Generic Graphical Navigation for Modelling Tools.

To describe the characteristics of software systems, model-driven engineering (MDE) advocates the use of different modeling languages and multiple views that modellers need to navigate in the models' editors to understand and modify the system under development. This paper introduces a generic navigation mechanism that facilitates navigation within a model, from one model to other linked models potentially expressed in a different language, as well as for feature-based development and across reuse hierarchies. Furthermore, a proposed navigation bar visually indicates to the modeller the place of a model in this structure. To make a modelling language navigable, a language designer enhances the modelling language at the metamodel level with our generic navigation capabilities, which include the ability to filter language elements based on attribute values. We present evidence that the proposed generic navigation mechanism comprehensively supports model navigation by analyzing the navigation facilities offered by popular UML modelling tools and a feature-based modelling tool.