THEMES AND GOALS
An upward shift in abstraction leads to a corresponding increase in
productivity. In the past this has occurred when programming languages
have evolved towards a higher level of abstraction. Today, domain-specific
visual languages provide a viable solution for continuing to raise the
level of abstraction beyond coding.
In a domain-specific visual language (DSVL), the models are made up of
elements representing things that are part of the domain world, not the
code world. The language follows the domain abstractions and semantics,
allowing developers to perceive themselves as working directly with domain
concepts. The models are simultaneously the design, implementation and
documentation of the system, which can be generated directly from them.
Metamodeling and metaCASE tools significantly ease the implementation of
domain-specific visual languages. They provide support for experimenting
with the language as it is built, and remove the burden of tool creation
and maintenance from the language creator.