Messir: a text-first DSL-based approach for UML requirements engineering (tool demo)

Abstract

This tool paper presents the design and tool-support of Messir, an approach centered on textual domain-specific languages supported by our open-source UML requirements engineering tool, named Excalibur. The novelty of our approach is the actual integration in a single workbench (Excalibur) of textual DSLs richly covering the requirements and analysis phases, i.e. improved use-cases, environment, conceptual and operations models; and the read-only visualisation of the requirements with UML-compliant views; and the generation of scientific requirements analysis documents in LATEX; and the formal simulation of test cases requirements. We designed our Messir language, with a grammar-based approach generating a textual editor, using the XText framework as an Eclipse plugin. Messir DSL’s static semantics is defined as a set of validation rules guiding end-users through the requirements analysis phase. Messir DSL’s semantics is given as a semi-automatic translation to prolog code. We also generate, from the requirements model elements, read-only graphical views (using the Sirius eclipse plugin) as well as a complete requirements analysis document in LATEX. This approach and tool have been used as a requirements engineering educational tool in several bachelor and master semesters.