AI4MDE · Metadata Model

1. Management

Project

A project is the root of the metadata model. A project ecapsulates systems, releases (system versions), diagrams, metadata, user interfaces, and prototypes. A project defines the context of a combination of all other models. In practice, a project is a company/organization.

Example: Supermarket Definition: /api/model/metadata/models.py

Properties:

• id

• name

• description

System

A system is a subdivision of a project. A system ecapsulates diagrams, metadata, user interfaces, and prototypes. A system defines the context of a combination of these models. In practice, a system is a fragment of a company/organization.

Example: Webshop Order System Definition: /api/model/metadata/models.py

Properties:

• id

• project

• name

• description

Release

A release is a snapshot of a system in time. It is static and cannot be changed. It expresses the state of a system during a specific period in development.

Example: Weather Forecast System v1.6.3 Definition: /api/model/metadata/models.py

Properties:

• id

• project

• system

• name

• created_at

• release_notes

• Json snapshot of diagrams, metadata & interfaces

2. Diagrams

Diagram

A diagram represents a UML diagram. Currently supported diagram types are: Class, Use Case & Activity. A diagram is a set of nodesand edges, which are the vertex and edge elements of the graph. A diagram falls under a system, and describes the technical details of the system. More information on UML can be found on their website: https://www.uml.org/

Example: UML Activity Diagram Definition: /api/model/diagram/models.py

Properties:

• id

• name

• description

• type

• system

Node

A node is a vertex in a diagram. It can represent many things, depending on the type. What a node type represents can be read in the UML documentation. Currently, the following types are implemented:

Class Diagram:

• Class

• Enum

Use Case Diagram:

• Use Case

• Actor

Activity Diagram:

• Action

• Initial

• Final

• Fork

• Join

• Decision

• Merge

Example: Payment (Class) / Customer (Actor) Definition: /api/model/diagram/models.py

Properties:

• id

• diagram

• cls (pointer to a classifier, which contains the actual information of the node)

• data (x and y coordinates in the diagram)

The actual information of a node (classifier) has been split from the positional coordinates (node) such that nodes from different diagrams can point to the same information, preventing redundancy in the database.

Edge

An edge is a line in a diagram. It can represent many things, depending on the type. What an edge type represents can be read in the UML documentation. Currently, the following types are implemented:

Class Diagram:

• Association

• Generalization

• Composition

• Dependency

Use Case Diagram:

• Interaction

• Extension

• Inclusion

Activity Diagram:

• Connection

Example: Interaction between Manager (Actor) and Order Product (Use Case) Definition: /api/model/diagram/models.py

Properties:

• id

• diagram

• rel (pointer to a relation, which contains the actual information of the edge)

• data (type of the edge)

The actual information of an edge (relation) has been split from the line (edge) such that edges from different diagrams can point to the same information, preventing redundancy in the database.

3. Metadata

Classifier

A classifier contains the data of a node in a diagram. It’s data property is a JSON blob that can represent many things, depending on the type of the corresponding node.

Definition: /api/model/metadata/models.py

Properties:

• id

• system

• data (JSON blob)

Relation

A relation contains the data of an edge in a diagram. It’s data property is a JSON blob that can represent many things, depending on the type of the corresponding edge.

Definition: /api/model/metadata/models.py

Properties:

• id

• system

• data (JSON blob)

• target (Classifier)

• source (Classifier)

User Interface

A user interface is a component in a system that an actor can interact with. It is a set of pages, categories and styling, which are all stored in a JSON blob.

Example: Manager component in a web shop Definition: /api/model/metadata/models.py

Properties:

• id

• name

• description

• actor

• system

• data (JSON blob containing pages, categories and styling)

The following models are not directly stored in the database, but are specified in the data JSON blob of a User Interface:

• Category A category is a descriptor for a page, used to organize pages in the navigation menu of a prototype. It has the following properties:

  • id

  • name

• Page A page is a set of section components, used to generate web pages that an actor can interact with in a prototype. It has the following properties:

  • id

  • name

  • category

  • sections

• Section Component A section component is a component in a page that directly acts on a class. Section components are used to build pages in a prototype. A section component has the following properties:

  • id

  • name

  • class

  • attributes (list of attributes of the class which are used in the section component)

  • operations (Create/Update/Delete)

  • custom operations

• Styling Styling describes the appearance of a user interface. It is used to generate .css files in a prototype. A styling object has the following properties:

  • radius

  • text color

  • accent color

  • background color

  • style (Basic/Modern/Abstract)

4. Prototypes

Prototype

A prototype is a basic software implementation of a system, which can be launched and interacted with. A prototype object is used to generate an actual software implementation in the prototypes Docker container.

Example: To Do application prototype Definition: /api/model/generator/models.py

Properties:

• id

• name

• description

• system

• metadata (a JSON snapshot of the diagrams & user interfaces during generation)

• database hash (a hash of class diagrams and user interface names in a system, used for reusing databases across multiple prototypes)

5. Prose

Pipeline

TODO