSL
 Backed by major IT companies
 IBM
 SAP
 Borland

7. Eclipse Modeling Project
 Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF)
 Specify abstract syntax of DSLs
 EMF ≈ XML++
 Graphical Modeling Framework (GMF)
 Graphical editors for EMF DSLs
 Xtext
 Textual editors for EMF DSLs
 EMFCompare
 Comparison and version management of EMF
models

8. What is ?

9. : a family of
integrated programming
languages for managing
EMF and other types
of models

10.  Mature project
 Under Eclipse.org
since 2006
 Well-documented
 Examples, articles,
screencasts, book
 Substantial user base
 > 3.5K posts in the
forum

11. before epsilon...

12. Languages for MDE
 Inconsistent syntaxes
 Different dialects of OCL
 Different ways to perform model
navigation/modification
 End up writing the same code in many languages
 Poor integration and interoperation
 E.g. validation -> M2M -> M2T
 Recurrence of bugs / missing features

13. Example: Checking for
a UML stereotype

14. OCL (Model validation)
package uml
context Element
def Operations:
let hasStereotype(s : String) : Boolean
= getAppliedStereotypes()->
exists(st | st.name = s)
endpackage

15. ATL (M2M Transformation)
helper context UML2!Element def :
hasStereotype(s : String): Boolean
self.getAppliedStereotypes()
->exists(st | st.name = s);

16. MOFScript (Code Generation)
uml.Element::
hasStereotype(s : String): Boolean {
result = self.getAppliedStereotypes()
->exists(st | st.name = s);
}

17. Languages for MDE

18. Architecture of

19. Features
 Task-specific languages for a range
of MDE tasks
 All languages have consistent syntaxes
 Can manage models from different
metamodels / modelling technologies
 Can call methods of Java objects
 Tight integration with EMF and GMF
 Eclipse-based development tools
 Editors, Launching facilities

20. Epsilon Object Language
Play with EOL in your browser:
www.eclipse.org/epsilon/live

21. Epsilon Generation Language

22. Epsilon Transformation Language

23. Epsilon Validation Language

24. 2.Tools

25. Epsilon Tools

26. Epsilon Tools
 EuGENia
 Front-end that simplifies the development of GMF
editors
 Workflow
 ANT tasks for composing chains of
transformations
 HUTN
 Implementation of the OMG Human Usable
Textual Notation

27. Epsilon Tools
 Exeed
 Customizable tree-based EMF model editor
 Modelink
 Multi-panel editor for model weaving
 Concordance
 EMF model integrity management

28. EuGENia GMF front-end

29.  Download
 www.eclipse.org/epsilon
 Documentation
 www.eclipse.org/epsilon/doc
 www.eclipse.org/epsilon/doc/eugenia
 Screencasts
 www.eclipse.org/epsilon/cinema
 Twitter: @epsilonews