Operationalizing Application Descriptions in DTC: Building Applications with Generalized Markup Technologies

1 The EU project Galatea (TM-LD-1995-1-FR89) and the Spanish Committee of Science and Technology (TIC97 2009-CE,TIC98-0733 and TIC2000-0737-C03-01) have partially supported this work. Abstract: This paper describes the operationalization process (i.e. the step from application descriptions to executable applications) followed in DTC (structured Documents, document Transformations and software Components), an approach to develop applications using generalized markup technologies. DTC encourages the definition of XML-based domain-specific languages (DSLs) for describing each relevant aspect of the application. These DSLs are composed to obtain a single application DSL. Structured documents describing the application are the input for an operationalization process that yields a component-based artifact implementing the application. Operationalization process is performed in terms of a flexible architecture, where software components interact for assembling the application software in a collaborative, domain-dependent, way. Main benefits of our approach are software reuse and maintenance. These benefits are obtained through: a) the separation between high-level application description and application implementation and b) the provision of a flexible architecture, technologically neutral, enabling multiple implementation strategies.