SEKE 2012 Proceedings - Knowledge Systems Institute

Figure 1, a metamodel defines an XM L message
(Project_Root) that consists of atomic (Child) and/or composite
(Parent) XML elements. Each element may contain 0..*
attributes (Attributes) and 0..1 value ( Tag_Text within Parent
and Child). operation is a connection type in GM E that are
used to define the relationship between Elements. For example,
the six new feature relationships are described as follows:
• Fold implies that the source of the connection becomes the
parent of the destination. Suppose that if the first to-begenerated
message (i.e., core asset) looks like:
Fold will also concurrently generate a second m essage
shown as follows, if the connection is applied from A to B:
Fold can be also applied to a chain of elements such as A -
B-C-D. Then will embed , , and then in a
hierarchical manner.
Figure 1. The metamodel.
• Inverse is the opposite of Fold – the destination of a
connection becomes the parent of the source of the
connection.
• Add (called Add_Remove when dealing w ith attributes)
implies that the elem ent that is m issing in the first to-begenerated
message will appear in the second to-begenerated
message. For example, if the first to-begenerated
message looks like:
and if the second to-be-generated message looks like:
This can be specified by adding extra elements and
at the desired levels and connecting them by Add.
• Remove implies that an elem ent appears in the first to-begenerated
message should be removed in the second to -begenerated
message.
• Make_Tag is similar to Add but applied to Attributes. If the
first to-be-generated message is as follows:
and the second to-be-generated message looks like:
V2
Make_Tag can be applied to A2 with false value so that A2
becomes an element in the second to-be-generated message.
Additionally, these new feature relationships can also work
together. For example, suppose the first to-be-generated
message is the same as the firs t to-be-generated message
described in Fold, and the second to-be-generated message is
as follows:
It means that w ill require tw o kinds of connections:
self-connects Add to itself; and connects two Folds
to and to .
In addition to the extensions, Type in Figure 1 defines
FODA relationship among Elements in an XM L tree structure.
Namely, Types are used t o specify FODA’s mandatory,
optional, one-of, and more-of feature relationships. If an XM L
element selects m andatory/optional, it m eans that the elem ent
is mandatory/optional to its parent/com posing XML element.
Similarly, if a set of XML elements with the same parent XML
element selects one-of/more-of, one/more of the elem ents will
be selected to construct a product line.
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