Jory: A Tool for Feature Modelling Based on Product Families Algebra and BDDs

Abstract

<p>p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times}</p> <p>Feature models are commonly used to capture the commonalities and the variability of product families. There are several feature modelling notations that correspondingly depict the concepts of feature modelling techniques. Therefore, the tools based on them reflect this diversity in the notations used and the fuzziness of the concepts adopted.</p> <p>The thesis discusses the design and the construction of a tool that is based on Product-Families Algebra (PFA) and on Binary Decision Diagrams (BDD). The first brings the mathematical formalism to the specifications of product families and the mathematical theory that enables calculations on feature-models. The second brings efficient algorithms in time and in space. Hence, the tool allows several algebraic manipulations of feature models that are specified within the language of PFA. We coined this tool Jory.</p> <p>The main contribution of the thesis is the design of the tool, and the implementation of four layers of its architectural design. As well, the thesis gives an implementation of multi-sets and the operations on them using BDDs.</p> <p>Several case studies are presented and used in the validation of the tool. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times}</p>