1. The document discusses visualization techniques for software product lines to help with variability management, product derivation, and other tasks. 2. Several research works are described that developed visualization tools to support feature modeling, product configuration, mapping features to artifacts, and tracing features through implementation. 3. While visualization has proven useful for software product lines, the document notes gaps remain in developing a visual framework for entire SPL projects and visualizing legacy code components. Future work is needed in these areas.

2. Visualization in Software
Product Lines
Thiago Fernandes Lins de Medeiros
tflm@cin.ufpe.br

3. Summary
Context
Problem Area
Motivation
Researches
Conclusions
Future Work
References
3

4. Context
4

5. “
A software product line is a set of software-
intensive systems sharing a common, managed
set of features that satisfy the specific needs of a
particular market segment or mission and that
are developed from a common set of core
assets in a prescribed way
” [Paul Clements & Linda Northrop, 2001]
5

6. Improve productivity
Increase quality
6

7. Reduce costs
Decrease time-to-market
7

8. Problems
8

9. Variability Management
9

10. Feature Interaction
10

11. Product Derivation
11

12. Motivation
12

13. “
Information visualization is the use of computer-
supported, interactive, visual representations of
”
abstract data to amplify cognition.
[Stuart Card et. al., 1999]
13

14. Memory
Processing
[Stuart Card et. al., 1999]
14

15. Reference Model
Data Visual
SPL Data Views
Tables Structures
Data Visual View
Transformations Mapping Transformations
Human Interaction
[Daren Nestor et al, 07]
15

16. Overview
16

17. Zoom & Pan
17

18. Details-on-demand
18

19. Relate
19

20. History
20

21. Researches
21

22. Feature Modeling
affected by size of SPL
2D graph layouts are unable to fit
large hierarchies on the screen
22

23. Feature Cone Tree [Pablo Trinidad et al., 08]
23

24. Feature Cone Tree [Pablo Trinidad et al., 08]
24

25. effective use of
screen space
prioritizes the
understanding of 2D layouts
the topology
can be best
low effectiveness
for balanced
hierarchies
just a prototype
25

26. Product Derivation
application engineering processes
should be performed efficiently
the tool should support stakeholders in
the process of product configuration
26

27. VISIT-FC [Goetz Botterweck et al., 08]
27

28. VISIT-FC [Goetz Botterweck et al., 08]
28

29. VISIT-FC [Goetz Botterweck et al., 08]
29

30. support an industrial
SPL
integration between
decisions, features
and components it is not integrated
with IDE’s
implements various
techniques of human
interaction
30

31. ConfigurationWizard
[Rick Rabiser, 08]
31

32. ConfigurationWizard
[Rick Rabiser, 08]
32

33. integrated with
Eclipse. Extensible
working with
Siemens VAI it works for
thousands of
focus on “decisions”?
stakeholders
33

34. Design
how a particular feature is realized?
which artifacts may be effectively used in
a variant?
34

35. MappingViews [Florian Heidenreich et al., 08]
35

36. MappingViews [Florian Heidenreich et al., 08]
36

37. views controlled by developer
support feature expressions
just a prototype
do not map real
components 37

38. Implementation
tracing features from the domain level to
their implementation
the code that realizes a feature can be
scattered across multiple units
38

39. CIDE tool [Christian Kästner et al., 08]
39

40. CIDE tool [Christian Kästner et al., 08]
40

41. series of case
studies
(industrial SPL too)
colors are intuitive we are not able to
recognize many
colors
blend colors
41

42. Evolution
new variable features are introduced, no
one is removed
how to ensure the minimum number of
variable features?
42

43. Optimization of Variability
[Felix Loesch & Erhard Ploedereder, 07]
43

44. Optimization of Variability
[Felix Loesch & Erhard Ploedereder, 07]
44

45. the method is easy
case study in large
industrial SPL visualization
generated for large
SPL is complex
variability analysis
is time consuming
45

46. Conclusion
46

47. 1 Visualization has proven useful
in SPL
2 Many researches on:
Product derivation
Variability management
47

48. 3 Tools should be integrated
4 Gap on reactive approach
48

49. Future Work
49

50. 1 Visual framework for SPL projects
2 Visualization of components in
legacy code
50

51. References
51

52. • Rabiser R. Flexible and User-Centered Visualization Support for
Product Derivation. In: ViSPLE 2008.; 2008:323-328.
• Botterweck G, Thiel S, Nestor D, Abid SB, Cawley C. Visual Tool
Support for Configuring and Understanding Software Product Lines.
2008 12th International Software Product Line Conference. 2008:77-
86.
• Nestor D, O’Malley L, Quigley A, Sikora E, Thiel S. Visualisation of
variability in software product line engineering. Proceedings of the
1st International Workshop on Variability Modelling of Software-
intensive Systems (Va-MoS 2007). 2007:1-8.
• Loesch F, Ploedereder E. Optimization of Variability in Software
Product Lines. 11th International Software Product Line Conference
(SPLC 2007). 2007:151-162.
• 1. Trinidad P, Ruiz A, Benavides D, Segura S. Three-Dimensional
Feature Diagrams Visualization. In: ViSPLE 2008.; 2008.
52

53. • Kastner C, Trujillo S, Apel S. Visualizing software product line
variabilities in source code. Proceedings of the 2nd International
Workshop on Visualisation in Software Product Line Engineering
(ViSPLE 2008), collocated with the 12th International Software
Product Line Conference (SPLC 2008). 2008.
• S. K. Card, J. D. Mackinlay, and B. Shneiderman. Readings in
Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think. Morgan Kaufmann
Publishers, 1999.
• Heidenreich F, Savga I, Wende C. On controlled visualisations in
software product line engineering. ViSPLE 2008. 2008.
• P. Clements and L. Northrop. Software Product Lines: Practices and
Patterns: SEI Series in Software Engineering, Addison-Wesley, 2001.
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