Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter IV
Improving the
Understandability of
Dynamic Semantics:
An Enhanced Metamodel for
UML State Machines
Eladio Domínquez, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
Angel Luis Rubio, Universidad de La Rioja, Spain
María Antonia Zapata, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
ABSTRACT
A clear understanding of the dynamic semantics of languages involved in the representation
of behavior is essential for a large and varied audience such as fi nal users of these lan-
guages, CASE tool builders or method engineers. This chapter introduces a proposal aimed
at achieving such an understanding by suggesting a different metamodeling approach. This
approach is based on a two layer architecture which puts forward the explicit distinction
between the generic behavior represented in a dynamic model (Base Layer) and the behavior
represented in relation to a particular situation (Snapshot Layer). Using this architecture as
a starting point, a metamodel of UML State Machines is proposed, which consists basically
of two UML class diagrams (one diagram for each layer of the architecture) and two maps.
These maps represent, respectively, the determination of the initial status and the process
performed by a run to completion step as defi ned in the UML semantics.
