Overview of Java MDA components

What is an MDA component?

An MDA component is a coherent set of information, used to extend UML concepts to a particular domain, either business or technical.

The main objective of an MDA component is to group together expert knowledge on a specific domain, so as to allow the easy and efficient diffusion of this knowledge within the context of a project.

MDA components are made up of information allowing an application developer to master a particular usage context, and provide user documentation and technical documentation allowing their extension or use.

MDA components also contain information concerning their version and the services they provide, as well as the different components they use. This information is used in their assembly.

Like software components, MDA components are autonomous elements, which can be deployed in the UML Modeler tool.

What is a Java MDA component?

MDA Modeler provides you with two possibilities for creating MDA components:

· Creation of so-called Java MDA components, which are developed in the Java language.

· Creation of so-called J MDA components, which are developed using the J language, a dedicated language that supports navigation and selection features similar to those provided by the OCL standard language.

This chapter describes the development of Java MDA components. For information on J MDA component development, please see "Overview of J MDA components".

Different types of Java MDA component

Java MDA components can be categorized into the following main categories:

· Technological: These Java MDA components provide the user with a set of basic services linked to a specific target, for example “EJB MDA Component”. Code generation and architectural pattern support is typically provided by this type of MDA component, which is often used by other MDA components to provide extended global solutions.

· Methodological: These Java MDA components provide users with a set of technical or functional MDA components, implemented within a dedicated context and for which a “process” has been defined. This type of component typically supports the creation of diagrams according to a specific type, the creation of documents according to a specific format, dedicated consistency checks and model patterns.

· Business: These Java MDA components provide dedicated support of a given application domain, where the development of business-specific models, relative to specific know-how, is assisted and checked.

MDA components and MDA Modeler

MDA Modeler provides a set of services used to support Java MDA components in development projects. These services let you create new Java MDA components and model their contents, before testing, compiling and packaging them for subsequent use in UML Modeler.

Working with Java MDA components

MDA Modeler provides a dedicated framework for modeling Java MDA components. This framework is detailed in “Creating a Java MDA component”.

The various steps involved in the building of an MDA component are described in the following sections of the current chapter of this user guide:

· The creation of a Java MDA component

· The creation of profile parameters

· The creation of parameter instances

· The creation of commands

· The creation of contextual menus

· The creation of property pages

· The testing and compiling of a Java MDA component

· The packaging and deploying of a Java MDA component

· The modification of a Java MDA component

Java API

Information on the Java API used to develop MDA components in Java is available in Javadoc form. This Javadoc is located in the MDA Modeler resources in your Objecteering installation path ($OBJING_PATH/mdaplugs/MDAModeler/x.x/doc).