A tutorial on metamodelling for grammar researchers

Paige, Richard F.; Kolovos, Dimitrios S.; Polack, Fiona A.C.

Abstract

A metamodel has been defined as: a model of a model; a definition of a language; a description of abstract syntax; and a description of a domain. Because of these varied definitions, it is difficult to explain why metamodels are constructed, what can be done with them, and how they are built. This tutorial introduces the key concepts, terminology and philosophy behind metamodelling, focusing on its use for language engineering, and expressed in a way that is intended to be accessible to researchers who may be more familiar with the use of traditional context-free grammar techniques. We highlight the main differences between metamodelling and grammar-based approaches, describe how to map metamodelling concepts and techniques to grammar concepts and techniques, and highlight some of the strengths and weaknesses of metamodelling via a set of small, but realistic examples.

Citation

Paige, R. F., Kolovos, D. S., & Polack, F. A. (2014). A tutorial on metamodelling for grammar researchers. Science of Computer Programming, 96(P4), 396-416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scico.2014.05.007

• Journal Article Type: Conference Paper
• Acceptance Date: May 5, 2014
• Online Publication Date: May 28, 2014
• Publication Date: Dec 15, 2014
• Deposit Date: Mar 17, 2023
• Journal: Science of Computer Programming
• Print ISSN: 0167-6423
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 96
• Issue: P4
• Pages: 396-416
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scico.2014.05.007
• Keywords: Metamodelling; Models; Grammars; Bridges; Unification
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4241732