Model Based Development with the Skeleton Design Method

In the template design method, an algorithm is defined in abstract terms. The template can then be used to create various subclasses to override that abstract behavior. This paper discusses a way in which the template method can be extended to the generation of software artifacts from models. Specifically, this new method will be an amalgam of techniques for applying template design concepts to modeling. This extended method is referred to as the skeleton method and has two major sub- methodologies that compose it. First, skeleton files are created to represent the end artifacts of the modeling language. Second, an interpreter template can be constructed from which language interpreters can be derived. As such, the modeling language can be easily extended to generate software for new programming languages or for new third party middleware. This paper presents two modeling languages which use the skeleton method for model based development.