ReMoDeL: a pure functional object-oriented concept language for models, metamodels and model transformation

Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) is a broad discipline concerned with curating all aspects of system design using models. Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) is a highly publicised approach focusing on the generation of software systems from models. However, MDA consists of a large collection of complex, interlocking standards, which together are difficult to master and have only partial implementations. This motivated us to devise a much simpler language and toolset for MDE. The result is ReMoDeL (Reusable Model Design Language), a pure functional object-oriented language for describing concepts and relationships. ReMoDeL supports the creation of metamodels, models and model transformations. It leverages skills already known to programmers, such as inheritance and pure functional mapping. It integrates with any standard Java IDE and cross-compiles to Java, although ReMoDeL is more succinct (by 4x). ReMoDeL’s pure functional transformations are in principle amenable to formal proof by indu ction. Practically, it offers a convenient and fast way to prototype different metamodels and transformations. We are using ReMoDeL to develop alternatives to UML and MDA (with different models and abstraction levels), with promising results.