Multidev : - a model based framework for rapid development of multi-platform clients in a distributed environment

Abstract

This thesis presents a framework for generating clients to computer systems that are based on COMDEF. COMDEF was an early attempt at Modeling Based Development. While working on this thesis, the development of COMDEF has stopped. However, there are many new initiatives that provide similar frameworks, such as MDA from OMG and DSL from Microsoft.

The framework presented in this thesis is called Multidev and is a model-based framework for developing multi platform clients in a distributed environment. The distributed environment in this context is systems that are developed with COMDEF. Multidev tries to utilize the information in the COMDEF UML model of a system to generate as much of the client as possible, with as little intervention by the developer as possible. The Multidev framework includes a high level tool with a graphical modeling environment for user interfaces that lift the abstraction level from implementation to modeling of the user interfaces.

Multidev was developed as an add-on to the COMDEF framework, but the focus of the Multidev framework is independent of the actual framework used. Therefore, with the experience from COMDEF as a base, it should be possible to transfer the Multidev framework to similar frameworks, such as the OMG MDA and/or DSL from Microsoft.