Model driven engineering

Overview of model driven engineering

Model driven engineering is based on complete generation of declarative code from the UML model. Marked zones are inserted into the generated Java code. Each of these zones corresponds to a note that can be added to the model. Application code (virtually reduced to the programming of operations) is written in these marked zones with the aid of an external editor or an IDE. Once the zones have been completed, their contents can be transferred back into the model in the form of corresponding notes. This operation can be carried out as many times as possible.

The model driven engineering mode does not, therefore, involve reverse engineering. All "declarative" modifications, such as, for example, the addition of a new attribute, are in fact model modifications and as such must be carried out within Objecteering, before subsequently regenerating the code.

Objecteering can work with Eclipse in either Round Trip Engineering (RTE) or Model Driven Engineering (MDE) mode. The default functioning mode is the RTE mode.

When configuring the Java Developer MDA component, it is possible to constrain the round trip (RTE) mode, in order to adopt an MDA_TM (Model Driven Architecture) approach, the Model Driven Engineering mode, where the model is the reference in the evolution of the software code.

Markers in the model driven engineering mode

The markers generated in MDE mode are used to indicate the source code modification rules, in order not to modify the structure of the initial model.

If the source code is modified outside of these markers, the modification is not taken into account and is not transferred into the model. The next time Java code is generated for the generation work product artifact, the modification will be lost.

Markers generated in MDE mode