Algebraic Semantics of OCL-Constrained Metamodel Specifications

In the definition of domain-specific languages a MOF metamodel is used to define the main types of its abstract syntax, and OCL invariants are used to add semantic constraints. The semantics of a metamodel definition can be given as a model type whose values are well-formed models. A model is said to conform to its metamodel when it is a value of the corresponding model type. However, when OCL invariants are involved, the concept of model conformance has not yet been formally defined in the MOF standard. In this work, the concept of OCL-constrained metamodel conformance is formally defined and used for defining style-preserving software architecture configurations. This concept is supported in MOMENT2, an algebraic framework for MOF metamodeling, where OCL constraints can be used for both static and dynamic analysis.