Integration of data validation and user interface concerns in a DSL for web applications

Data validation rules constitute the constraints that data input and processing must adhere to in addition to the structural constraints imposed by a data model. Web modeling tools do not make all types of data validation explicit in their models, hampering full code generation and model expressivity. Web application frameworks do not offer a consistent interface for data validation. In this paper, we present a solution for the integration of declarative data validation rules with user interface models in the domain of web applications, unifying syntax, mechanisms for error handling, and semantics of validation checks, and covering value well-formedness, data invariants, input assertions, and action assertions. We have implemented the approach in WebDSL, a domain-specific language for the definition of web applications.

[1]  Dave Thomas,et al.  Agile Web Development with Rails , 2005 .

[2]  Matthew MacDonald,et al.  Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in VB 2008 , 2007 .

[3]  Geert-Jan Houben,et al.  Hera-S: web design using sesame , 2006, ICWE '06.

[4]  Eelco Visser,et al.  Declarative Access Control for WebDSL: Combining Language Integration and Separation of Concerns , 2008, 2008 Eighth International Conference on Web Engineering.

[5]  Brian Beckman,et al.  LINQ: reconciling object, relations and XML in the .NET framework , 2006, SIGMOD Conference.

[6]  Marco Brambilla,et al.  Designing Web Applications with Webml and Webratio , 2008, Web Engineering.

[7]  Flavius Frasincar,et al.  HPG: the Hera Presentation Generator , 2006, J. Web Eng..

[8]  John Freeman,et al.  Property models: from incidental algorithms to reusable components , 2008, GPCE '08.

[9]  Eelco Visser,et al.  WebWorkFlow: An Object-Oriented Workflow Modeling Language for Web Applications , 2008, MoDELS.

[10]  Fernanda Lima,et al.  Application modeling for the semantic Web , 2003, Proceedings of the IEEE/LEOS 3rd International Conference on Numerical Simulation of Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices (IEEE Cat. No.03EX726).

[11]  Don Brown,et al.  Struts 2 in Action (In Action) , 2008 .

[12]  Oscar Pastor,et al.  OOWS: A Method to Develop Web Applications from Web-Oriented Conceptual Models , 2003 .

[13]  Gustavo Rossi,et al.  Systematic hypermedia application design with OOHDM , 1996, HYPERTEXT '96.

[14]  Nora Koch,et al.  The Authoring Process of the UML-based Web Engineering Approach , 2000 .

[15]  Jesús Sánchez Cuadrado,et al.  Building Domain-Specific Languages for Model-Driven Development , 2007, IEEE Software.

[16]  Chad Michael Davis,et al.  Struts 2 in Action , 2008 .

[17]  J. Davenport.  Editor , 1960 .

[18]  Nora Koch,et al.  Model-Driven Generation of Web Applications in UWE , 2007, MDWE.

[19]  Christian Bauer,et al.  Java Persistence with Hibernate , 2006 .

[20]  Dave Thomas,et al.  Agile Web Development with Rails, Third Edition , 2009 .

[21]  Antonio Vallecillo,et al.  Proceedings 3rd International Workshop on Model-Driven Web Engineering (MDWE-2007, Como, Italy, July 17, 2007) , 2007 .

[22]  Daniel Schwabe,et al.  Rapid prototyping of web applications combining domain specific languages and model driven design , 2006, ICWE '06.

[23]  Volker Gruhn,et al.  Specification and Control of Interface Responses to User Input in Rich Internet Applications , 2009, 2009 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering.

[24]  Mary Shaw,et al.  Topes , 2008, 2008 ACM/IEEE 30th International Conference on Software Engineering.

[25]  Steven Pemberton,et al.  XForms 1.0 (Third Edition) , 2007 .

[26]  Eelco Visser,et al.  WebDSL: A Case Study in Domain-Specific Language Engineering , 2007, GTTSE.

[27]  Eelco Visser,et al.  When Frameworks Let You Down: Platform-Imposed Constraints on the Design and Evolution of Domain-Specific Languages , 2008, OOPSLA 2008.

[28]  Flavius Frasincar,et al.  Engineering Semantic Web Information Systems in Hera , 2003, J. Web Eng..

[29]  Eelco Visser,et al.  Mixing source and bytecode: a case for compilation by normalization , 2008, OOPSLA.

[30]  C L KatsLennart,et al.  Mixing source and bytecode , 2008 .

[31]  Stefano Ceri,et al.  Web Modeling Language (WebML): a modeling language for designing Web sites , 2000, Comput. Networks.

[32]  Vidya Vrat Agarwal,et al.  Pro ASP.NET 3.5 in C# 2008: Includes Silverlight 2 , 2008 .

[33]  Eelco Visser,et al.  Integration of Data Validation and User Interface Concerns in a DSL for Web Applications , 2009, SLE.