UniComp: A Semantics-Aware Model Compiler for Optimised Predictable Software

Abstract

In Model-Driven Engineering, executables are generated from domain-specific modelling languages (DSMLs) through two steps: generation of program code in a third-generation programming languages (3GLs, like C++ or Java) from a model, and compilation of the generated code to object code. 3GL code generation raises three issues. (1) Code generators are DSML- and 3GL-specific, hence they can not be used for other DSMLs or 3GLs than those they were designed for. (2) Existing code generators do not exploit model semantics; hence, 3GL programs do not always semantically reflect models. (3) Existing 3GL compilers are unable to exploit model semantics; hence, they are not able to operate model-specific optimisations. (2) and (3) seriously threaten predictability of the generated executables. We advocate the need and provides a solution proposal for an innovative model compilation framework based on model semantics to produce executables without translations to 3GLs. Model compilation will be based on a common semantics, the Semantics of a Foundational Subset for Executable UML Models (fUML), and will semantically underpin any DSML whose execution semantics can be specified with fUML.