Generic Navigation of Model-Based Development Artefacts

Abstract

To describe the characteristics of complex software systems, model-driven engineering (MDE) advocates the use of different modeling languages and multiple views. These models are typically organized in a nested structure or grouped according to some criteria. A modeller needs to navigate this structure to understand and modify the system under development. This paper introduces a navigation bar that visually indicates to the modeller the place of a model in that structure. Furthermore, a generic navigation mechanism facilitates navigation within a model and from one model to other linked models potentially expressed in a different language. We present a navigation metamodel that a language designer can use to enhance a modelling language at the metamodel level with our generic navigation capabilities.