xADL 2.0 Extensions Overview

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview | ArchStructure Diagram | ArchTypes Diagram
Depends on: Instances (Core)

The structure and types extension adds to xArch:

• Architectural Prescription: The ability to specify the design-time view of an architecture to complement the instances (run-time) view.
• Types Model: A programming-language style types model that allows architects to indicate that certain components, connectors, and interfaces share a common type.
• Sub-architectures:: The ability to specify the design-time composition of a single component or connector type. Analogous to a compound-type, or struct-type in a programming language.

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types

The options extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Optional Elements: The ability to specify that certain components, connectors, or links in the architectural prescription are optional, based on a set of system-wide guards.

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types

The variants extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Variant Elements: The ability to specify that certain component or connector types in the architectural prescription are variant. A variant type is analogous to a union type in a programming language; elements of this type may actually be one of several types when instantiated, based on a set of system-wide guards.

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview | ArchVersions Diagram
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types; Variants, Implementation

The versions extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Version Trees: A way to specify version trees for component, connector, and interface types. Also extends the type specifications for these elements to have a pointer back to their version, so multiple versions of a single type can be included in the same architecture.

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview |
Depends on: Structure and Types

The structural diff extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Architectural Diffing (initial support): The ability to specify the difference between two xADL 2.0 structures.

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Depends on: Structure and Types

The product-line architecture diff extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• PLA Diffing (initial support): The ability to specify the difference between two variant architectures in a xADL 2.0 product-line.

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types; Variants

The implementation extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Abstract Implementation: An abstract tag extending component, connector and interface type specifications. Developers should subclass this tag with their own extension and provide implementation information specific to their development platform (Java, COM, Windows/C++, etc.)

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types; Variants; Implementation

The Java implementation extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Java Concrete Implementation: A concrete extension of the abstract implementation tag allowing developers to provide implementation information for Java language component, connnector, and interface types.

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Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types; Variants; Implementation

The Lookup implementation extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Implementation-by-Lookup: A concrete extension of the abstract implementation tag allowing developers to provide implementation information for elements that can be looked up in a registry, nameserver, or other repository that supports lookup-by-name.

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Additional Documentation:
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types; Variants; Implementation

The Java source code extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Java Source Code Implementation: A concrete extension of the abstract implementation tag allowing developers to provide implementation information for locating the source code of Java language component, connnector, and interface types.

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Additional Documentation:
Depends on: Java source code

The Eclipse Java source code extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Eclipse Source Code Manager: An extension to the abstract Java source code manager tag to provide information for locating an Eclipse project that contains the Java source code for a component, connector, or interface type.

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types; Options; Variants

The Boolean Guard extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Boolean Condition Guards: A concrete schema for guards that are boolean conditions. Supports symbols, values, and traditional boolean-expression operators (AND, OR, NOT, ==, <, >, etc.)

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Additional Documentation: XML Spy Overview
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types

The Message Rules extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Message Rules: The ability to specify rules about message causality in a xADL 2.0 description for component and connector types.

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Additional Documentation:
Depends on: Instances (Core); Structure and Types

The access control extension adds to xADL 2.0:

• Access Control: The ability to specify access control policies in a xADL 2.0 description for component and connector instances, types, subarchitectures, and global architecture.