Automatically Prototype Generation From UML Requirement Model

Software Prototyping is a popular approach for software developing. It makes the software process more effective, and reduces the cost of development. In this paper, we propose an object-oriented approach that based on UML for software prototyping, and also develop the tool for prototyping — AutoPA(automatic prototype generation and analysis).AutoPA is a UML tool based on formal method.We present the initial version AutoPAl.O that implements the transformations from UML system requirements models to executable prototypes in this paper. A UML system requirements model consists of a use-case model and a conceptual class model. The UML requirement model that can be accepted by AutoPAl.O is described by MagicDraw 95, which is in form of XML file that conform to XMI Each use case is either described as a pair of pre and post conditions in the context of the conceptual model or represented as an activity diagram drawn by the user. For the use cases that described as a pair of pre and post consitions, AutoPA will use several algorithems to gernerate a activity diagram which can implement the functions that declared by use cases. Based on the UML Requirement model generated by MagicDraw, AutoPA1.0 will generate the Java code of the prototype for execution. After getting the prototype of a requirements model, running the prototype can validate the requirements by checking the pre and post conditions of the use case operations and the system invariants. It helps to improve the understanding between customers and designers.Finally, we will use an example of a library system to illustrate how to generate the prototype from the UML requirement model of library by AutoPA 1.0.