Mylyn/Context/Modeling Bridge

Mylyn for Modeling brings the productivity, integration and traceability benefits of Mylyn to Eclipse Modeling. It provides a focused mode for diagrams that shows only the elements related to the task-at-hand, dramatically reducing information overload for engineers working on large models. In addition, the task-focused interface extensions provide Mylyn’s one-click multitasking facilities for working with models, ensuring that developers can instantly recover from interruptions, and share model-specific expertise, when working with models in addition to what Mylyn already provides for engineers working with source code.

This work is developed by Tasktop Technologies and sponsored by Ericsson in the context of the Modeling Platform Industrial Working Group

Status

There are a few remaining usability related tasks, but basic implementation is complete. Currently, Mylyn for Modeling supports EcoreTools diagrams and Project Manager integration as well as Papyrus UML2 class diagrams. The supporting modeling bridge is designed to be relatively easy to extend to support arbitrary GMF supported diagram editor.

There are a number of additional extensions contemplated, including support for EMF Tree Editors.

Installing Mylyn for Modeling

Currently, the features can be installed from:

http://ci.mylyn.org/job/mylyn-incubator-modeling-bridge/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/org.eclipse.mylyn.incubator-site/target/site/

Select Mylyn for EMF and GMF, along with Ecore Tools for Ecore and Ecore Diagram support and/or Papyrus for UML Class diagram support. (Mylyn for modeling has the minimal dependencies on those tools, so you should probably install the target tools separately if you don't already have them.) The tools should work with the Indigo Ecore Tools and Papyrus modeling components.

Please note that the project has not yet been contributed to Eclipse and so has not passed formal review. We don't anticipate any issues with this.

Project Details

Bugzilla

Release bug:

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=352032

All related bugs:

https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/buglist.cgi?short_desc=%5Bmodeling%5D;resolution=---;query_format=advanced;short_desc_type=allwordssubstr;component=Experiments;product=Mylyn%20Incubator

Bug Reports

• Product: Mylyn Incubator
• Component: Experiments
• Deescription: Include "[modeling]" as keyword.

Git Repos

URL: git@github.com:MilesParker/mylyn.incubator.git

This is a temporary home only, we'll be moving it to EclipseLabs

Projects: org.eclipse.mylyn.modeling.*

Communication

Please use: mylyn-incubator-dev. Discussion also on EMFT-dev.

Schedule (dates tentative)

Current schedule calls for a release on August 31. We'll update here as various functionality becomes available for testing.

Related Documents

• Blog post by David Green, Tasktop’s VP of Engineering, for model-driven development diagrams based on a model similar to, but not based on, EMF.
• Mik Kersten’s PhD thesis on Mylyn. See especially Section 5.4.1.

Team

• Miles Parker for Tasktop
• Benjamin Muskalla Tasktop (Emeritus)

Original Proposal

Context Bridge for EMF Models

In order to bring the productivity benefits of the task-focused interface to engineers using Eclipse-based modeling technologies, Tasktop will create a “Context Bridge” for EMF-based models and diagram editors. The result of this will be a focused mode for diagrams that shows only the elements related to the task-at-hand, dramatically reducing information overload for engineers working on large models. In addition, the task-focused interface extensions will provide Mylyn’s one-click multitasking facilities for working with models, ensuring that engineers can instantly recover from interruptions, and share model-specific expertise, when working with models in addition to what Mylyn already provides for engineers working with source code.

This feature is a new technology, that to date has only been discussed in Kersten’s PhD thesis and implemented by David Green, Tasktop’s VP of Engineering, for model-driven development diagrams based on a model similar to, but not based on, EMF.

High-Level Tasks

EMF Context Bridge

Integration between the EMF Ecore model with the Mylyn Context degree-of-interest model.

• EMF-1: identity of Ecore elements is integrated with task context
• EMF-2: relationships and containment are mapped to the degree-of-interest graph
• EMF-3: degree-of-interest model elements updated on refactoring of model, for active task
• EMF-4: contexts with refactored model elements are updated when loaded, eg, using refactoring history

GEF Diagram Focusing

Support for user interface focusing and one-click multitasking facilities for models and diagrams .

• FOCUS-1: creation of figure filter, highlighter and layout for focused diagrams
• FOCUS-2: degree-of-interest based view updated and model change notification integration
• FOCUS-3: Ecore model focusing for Common Navigators
• FOCUS-4: APIs for GEF figure focusing for downstream editors
• FOCUS-5: usage tracking for Ecore model and GEF diagram editing and navigation
• FOCUS-6: editor mementos are restored on task-reactivation
• FOCUS-7: quick/in-place view of model elements in context
• FOCUS-8: focus support for EMF models in GMF for UML models in Papyrus.