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{{Short description|Software development method and a highly abstract software language}}
'''Executable UML''' ('''xtUML''' or '''xUML''') is both a software development method and a highly abstract software language. It was described for the first time in 2002 in the book "Executable UML: A Foundation for Model-Driven Architecture".<ref>Mellor and Balcer 2002</ref>
Executable UML models "can be run, [[software testing|tested]], debugged, and measured for performance.",<ref>Starr 2002, p. 3.</ref> and can be [[compiler|compiled]] into a less abstract [[programming language]] to target a specific [[implementation]].<ref>Mellor and Balcer 2002, section 1.4.</ref> Executable UML supports [[model-driven architecture]] (MDA) through specification of
== Overview ==
Executable UML is a higher level of [[abstraction (computer science)|abstraction]] than [[third-generation programming language]]s. This allows [[software developer|developer]]s to develop at the level of abstraction of the application.<ref>Mellor and Balcer 2002, section 1.1.</ref> The Executable UML aims for [[separation of concerns]]. This is supposed to increase ease of [[code reuse|reuse]] and to lower the cost of [[software development]]. This also enables Executable UML domains to be [[cross-platform]]. That means it is not tied to any specific programming language, platform or technology.
Executable UML also allows for translation of
Actions are specified in [[action (UML)|action language]]. This means that the automatic generation of implementation code from Executable UML models can be output in an optimized form.
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* The ''action language'' defines the actions or operations that perform processing on model elements.
===Domain
Executable UML requires identification of the domains (also known as: [[aspect (computer programming)|aspect]]s<ref>Mellor and Balcer 2002, section 3.4.</ref> or [[concern (computer science)|concern]]s) of the system. "Each ___domain is an autonomous world inhabited by conceptual entities"<ref>Mellor and Balcer 2002, p. 14.</ref> Each ___domain can be modeled independent of the other domains in the system, enabling a [[separation of concerns]]. As an example, domains for an automated teller system may include the following:
* The application ___domain model of the automated teller's [[business logic]].
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An Executable UML class diagram is meant to expose information about the ___domain. Too much complexity in the statechart diagrams is a good indicator that the class diagram should be reworked.
===Statechart
{{See also|Finite-state machine|State diagram}}
Classes have lifecycles which are modeled in Executable UML with a [[state diagram|statechart diagram]]. The statechart diagram defines the ''states'', ''transitions'', ''events'', and ''procedures'' that define a class' behaviour.
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Each state has only one procedure that is executed upon [[Moore machine|entry into that state]]. A procedure is composed of actions, which are specified in an action language.
===Action
The class and state models by themselves can only provide a static view of the ___domain. In order to have an executable model, there must be a way to create class instances, establish associations, perform operations on attributes, call state events, etc. In Executable UML, this is done using an action language that conforms to the UML Action Semantics.
Action Semantics was added to the UML specification in 2001. The Action Semantics RFP was based on previous work in action languages supporting the [[Shlaer–Mellor method]]. Existing action languages are Object Action Language (OAL), Shlaer–Mellor Action Language (SMALL), Action Specification Language (ASL), Model Action Specification Language (MASL),<ref name="MASL Source">{{cite web |title=MASL is a Shlaer-Mellor dialect action language and structural modeling language.: xtuml/masl |url=https://github.com/xtuml/masl |publisher=xtUML |access-date=26 October 2019 |date=27 December 2018}}</ref> That Action Language (TALL), Starr's Concise Relational Action Language (SCRALL), Platform-independent Action Language (PAL) and PathMATE Action Language (PAL). SCRALL is the only one that is a graphical action language.
===Model testing and execution===
Once a ___domain is modeled, it can be [[software testing|tested]] independent of the target [[implementation]] by executing the model. Each ___domain can be [[verification and validation|verified and validated]] independent of any other ___domain. This allows [[software bug|error]]s detected to be associated with the ___domain and independent of other system concerns.
[[static testing|Verification]] will involve such things as human [[peer review|review]] of the models, performed by experts in the relevant ___domain, and automated checking of the Executable UML semantics. i.e., checking that the Executable UML model complies with the Executable UML [[Meta (prefix)|meta]]model.
[[dynamic testing|Validation]] will typically involve use of an Executable UML tool to execute the model. The execution can occur either before or after model compilation.
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[[Program optimization|Optimizing]] the ___domain models for target [[implementation]] reasons will reduce the level of [[abstraction (computer science)|abstraction]], adversely affect ___domain independence, and increase the cost of [[code reuse|reuse]]. In executable UML, [[optimization (computer science)|optimization]]s are done by the model [[compilation (programming)|compiler]] either automatically or through ''marking''. Marking allows specific model elements to be targeted for specific lower-level [[implementation]]s, and allows for broader architectural decisions, such as specifying that [[container (abstract data type)|collection]]s of objects should be [[implementation|implemented]] as a [[doubly linked list]].
In [[model-driven architecture|MDA]] terms, the model [[compilation (programming)|compiler]] creates the [[platform-specific model|PSM]]. The separation between the
==Executable UML
Executable UML defines execution semantics for a subset of the UML. Key aspects of the Executable UML subset include the following:
* No support for implementation specific constructs, like aggregation and composition.<ref>Mellor and Balcer 2002, p. xxx.</ref>
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== fUML and ALF ==
The [[Object Management Group]] has
Action Language for Foundational UML (ALF),<ref>{{Cite web|url=
==See also==
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== Publications ==
* Gerry Boyd (2003) "
* Shayne Flint, and [[Clive Boughton]] (2003) "Executable/translatable UML and Systems Engineering." ''Practical Approaches for Complex Systems (SETE 2003)''.
* Shayne Flint, Henry Gardner, and [[Clive Boughton]] (2004). "
* {{cite book | author=H.S. Lahman| title=Model-Based Development: Applications | publisher=Addison-Wesley Professional | year=2011 | isbn=0-321-77407-8}}
* {{cite book | author=[[Stephen J. Mellor]] & Marc Balcer | title=Executable UML: A Foundation for Model-Driven Architecture | publisher=Addison Wesley | year=2002 | isbn=0-201-74804-5}}
* ''Executable and Translatable UML''
*
* Stephen J. Mellor (2004), A Framework for Aspect-Oriented Modelling
* {{cite book | author=Chris Raistrick | title=Model Driven Architecture with Executable UML | publisher=Cambridge University Press | year=2004 | isbn=0-521-53771-1|display-authors=etal}}
* {{cite book | author=Leon Starr | title=Executable UML:How to Build Class Models | publisher=Prentice-Hall | year=2002 | isbn=0-13-067479-6}}
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==External links==
* http://executableumlbook.com The official web site for "Executable UML: A Foundation for Model-Driven Architecture".
{{UML}}
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