PRMS Report

Abstract

• This report developes the idea of a visual graphical editor for Epsilon and the process of developing it.
• A fully working epsilon workflow builder and visualizer is also presented that helps users to compose Epsilon workflows and construct visual representations from textual ones.

Statement of Ethics

• Informal user survey for requirements.
• Formal user survey to evaluate the tool ?

Introduction

Motivation

• Why EWE ? What is the need ?
• Workflow inherently visual - flow of order of tasks.
• e.g. BPM tools all provide editors.
• MDE is essentially a sequence of steps from start to finish.
• Other model management languages, frameworks tools provide it as well. (Atlas, OpenAW, etc)
• Therefore Epsilon, needs one too.

Method

• Documents the process of building such a tool using MDE techniques and Epsilon itself.

Literature Review

• Introduce ALL concepts and technologies that are critical to understanding the tool.
• Model driven engineering - tasks involved. Tasks constitute a workflow.
• How does Epsilon handle it ? Internal architecture of Epsilon Workflow.
• ANT, Java Modules, Eclipse Launch configuration, Working outside Eclipse.
• Introduce idea of domain modeling. Separate the concern of design and architecture. This is the CORE idea.
• Eclipse EMF technologies.
• Eclipse graphical technologies GEF -> SWT, JFace.
• Eclipse GMF as a bridge between GEF and EMF.
• How GMF is Model based and Generative
• How it fits well for Epsilon since both are based on EMF.