Multi-paradigm Architecture Constraint Specification and Configuration Based on Graphs and Feature Models

Abstract

Currently, architecture constraints can be specified and checked in different paradigms of software development, the object-oriented, componentbased and service-based one. But the current state of the art and practice do not consider their specification at a high level of abstraction, independently from any paradigm vocabulary. We propose in this paper a process combining graphs and feature modeling to specify multiparadigm architecture constraints. These constraints are expressed with OCL on a particular meta-model of graphs. Then these constraints can be transformed to any chosen paradigm, after their configuration using a feature/variability model. This transformation allows later to handle these constraints in that (chosen) paradigm: to refine them, to generate source code from them, and to check them on models and on source code. A case study is presented in this paper; it concerns architecture constraint specification and configuration under software migration from the object-oriented to the component-based paradigm.