Visual Modeling Language Extension Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing visual modeling languages lack mechanisms to ensure proper extension of modeling language entities, leading to inconsistent user interfaces and potential misuse by developers, as they do not enforce necessary implementation conditions, resulting in poorly designed applications.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an integrated development environment that selectively provides support for extending modeling language entities based on predefined conditions, ensuring that extensions are properly implemented by requiring necessary elements and preventing incomplete implementations, thus enforcing user interface and branding guidelines for consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If developers are allowed to freely extend modeling language entities without restrictions, then the adaptability and versatility of the modeling language increases, but the consistency and quality of user interfaces deteriorates due to lack of enforcement of implementation conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent defines and enforces implementation conditions beforehand for extending modeling language entities. The system预先 specifies what conditions must be met when extending entities like scenarios, interactors, or services, ensuring that any extension maintains UI consistency before the extension is actually created.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to developers about whether their extension proposals meet the required implementation conditions. The environment evaluates extension requests against predefined conditions and either approves or rejects them, guiding developers to create consistent extensions.
2Manufacturing precision
If the visual modeling language enforces strict conditions for extensions, then the consistency and quality of applications improves, but the complexity of the development process increases due to additional validation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically evaluates extension proposals against implementation conditions without requiring manual verification. The environment self-validates whether an extension meets the required conditions, reducing the burden on developers while maintaining quality standards.
3Ease of operation
If the system provides full support for all extension requests, then the ease of operation for developers improves, but the reliability of the modeling language deteriorates due to potential misuse and incomplete implementations
Solution Approach 1:
The system takes preliminary anti-action by preventing invalid extensions before they can be created. By enforcing implementation conditions, the system blocks potential misuse and incomplete implementations before they compromise the reliability of the modeling language.
4Reliability
If the system restricts extension support based on implementation conditions, then the reliability of the modeling language improves, but the adaptability of the system worsens due to limited extension capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The implementation conditions are designed to be universal and applicable to all types of modeling language entities (scenarios, interactors, services). This universal framework maintains reliability while allowing diverse extensions across different entity types, preserving adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for selectively supporting extensions to a modeling language. A method includes receiving a request to extend a modeling language entity and selectively providing support to define an extension of the modeling language entity. Support is selectively provided by determining whether the support to define the extension of the modeling language entity can be provided based on a definition of the modeling language entity in a visual modeling language. If the support can be provided, the support is provided; otherwise, the support is excluded. The method can further include selectively generating the extended modeling language entity. The extended modeling language entity can be selectively generated by determining whether the extension meets one or more conditions for being a valid extension to the modeling language entity, and if the extension meets the conditions, the extended modeling language entity is generated.