Multi-level dynamic instantiation for resolving node-edge dichotomy

摘要

The core idea of metamodel-based model construction is well established. However, there are different metamodeling approaches relying on various modeling structures and instantiation procedures. Although, in general, these approaches offer similar features, they are sometimes incompatible with each other. Therefore, a precise abstract definition of instantiation is needed. The paper describes an abstract modeling framework, which is easily customizable in order to adapt it to different multi-level modeling techniques. The framework consists of an abstract modeling structure, basic built-in constructs, and a dynamic instantiation procedure. The paper demonstrate the flexibility of the approach by a specific bootstrap that is explicitly designed for the rebalancing of the node-edge antagonism, which is mostly the origin of many reification patterns applied in current meta-model designs. Although the proposed solution to the node-edge dichotomy is only an example of our multi-level meta-modeling approach, it is per se a valuable achievement showing that it can be done in a more elegant manner than it is usually expressed in other state-of-the art modeling frameworks.