A Meta-Circular Basis for Model-Based Language Engineering

By: Tony Clark

Abstract

Meta-modelling is a technique that facilitates the construction of new languages to be used in system development. Although meta-modelling is supported by a number of tools and technologies, notably the Meta Object Facility from the OMG, there is no widely accepted precise basis for meta-modelling that can be used to develop and study language-based approaches to system development. Recent advances in meta-modelling have proposed several approaches to mixing types and instances, and allowing constraints to hold over multiple levels. This article proposes a collection of key characteristic features that are used to define a foundational self-contained unifying meta-language that is evaluated through several examples.

Keywords

Meta Models, Reflection, Language Engineering.

Cite as:

Tony Clark, “A Meta-Circular Basis for Model-Based Language Engineering”, Journal of Object Technology, Volume 19, no. 3 (October 2020), pp. 3:1-18, doi:10.5381/jot.2020.19.3.a11.

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The JOT Journal   |   ISSN 1660-1769   |   DOI 10.5381/jot   |   AITO   |   Open Access   |    Contact