Debugging measurement systems using a domain-specific modeling language

Capturing physical data in the context of measurement systems is a demanding process that often requires many repetitions with different settings. To assist in this activity, a domain-specific modeling language (DSML) called Sequencer has been developed to enable the improved definition of measurement procedures. With Sequencer, the level of abstraction has been raised and sophisticated changes in measurement procedures are now enabled. Although there are numerous DSMLs like Sequencer in the existing literature, there are some obstacles working against the more widespread adoption of DSMLs in practice. One challenge is the lack of supporting tools for DSMLs, which would improve the capabilities of end-users of such languages. For instance, support for debugging a model expressed in a DSML is often neglected. The lack of a debugger at the proper abstraction level limits the domain experts in discovering and locating bugs in a model. In this paper, Sequencer is presented together with debugging facilities (called Ladybird) that are integrated in a modeling environment. Ladybird supports different execution modes (e.g., steps, breakpoints, animations, variable views, and stack traces) that can be helpful during the debugging of a model. Ladybird’s primary contribution is in showing the value of error detection in complicated industrial environments, such as data acquisition in automotive testing. The paper contributes to a discussion of the implementation details of DSML debugging facilities and how such a debugger can be reused to support domains other than the measurement context of Sequencer.