Get Started with XVCL Workbench Plug-in For Eclipse

XVCL Workbench Plug-in For Eclipse

Installation of XVCL Workbench Plug-in
Prerequisite: Eclipse Java IDE, v3.1 or above, installed in Windows platform.

1- Download distribution package from XVCL Workbench homepage:
http://xvcl.comp.nus.edu.sg/workbench/download/
Its naming convention is usually in the form: “plugin-name_plugin-ver.zip”, e.g. edu.xvcl.workbench_1.0.0.zip

2- Unzip the package into “plugins” folder inside Eclipse installation,
e.g. c:\Program Files\Eclipse\plugins\

3- Run Eclipse and open “Select Perspective” dialog box from Window > Open Perspective > Other

4- Select “XVCL Development” and hit OK. This will open necessary windows to work with XVCL.

Note: if you don’t see item “XVCL Development” in the “Select Perspective” dialog, try to restart Eclipse with ?clean argument, i.e. right click on Eclipse icon, choose Properties;under Target box in Shortcut tab, key in “{Eclipse Path}\eclipse.exe -clean”, with {Eclipse Path} refers to path of your Eclipse installation

From, XML Based Variant Configuration Language

XML-based Variant Configuration Language

XVCL (XML-based Variant Configuration Language) is a general-purpose mark-up language for configuring variants in programs and other types of documents. We can apply XVCL to configure variants in a variety of software assets such as software architecture, program code, test cases, technical and user-level program documentation or requirement specifications. In fact, XVCL can be used for managing variants in any domain that can be represented as a collection of textual documents.

XVCL is more than a language for configuring variants. It is accompanied by a methodology and supported by a tool ? an XVCL processor. The XVCL methodology tells you how to discover the variant-structure of the solution for your application domain and for the types of variants you want to address. The XVCL processor automates what are often the most error-prone parts of program construction, allowing you to entirely focus on the essential novelty of your problems, work requiring your creativity.

XVCL is a scripting language that allows you to specify how to systematically and reliably modify programs at variation points in order to accommodate specific variants into programs. You use XVCL commands to mark variation points in your program. To facilitate effective reuse, you split your program into generic, adaptable fragments, called x-frames. Each x-frame is instrumented with XVCL commands to permit automatic customization and evolution. You organize x-frames into a hierarchy that forms an adaptable architecture for your product line.