Design and implementation of a React-based Web interface for the DSLModeler4SaS tool

• Grant number: 23/12139-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science - Computing Methodologies and Techniques
• Principal Investigator: Frank José Affonso
• Grantee: Nícolas Denadai Schmidt
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Currently, our society depends increasingly on software systems to perform daily tasks. Thus, it is expected that such systems will also be able to operate under uncertain conditions, without interruptions or human interventions. The causes of uncertainties range from changes in the operating environment to variations in the objectives/needs of the users. In this sense, self-adaptive systems (SaS) enable dealing with uncertainties by modifying their structures and/or behaviors at runtime. In parallel, Reference Architecture (AR) aims to capture the essence of architectures of similar systems, facilitating the development of concrete architectures for new systems, new system versions, or extensions of similar systems. Based on this context, two ARs were designed by our research group in previous works, namely: (i) RA4SaS (Reference Architecture for SaS); and (ii) RA4Self-MobApps (Reference Architecture for Self-adaptive Service-oriented Mobile Applications). These architectures aim to support the SaS community and others interested in the development of SaS/Self-MobApps supported by software engineering standards and good practices. Moreover, it is worth highlight that such ARs have evolved and optimized since their conception, with emphasis on the implementation of a tool called "DSLModeler4SaS" carried out in the FAPESP project N. 2017/01703-6. In short, this tool enables the software engineer to model self-adaptive software entities through a Domain Specific Language (DSL) called eLanguage (entity Language). Next, such models are transferred to the source code module of these RAs so that the code in the target language is generated. DSLModeler4SaS has provided greater flexibility and better maintainability of self-adaptive software entities when a new application is instantiated for a new domain because only new templates must be created for the software entities and their respective architecture. Aiming to expand the potential of this tool and the architectures developed in previous works by our research group, this project aims to design and implement a React-based Web interface for the DSLModeler4SaS tool. This new interface enables for expanding the number of users (i.e., scientific community and industry professionals) who can make use of the tool for software development. Therefore, it is intended, at the end of this project, to have a Web tool that enables the development of software in two modalities, namely: (i) traditional software, where interested parties (i.e., software engineers and/or domain specialists ) will be able to model software entities based on a Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) Text-to-Text approach; and (ii) self-adaptive software, where interested parties can benefit from Item (i) with support for the modules of the RA4SaS or RA4Self-MobApps reference architectures.