Model oriented programming: Bridging the code-model divide

Model Driven Engineering proposes the use of models as the main development artifacts. This methodology involves generating code from models and then perhaps adding some details to the generated code. Frequently, it is required to also reverse-engineer code to generate models. Despite the wide acceptance of modeling benefits, the use of Model Driven Engineering practices remains limited. We present model oriented programming as a new paradigm to reduce the ever-present tension between model-centric and code-centric development styles. The core of this approach is to add UML abstractions such as associations and state machines directly into a high-level programming language code. In this approach, model diagrams become just another abstract view of the code. The need for reverse engineering is eliminated, since everything in the diagram is represented directly in the code. Model orientation is illustrated using Umple, a working model oriented programming platform. A functional layer of an airline reservation system is presented as a case study.