xADL 2.0 - the Modeling Language Behind ArchStudio 3

Software architectures are represented in architecture description languages (ADLs). Many ADLs have been proposed and developed over the past decade, including Acme, Darwin, C2SADEL, and Rapide. These languages define a software system at the level of its architecture.

For ArchStudio 3, we developed an XML-based ADL. This ADL is defined in a set of XML Schemas. Collectively, this set of XML schemas is called xADL 2.0. Unlike many other ADLs, xADL 2.0 can be extended by adding new schemas. As such, any architecture-related information can be stored in xADL 2.0. In ArchStudio 3.0, all information about a software architecture is stored in xADL. A software architecture description may be stored in one xADL 2.0 file or a linked set of files. An important thing to note is that ArchStudio component developers are highly discouraged from using or developing their own file formats. Keeping the architecture description entirely in xADL 2.0 ensures that all tools can access it via a common interface, the component xArchADT.

xADL 2.0 has its own website. The xADL 2.0 website is:

http://www.isr.uci.edu/projects/xarchuci/