XIS-CMS: Towards a model-driven approach for developing platform-independent CMS-specific modules

Content Management Systems (CMS) are popular web application platforms used in multiple domains. CMS allow non-technical users to manage the content and features of websites with web modules that abstract functionality without requiring particular software programming background. However, without the development of specific web modules, a CMS usually cannot support complex scenarios or specific business needs. In those situations, developers have to build custom modules using the CMS-specific language, which implies that they must master the corresponding programming and other technical skills. This paper proposes a model-driven approach, named XIS-CMS, which aims to increase the productivity and portability of developing these modules in a more abstract and platform-independent way. XIS-CMS approach includes a domain-specific modeling language, defined as a UML profile, and a companion framework defined on top of Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect and Eclipse Modeling Framework technologies. This paper introduces the XIS-CMS approach, its corresponding language and framework, and compares it with related work.