How to Build Your Own Product Modeling Environment Tim Geisler webXcerpt Software GmbH [email protected] CWG 2012, Berlin 2012-05-08 Product Modeling Environments Product Modeling Environments: Single Transactions Product Modeling Environments: PMEVC Product Modeling Environments: Eclipse-based SME VClipse ● Eclipse-based textual product modeling environment ● for VC and IPC ● based on Xtext / EMF ● Open Source Eclipse Public License www.vclipse.org VClipse - VCML ● ● Textual language for SAP objects Embedded languages for dependencies (procedures, conditions, and constraints) IDE for VCML Validation Cross References Quickfixes Content Assist IDE for VCML Rename refactoring Outline Folding Templates Where used? Interface to SAP ECC (ALE, RFC) ● ● RFC interface − Create, Read, Update, Delete − Extract recursively: model extraction ALE interface − ● Delta calculation − ● Sending models via IDocs (PDR) Compute and send only changed objects „One-click delta deployment“ − Send delta via PDR, automatic processing in SAP Graphical or Textual Product Modeling? Deutsch limit: You can’t have more than 50 visual primitives on the screen at the same time. Focus on Textual Product Models ● ● ● Dependencies are written in textual languages Teamwork support through mature version control systems Powerful tools exist and can be used for free: − Difference tools, search, replace, ... ● Enables offline product modeling ● More information is visible on a screen ● Text-based product modeling environments are easy to create with today's frameworks Specialized Modeling Environments Why Own Specialized PME? ● ● ● Product modeling environments from SAP have to suit all models of all SAP customers Customer-specific product modeling is not supported − Naming conventions − Coding conventions − Variant functions − … Customer's notions not used − Not everything is a material, class, or characteristic VClipse is Not (Yet) Your Own PME ● not (yet) customer-specific ● Several layers to extend Vclipse: − As a user / modeler − As a (Java) programmer − As a contributor Extending VClipse – as Modeler Define your own templates E.g., template for determining amount of a material (specific coding convention) Extending VClipse – as Programmer Write your own plugins / extend VClipse plugins Specific validation rules ● e.g. naming conventions VcmlJavaValidator.java Resulting validation in VCML editor Extending VClipse – as Programmer Coding conventions / Framework code ● ● Classes and dependencies are required by the „framework“ for different functionalities Validation rules should check − ● if a certain procedure or dependency net is present, then certain classes must be present. − the order of procedures − … Templates (by a modeler) − The classification and configuration profile could be generated by a template. Extending VClipse – as Programmer ● Specific „intelligent“ templates Implementation: Specific Support for Variant Functions name of multivalued characteristic PFunction Z_COPY_DEFAULT_MV ( GEN_CSTIC_1_NAME = 'MVCSTIC1' GEN_CSTIC_2_NAME = 'MVCSTIC2' GEN_INSTANCE = 'PARENT' ) compatible type one of SELF, PARENT, ROOT ● Implement specific validation ● Implement specific code templates Specifying Variant Functions import "cstics.vcml" // contains all cstic definitions variantfunction Z_COPY_DEFAULT_MV "Copy default values (MV)" { GEN_CSTIC_1_NAME : in CharacteristicNameMV GEN_CSTIC_2_NAME : in CharacteristicNameMV GEN_INSTANCE : in CharacteristicValues } Generating Artifacts: VCML Validation Variantfunction object VCML Templates VCML Tooltips ABAP implementation stub Documentation Java implementation stub CML integration Extending VClipse – as Contributor Testing language VCMLT for VCML models (contributed to VClipse by Winfried Kung) See talk by Tim Geisler and Christophe Faure Track 3, 11:15 – 12:00 Conceptual Gap ● SAP VC's concepts ● Implementation ● Standard languages ● Transactions ● VClipse ● Your concepts ● Specification ● Your languages ● Your own modeling environment Your Own Modeling Language ● ● Why? − Tailored to your concepts and needs − Means for specifying the product model − Means for communication with the domain expert − Formal specification language Overcome the gap by generating VCML code Example: ConfigModeler @ ConfigModeler CML Editor/IDE Code Generation VClipse Editor/IDE VCML RFC ConfigModeler – Initial Idea Standardized product descriptions CWG 2010 Vienna CWG 2011 Cologne CML as specification and documentation language Formalized product descriptions ConfigModeler + VClipse Eclipse-based IDEs code generation ConfigModeler – Languages CMLUI: User Interface CML: Product model CMLT: Test cases When to Create Own Language and Product Modeling Environment? ● Schematic product specifications ● Similarly structured products ● Schematic translation ● Schematic implementation ● Model migration from legacy to SAP − ● … intermediate language with manipulation possibilities (refactoring, commented code, …) My Own Product-Modeling Environment my ConfigModeler myCML Editor/IDE my Code Generation VClipse Editor/IDE VCML RFC Grammar Metamodel Scoping Validation my ConfigModeler Import from Legacy Configurators myCML Editor/IDE Target Architecture my Code Generation Graphical Views Exports / Reports VClipse Adaptions Code Generation Defining your Modeling-Language Grammar ● using the Xtext grammar language ● from this grammar, the following is derived: − metamodel (Ecore + Java classes) − parser − editor with syntax highlighting, cross references, content assist, outline, folding, ... Defining your Modeling-Language Metamodel Represents all product models in the domain (like a schema) ● EMF Ecore Meta Model ● Generated from grammar or defined separately ● Source of transformation Scoping Visibility of Objects for Cross References The implementation (really that short!): Defining your Target Architecture Clear: SAP Variant Configuration Open aspects: − Naming conventions − Which objects should be modeled? − Constraints / conditions on values? − BOM calculation − Use of variant tables − Use of certain variant functions − … Might be very company-specific! Code Generation Task: map myCML models (instances of your metamodel) to VCML models ● Respect your target architecture ● Either generate VCML as text ● − Model to text transformation languages − e.g. templating languages or frameworks or generate VCML as data structure − Model to model transformation languages − e.g. Java, Eclipse Xtend IDE Adaptions ● Xtext-based editors are highly extensible and configurable through dependency injection using Google Guice without modifying framework code. − − ● Implement your desired behaviour by subclassing standard implementations. Bind your defined subclass using dependency injection. Nearly each part of system can be adapted and replaced. Effort Effort ● Prototype for small language can be build in about a week Is This a New Idea? No, in software engineering this idea is called Model-Driven Software Development ● ● Huge number of frameworks, tools, knowledgeable people, … exist. Current trend is to go from general UML models − − to Domain-Specific Modeling using Domain-Specific Languages Extending VClipse vs Own Modeling Language ● With VClipse, you can start small. − − ● Need to learn only the required parts of the technology stack to implement Usable with minimal training effort Possible improvements are bigger with own modeling language approach. Experiences at NSN ● Own modeling language (CML) used for 2/3 of all live product models ● Fully integrated side languages (UI, help texts, testing) ● Semi-automatic migration from legacy configurators ● VClipse mainly used as a backend to ConfigModeler ● Manual VCML editing mainly used for prototyping ● ● NSN-specific extensions to VCML just recently implemented Modelers even implemented a third level (they generate CML for certain classes of products) Summary ● Eclipse-based external textual modeling environments ● Various possibilites to extend VClipse ● Build own textual modeling language on top ● MDSD approach applied to product modeling ● ● Modern frameworks like Xtext allow quick implementation Approach successfully in production at NSN VClipse - Try It Out ● Ready-to-run from memory stick ● Eclipse 3.7.2 (Indigo) for Windows 32bit / 64 bit ● VClipse installed ● configured for CWG sandbox use ● VClipse sources – ready to change ● Sample workspace