Metamodelling tools

Question

What tools are available for metamodelling?

Especially for developing diagram editors, at the moment trying out Eclipse GMF

Wondering what other options are out there? Any comparison available?

Answer 1

Your question is simply too broad for a single answer - due to many aspects.

First, meta-modelling is not a set term, but rather a very fuzzy thing, including modelling models of models and reaching out to terms like MDA.

Second, there are numerous options to developing diagram editors - going the Eclipse way is surely a nice option.

To get you at least started in the Eclipse department:

• have a look at MOF, that is architecture for "meta-modelling" from the OMG (the guys, that maintain UML)
• from there approach EMOF, a sub set which is supported by the Eclipse Modelling Framework in the incarnation of Ecore.
• building something on top of GMF might be indeed a good idea, because that's the way existing diagram editors for the Eclipse platform take (e.g. Omondo's EclipseUML)
• there are a lot of tools existing in the Eclipse environment, that can utilize Ecore - I simply hope, that GMF builts on top of Ecore itself.