Multiple-view meta-modeling of software product lines

This paper describes a multiple-view meta-modeling approach for software product lines using the Unified Modeling Language notation (UML). A multiple-view model for a software product line is an object-oriented domain model which defines the different aspects of a software product line, namely the use case model, static model, collaboration model, statechart model, and feature model, including the commonality and variability. The meta-model depicts life cycle phases, views within each phase, and meta-classes within each view. The relationships between the different views are described. Consistency checking rules are defined based on the relationships among meta-classes in the meta-model. Finally, tool support for the approach is described.