Introducing Architecture Modeler

Use Architecture Modeler to add support for unsupported languages and frameworks to COBOL Analyzer (CA). You can also use it to extend support for already supported languages and frameworks. Architecture Modeler's:

• Graphical user interface, with error checking and metamodel lookup, makes it easy to define new entity and relationship types in CA.
• Regular expression generator simplifies the task of specifying the search patterns the CA parser uses to extract entities and relationships from source code.

Based on your input,Architecture Modeler creates a plug-in that defines an extension, or add-on, to the CA metamodel. The add-on specifies the entity and relationship types of interest in the newly supported source files.

The plug-in also references a universal parser configuration file that defines the search patterns CA uses to extract entities and relationships from newly supported files. For text files, search patterns are mapped from regular expressions. For XML files, search patterns are mapped from XPath queries.

Here in schematic form are the tasks you perform in Architecture Modeler:

1. Load an existing metamodel.
2. Save the metamodel with the name of your extension.
3. Add a sample source file of the type you want to support in CA.
4. Define the entity types for the add-on.
5. Define the relationship types for the add-on.
6. Map search patterns for the entity and relationship instances you want the parser to extract.
7. Export the model to CA.
8. Reconfigure CA.

Before turning to these tasks, users who are new to CA may want to familiarize themselves with the concepts underlying the CA metamodel. Experienced users can skip straight to the tasks.