POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
Koen Staal and Arjan Mooij
SiriusCon, 15th November 2016
Integrating Textual and
Graphical Editing

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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POOSL background
• Parallel Object Oriented Specification Language (POOSL)
- Graphical and textual syntax
- Expressive, industrially-proven modelling language with formal semantics
- Describe structure and concurrent, real-time and stochastic behavior
• Eindhoven University of Technology
- Original development of the language
- (Smalltalk based POOSL editor and simulator)
- C++ based POOSL simulator
• Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
- Successful applications in the high-tech industry
- Eclipse based POOSL IDE (using the C++ based simulator)

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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POOSL: Architecture
• Program-like text
• UML-like graphical diagrams
- Class diagram
- Composite structure diagram

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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POOSL: Behavior
• Program-like text
• UML-like graphical diagrams
- Class diagram
- Composite structure diagram
Validation for early fault detection:
• Errors:
• Cyclic relations (inheritance, containment)
• …
• Warnings:
• Static type-checking (partial)
• Message mismatch per channel
• …

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Application: Architecture/requirements validation
(physical views)(functional views)

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Application: Performance analysis of systems
TRACE (for Gantt charts)
(http://trace.esi.nl/)

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Implementation of POOSL IDE

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
8
Implementation of POOSL IDE
• Used Eclipse technologies:
- EMF internal model and indexer
- Xtext textual editors and validators
- Sirius graphical editors and viewers
- Launch Framework interactive debugger
• Integration combines the strengths of the different syntaxes:
- Textual syntax: leading artifacts, editing of all model details
- Graphical syntax: optional views, overview and model creation
• Next topics:
- Tension between textual, graphical and EMF
- Integration of editing and dynamic overlays

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Drawing implicit elements

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
10
Drawing implicit elements
Note: more than one Instance of the same InstantiableClass

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Drawing implicit elements
Note: more than one Instance of the same InstantiableClass

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Manage representations

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Sirius Content Management
• Inside Project Explorer
Hide validation icons from Xtext validation
 Currently we disable “Sirius Content Management”
- But we would like the possibility to manage representations…
Manage representations Expose EMF internals to textual users

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Navigation
• Opening a model:
- Double-click on the textual file  custom window to choose editor
• Navigate between different representation of elements (custom)
• Navigate via references (<F3>, <CTRL>-<click>, <double-click>)

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Problems with references

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Problems with references
• Deleting a referred element:
- Textual: validation will indicate broken references
- Graphical: all references must explicitly be removed
• Get name of referred element without accessing the element:
E.g., for displaying types of variables and parameters in a class diagram
Aim for scalability based on modular files, indexer, and on-demand loading
- Textual: use parse tree (NodeModel)
- Graphical: missing information (textual parse tree is not reliable)

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Problems with references
• Encoding of a reference to a target element:
- Name of the target element
• Textual view on the model [stored on disk] [visible by user]
• Parse tree (Xtext node model)
- URI of the target element
• Model (Ecore)
• Sirius representations.aird [stored on disk]
- Arrow to a graphical view of the element
• Graphical view on the model [visible by user]
We have eliminated all references
- Name approach feels natural, but is incompatible with URI / Arrow
- Custom implementation of navigate, rename, etc.

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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More problems with references
• Rename/reorder elements
• Rename/move/copy files/directories
- Textual: mostly works out of the box
- Graphical: diagrams loose track of the related model elements
• Target element URI in EMF based on:
- #Index (default): insensitive to rename, sensitive to reorder
- #Name (custom): sensitive to rename, insensitive to reorder
• Suggestions are very welcome!

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Graphical diagrams and the Launch Framework

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
20
Graphical diagrams and the Launch Framework
Not based on SiriusBased on Sirius
 Diagrams are modified during (high-speed) execution

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Graphical diagrams and the Launch Framework
• Communication Diagram = Static structure + Dynamic overlay
• Static structure: Copied from a Composite Structure Diagram
- Linked to the same text file
- Locked (not modifiable) during execution
- Closed in case of modifications in the underlying model
• Dynamic overlay: Updated during execution
- Slows down the simulation
- GUI refresh rate is low
• But still useful for the user
- Add textual elements
• Message content and counters
- Connections:
• Highlighting and arrowheads

15th November 2016 Integrating Textual and Graphical Editing © 2016 Embedded Systems Innovation by TNO
POOSL IDE (http://poosl.esi.nl/)
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Summary
• Integrating textual and graphical editing
- Basic integration works out-of-the-box
- Tension between textual, graphical and EMF
• Drawing implicit elements
• Manage representations
• Problems with references
- Integration of editing and dynamic overlays