Re: How to describe Flowcharts, Schematics, etc

> The Object Management Group <www.omg.org> has done a lot of work in this area.
In particular, I think their Meta-Object Facility (MOF) and XML Metadata
Interchange (XMI) may be applicable.
>
> MOF is a Meta-Meta-Modelling Language: a syntax and semantics for describing
other meta-models: org charts, schematics, computer systems, whatever. XMI is an
XML format for exporting and importing arbitrary meta-models to and from MOF.
Through XMI, any meta-modeling language could be converted into any other
meta-modeling language.
>
> *In theory* any model could be converted into XMI for storage on a server and
transmission over the Web, e-mail, whatever. A User Agent can parse the XMI to
read the model and present it to the user. To present a different class or set
of models, you develop a meta-model, XML DTD, and XMI transforms. Optionally,
you develop stylesheets for different presentation media.

Now we are talking! <grin/>

I knew there would be other uses for XMI.
I had said if I could draw the flowchart, I can
model it in XML.
Why invent my own DTD when omg have done
it for me.

Love the idea.

Love to see a simple implementation
so that when my colleagues say
can I have a copy, I use the XSL transforms
to convert from the XMI to the graphical
form for sighted colleagues,
and to (say) a hyperlinked HTML version
for the VI members of the group, just
as I do with the rest of the presentation
which is text based!

Yippee.
Love the ideas, now how to select from
the crap set of graphical symbols in
the UML guide graphical set <yuk/>
to use them for
QFD charts, QPD diagrams, system
symbolic diagrams .........

regards, and tks for a great idea, DaveP

Received on Wednesday, 18 August 1999 14:15:51 UTC