MetaEdit+

MetaEdit+

Developer(s)	MetaCase
Initial release	1995
Stable release	4.5 SR1a / 2009-08-18
Development status	Active
Operating system	Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, HP-UX, Solaris
Available in	English
Type	Model-driven engineering
License	proprietary
Website	http://www.metacase.com/products.html

MetaEdit+ is an environment for creating and using Domain-Specific Modeling languages.

Research History

The research behind the genesis of MetaEdit+ was carried out at the University of Jyväskylä, as part of the MetaPHOR project. A metamodeling and modeling tool, MetaEdit, had been created by the earlier SYTI project in the late 1980s and early 1990s, in co-operation with a company, MetaCase.

Both MetaEdit and MetaEdit+ were described in a large number of publications from the MetaPHOR research group (including ^[1], ^[2]).

Tool History

MetaEdit allowed graphical metamodeling using Object-Property-Role-Relationship (OPRR) data model, definition of the DSM language notation with a graphical symbol editor, and the definition of code generators using a Domain-Specific Language. These three elements together formed a metamodel file, which configured MetaEdit to support that modeling language. Version 1.0 was released as shareware in 1993, and 1.1 and 1.2 as commercial software in 1993 and 1995.

MetaEdit was limited to supporting one modeling language at a time, one user at a time, and one representational paradigm - graphical diagrams. MetaEdit+ was designed to extend this to multiple integrated modeling languages, multiple simultaneous users, and multiple representational paradigms - diagrams, matrices and tables.

• MetaEdit+ 2.0, the first version of MetaEdit+, was released by MetaCase in 1995 for Windows.
• MetaEdit+ 2.5 was released in 1996, adding full multi-user facilities and support for Solaris and HP-UX.
• MetaEdit+ 3.0 was released in 1999, with support for Linux and significant new functionality added in three Service Releases over the next few years.
• MetaEdit+ 4.0 was released in 2004, with new Diagram and Symbol Editors, support for ports, and interoperability via SOAP and XML. Two Service Releases adding new functionality and support for Mac OS X.
• MetaEdit+ 4.5 was released in 2006, adding graphical metamodeling and improving the metamodel, symbol and generator definition facilities and Diagram Editor

Work flow

MetaEdit+ consists of two separate tools ^[3]:

• MetaEdit+ Workbench, tool for designing modeling language.
• MetaEdit+ Modeler, tool for using modeling language.

Normally, MetaEdit+ Workbench is used by a few key developers to design project-specific modeling language. Then, this modeling language is used to develop final product using MetaEdit+ Modeler.

References

1. ^ Smolander, K., Lyytinen, K., Tahvanainen, V.-P., and Marttiin, P., "MetaEdit: A flexible graphical environment for methodology modelling", Proceedings of CAiSE'91, 3rd Intl. Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, Springer Verlag, pp. 168–193, 1991.
2. ^ Kelly, S., Lyytinen, K., and Rossi, M., "MetaEdit+: A Fully Configurable Multi-User and Multi-Tool CASE Environment", Proceedings of CAiSE'96, 8th Intl. Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 1080, Springer-Verlag, pp. 1–21, 1996.
3. ^ MetaEdit+ Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM) environment

External links

• MetaCase, makers of MetaEdit+