By Multi-layer to Multi-level Modeling
Zoltán Theisz, Sándor Bácsi, Gergely Mezei, Ferenc Attila Somogyi, Dániel Palatinszky · 2019
Multi-level modeling has a well-defined and commonly agreed on aim of avoiding any kind of accidental complexity by the introduction of meta-levels. However, the actual means of achieving this goal are left to the discretion of the particular approach to decide on. Potency notion-based clabjects provide a suitable trade-off in this regard, hence other approaches tend to imitate these characteristics. Dynamic Multi-Layer Algebra (DMLA) is such an alternative formal modeling technique that has already been tested successfully against multi-level challenges such as the MULTI 2018 workshop's Bicycle Challenge. Although DMLA has proved its merit, it has still been lacking the capability of integrating object-oriented features such as inheritance into its formalism. Therefore, in this paper, we showcase one potential way of incorporating inheritance with abstract entities into DMLA without having to relinquish any of its formal precision such as self-validation or self-description. The paper both describes our technical solution and illustrates it through a model excerpt borrowed from the Bicycle Challenge.