UML Activity Diagrams and Maude Integrated Modeling and Analysis Approach Using Graph Transformation

The use of UML Activity Diagrams for modeling global dynamic behaviors of systems is very widespread. UML diagrams support developers by means of visual conceptual illustrations. However, the lack of firm semantics for the UML modeling notations makes the detection of behavioral inconsistencies difficult in the initial phases of development. The use of formal methods makes such error detection possible but the learning cost is high. Integrating UML with formal notation is a promising approach that makes UML more precise and allows rigorous analysis. In this paper, we present an approach that integrates UML Activity Diagrams with Rewriting Logic language Maude in order to benefit from the strengths of both approaches. The result is an automated approach and a tool environment that transforms global dynamic behaviors of systems expressed using UML models into their equivalent Maude specifications for analysis purposes. The approach is based on Graph Transformation and the Meta-Modeling tool AToM is used. The approach is illustrated through an example. Keywords— UML Activity Diagrams; Rewriting Logic;Maude language; Meta-Modeling; Graph Grammars; Graph Transformation; AToM3.