Toward Denotational Semantics of Domain-Specific Modeling Languages for Automated Code Generation

One goal of model-driven development (MDD) is automated code generation, which is ultimately a type of model transformation. Current approaches to such transformations are often rule-based, implying a focus on operational semantics. We explore an approach based on denotational semantics in this paper. First, we construct a denotational semantics for elements of a modeling language based on the metamodel of that language. These denotational semantics are then implemented in an established programming language. Once the denotational semantics of the modeling language are created, we discuss ways to integrate our approach to automated code generation into existing domain-specific modeling (DSM) tools.