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Reviewer: Klemens Waldhör

Eclipse, one of the most popular open-source development platforms, supports a wide range of programming languages and application development tools. But it is not just a pure programming environment-the many plug-ins and extensions, using modern software engineering approaches, help speed up the software development process. Particularly, there are many tools available that support modeling. The most famous of these tools are the ones that use the unified modeling language (UML) as the basic modeling mechanism. This book explains how to write Java applications using the Eclipse modeling framework (EMF), using a model-based approach. It integrates three technologies: Java, Extensible Markup Language (XML), and UML. EMF aims to close (or at least narrow) the gap between the application designer (modeler) and the developer. This book aims to help with understanding EMF and how to use it. Four parts and 21 chapters make up the book. Due to the large number of chapters, I will just provide a short description of the four parts. The first part gives a short overview of EMF and an introduction. The reader learns the basic ideas behind EMF-integrating Java, XML, and UML into a common framework, with the ability to create various representations in any of the formats. All of the concepts are presented through simple examples. Obviously, this part is easier to follow if the reader immediately applies the Eclipse example given, as this provides a more intuitive feeling about the different options the system offers. Part 2 deals, in detail, with defining EMF models. It starts with a detailed explanation of the core representation features (ECore). The core consists of a so-called EClass and eAttributes that model the attributes of the class, together with EDataTypes and EReferences; the names are self-explanatory. This forms the kernel that is supported by structural and behavioral features. It also supports the concepts of packages and factory annotations. The next chapter explains the relationship of EMF to UML: EMF can import UML models, and a basic idea of EMF is to switch between different model representations. The last supported model-Java source code-is then explained. The remaining chapters in this part provide more extensive information about the ECore modeling features and process. Finally, the authors show how EMF and XML Schema work together, for example, in serializing ECore models. Part 3 deals mainly with how high-quality Java source code is generated from ECore models. It examines the numerous patterns (such as classes and attributes) and the Reflection application programming interface (API). Another chapter shows how to run the generator to produce different models from the core model. The last chapter in this part demonstrates how to implement a model and an editor, using a more complex example. Part 4 explains programming with EMF, and deals with EMF's runtime framework. The persistence feature is particularly interesting-persisting objects are key to many applications, and EMF gives interesting and extendable support. EMF also comes with a change model that keeps track of changes applied to an object. One of the last chapters deals with EMF.Edit programming, which allows the creation of viewers and editors for EMF models. EMF.Edit can be adapted and extended; the authors explain in detail various aspects of how to do this. The appendix contains a short introduction to UML class diagrams that form the subset used in EMF. The second part of the appendix contains a summary of the example models developed. I have mixed feelings about the book, but my overall opinion is positive. The authors explain in minute detail how EMF can be used, and that it really is a very powerful tool for increasing both software productivity and quality. On the other hand, the learning curve for EMF seems-if one just takes a look at the book-quite steep. It seems that in order to get a real feel for EMF, one needs several weeks, while reading the book in parallel. Knowing software modeling in general is a prerequisite. Even so, one will need some time to fully understand EMF modeling as it applies to daily work. Despite these comments, if you need to use EMF, this book is a great way to learn it. Having practical examples that immediately follow the theoretical information about EMF is an intuitive method for learning about EMF modeling. The book offers a code that gives readers free access to the online version. In addition, the examples can be downloaded from the book's Web site. Missing was a list of all of the figures, source code, and examples used in the book. A short chapter with definitions of the main terms used in the book also would have been helpful. Online Computing Reviews Service

Reviewer: Rohit Bahl

This second edition continues the tradition of being the de facto standard on the Eclipse modeling framework (EMF). It has been much anticipated, and reflects the advancements in EMF technology through versions 2.3 and 2.4. Having the inventors of EMF as the authors of this book ensures thorough coverage and deep insights. Their straightforward writing style and the book's structural organization make it an easy read. The authors devote the first few chapters to the various methods by which EMF can be generated, including the use of Ecore models as a starting point. Each technique presented is comprehensive, with explanations enhanced by screen shots. Details are provided about the various structures and meta-structures of the EMF language. In chapter 4, the authors provide an example of the application of EMF that unifies all the pieces of the EMF puzzle. The first four chapters would prove sufficient for learning the EMF fundamentals and bringing readers up to speed on the topic. Part 2, "Defining EMF Models," is particularly well done. Here, the main elements of EMF-the meta-model, unified modeling language (UML), and the generated Java source code-are described. Each is a principal component of EMF, and the relationships between them are clearly elucidated. Throughout the presentation, the authors mention various design alternatives to EMF that were considered, and logically justify the building blocks present in EMF. While many practitioners will view this book from a programming standpoint, the user interface (UI) aspects of EMF are also presented. EMF's UI generators can be used to generate both the back end and the front end; the authors cover the various generators very well. The last section of the book will be particularly interesting for programmers, since several chapters are devoted to explaining the application programming interface (API). The authors recognize that many readers may have already read the first edition of the book; therefore, the last chapter outlines the changes that this edition contains with respect to the previous edition. This is a must-read book, and possibly the only reference required to become well versed in EMF. This book could serve as a companion to architects and developers wanting to employ EMF in real-world situations. Online Computing Reviews Service