A methodological framework to enable the generation of code from DSML in SPL

Software Product Line has acquired a significant momentum at the end of the 1990ies since it allows the production of variable software systems corresponding to the same domain portfolio. The effectiveness of the derivation process depends on how well variability is defined and implemented which is a crucial topic area that was addressed among two essential trends: On the one hand, starting from Domain Specific Modelling Language to express domain requirements and automate the code generation with Model-Driven Engineering techniques and on the second hand, exploiting the soar of variability mechanisms.

In this context, the current research presents a method that unifies the two aforementioned approaches to cover the overall strategies by defining a framework that allows a better code generation in terms of documentation, maintainability, rapidity,etc. The starting point is the usage of the Domain Specific Modelling Language to represent the stakeholders requirements. Then, the resulting meta-model will be converted into one our several Feature Diagrams on which variability mechanisms can be applied to generate all the family products.

A preliminary experiment has been undertaken to design the methodology of the proposed software factory in a meta-model. The validation task was evaluated with an academic use case called HandiWeb developed to facilitate handicap persons access to the internet. The first results allow us to put the hand on the key challenges that must be resolved by the proposed methodology.