Context: Model-driven approaches are increasingly used in different domains, such as education, finance and app development, in order to involve non-developers in the software development process. Such tools are hugel...
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Context: Model-driven approaches are increasingly used in different domains, such as education, finance and app development, in order to involve non-developers in the software development process. Such tools are hugely dependent on visual elements and thus might not be accessible for users with specific challenges, e.g., visual impairments. Objectives: To locate and analyse existing literature on the accessibility of low-code approaches, their strengths and weaknesses and key directions for future research. Methods: We carried out a systematic literature review and searched through five leading databases for primary studies. We used both quantitative and qualitative methods for data synthesis. Results: After reviewing and filtering 918 located studies, and conducting both backward and forward snowballing, we identified 38 primary studies that were included in our analysis. We found most papers focusing on accessibility of visual languages and block-based programming. Conclusion: Limited work has been done on improving lowcode programming environment accessibility. The findings of this systematic literature review will assist researchers and developers in understanding the accessibility issues in low-code approaches and what has been done so far to develop accessible approaches.
Context: low-code/no-code (LCNC) is an emerging technology trend that extends software development beyond professionalsoftware engineers, making it accessible to individuals throughout organizations and society. Objec...
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Context: low-code/no-code (LCNC) is an emerging technology trend that extends software development beyond professionalsoftware engineers, making it accessible to individuals throughout organizations and society. Objective: We aim to provide a systematic review of the current research on the adoption of LCNC technologies within citizen development (CD) practices for digital transformation (DT), and to propose a research agenda for this field. Method: This review is primarily conducted using a multi-phase systematic literature review of publications from the past five years, i.e., between 2017 and 2023. Results: We identified 40 primary studies that describes the application of LCNC development and CD practices, the theoretical lenses/frameworks used, and the associated benefits and challenges. Conclusion: In this study, we present three key contributions. First, we provide a comprehensive review of the benefits, challenges, theoretical perspectives, and methods used to explore LCNC and CD adoption. Second, we introduce a framework designed to guide managers in effectively adopting LCNC and CD practices. Finally, our systematic review uncovers gaps in existing research and identifies opportunities for further exploration, which paves the way for a future research agenda.
The next-generation STEP-NC technology requires automatic generation of machining strategies within manufacturing systems to implement flexible manufacturing in the future. Currently, the machining feature modeling ba...
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The next-generation STEP-NC technology requires automatic generation of machining strategies within manufacturing systems to implement flexible manufacturing in the future. Currently, the machining feature modeling based on STEP-NC is in its infancy, facing challenges such as cumbersome modeling processes, ineffective utilization of the STEP-NC standard, and low development efficiency. A low-code modular solution based on the STEP-NC data kernel for machining feature-oriented modeling is important to achieve more intelligent flexible manufacturing. This paper presents a low-code modular modeling method for machining features, based on the STEP-NC data structure and incorporating geometric, process, and machining information, aimed at part milling. A low-code modular CAD modeling platform based on STEP-NC was built using Rhino Grasshopper. Additionally, a toolpath generation algorithm was designed for milling feature models to enable the automatic generation of milling strategies. Finally, the feasibility of a low-code modular CAD system based on machining features for STEP-NC compliant manufacturing in engineering applications is validated through a case study involving part design, milling, and optimization.
Due to hyper-competition, technological advancements, regulatory changes, etc, the conditions under which enterprises need to thrive become increasingly turbulent. Consequently, enterprise agility increasingly determi...
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Due to hyper-competition, technological advancements, regulatory changes, etc, the conditions under which enterprises need to thrive become increasingly turbulent. Consequently, enterprise agility increasingly determines an enterprise's chances for success. As software development often is a limiting factor in achieving enterprise agility, enterprise agility and software adaptability become increasingly intertwined. As a consequence, decisions that regard flexibility should not be left to software developers alone. By taking a Model-driven Software Development (MDSD) approach, starting from DEMO ontological enterprise models and explicit (enterprise) implementation design decisions, the aim of this research is to bridge the gap from enterprise agility to software adaptability, in such a way that software development is no longer a limiting factor in achieving enterprise agility. low-code technology is a growing market trend that builds on MDSD concepts and claims to offer a high degree of software adaptability. Therefore, as a first step to show the potential benefits to use DEMO ontological enterprise models as a base for MDSD, this research shows the design of a mapping from DEMO models to Mendix for the (automated) creation of a low-code application that also intrinsically accommodates run-time implementation design decisions.
Method engineering emerged in the 1990s as a discipline aiming to design, construct, and adapt methods, techniques, and tools for the development of information systems. By executing a method step by step, users can f...
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Method engineering emerged in the 1990s as a discipline aiming to design, construct, and adapt methods, techniques, and tools for the development of information systems. By executing a method step by step, users can follow a well-defined process to achieve the intended results for which the method was created. To create methods in a more guided and systematic manner, a framework of methods can serve as a template. This allows individuals to leverage the expertise of method engineers who have consolidated their best practices within these frameworks. However, the creation and adoption of a method can be challenging in the absence of tools to support these activities. Additionally, method engineers may lack the programming skills required to implement such tools. In this context, we extend an approach inspired by the low-code paradigm for method engineering. By integrating construction rules for guidance (called here protocols), the goal of this approach is to assist method engineers in creating new methods or adapting existing frameworks. It automatically provides tool support, enabling method experts to effectively execute the method. This paper builds upon previous work and presents the approach through a proof-of-concept implementation, LOMET. We present a second version of LOMET, which has been refined based on feedback received during an empirical evaluation conducted through semi-structured interviews.
Space domain systems must go through different types of ground testing. For system-level black-box functional testing, ground support equipment is built ad hoc, customized for each different mission. Building any of t...
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Space domain systems must go through different types of ground testing. For system-level black-box functional testing, ground support equipment is built ad hoc, customized for each different mission. Building any of this specific equipment involves considerable engineering effort that can be diluted using techniques that allow reusing configurations of the test setup environment without recodification. These techniques can be merged into a hierarchical checking process based on independent filters to compare the received outputs with the expected ones. The hierarchical checking allows the separate definition of several layers or levels of validation, from the lowest protocol packet levels to the logical abstractions at the highest application level. This paper introduces a solution based on Model-Driven Engineering for low-code Ground Support Equipment. It uses the abovementioned mechanisms to reduce the effort to develop and customize ground support systems for different missions. This solution is integrated within an environment called MASSIVA, which allows the automatic configuration and definition of system-level test procedures. This environment has been used in the software verification and validation process of the Instrument Control Unit of the Energetic Particle Detector on board Solar Orbiter.
low-code platforms aim at allowing non-experts to develop complex systems and knowledgeable developers to improve their productivity in orders of magnitude. The greater gain comes from using components developed by ex...
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low-code platforms aim at allowing non-experts to develop complex systems and knowledgeable developers to improve their productivity in orders of magnitude. The greater gain comes from using components developed by experts capturing common patterns across all layers of the application, from the user interface to the data layer and integration with external systems. Often, cloning sample code fragments is the only alternative in such scenarios, requiring extensive adaptation to reach the intended use. Such customization activities require deep knowledge outside of the comfort zone of lowcode. To effectively speed up the reuse, composition, and adaptation of pre-defined components, low-code platforms need to provide safe and easy-to-use language mechanisms. This paper introduces OSTRICH, a strongly typed rich templating language for a low-code platform (OutSystems) that builds on metamodel annotations and allows the correct instantiation of templates. We conservatively extend the existing metamodel and ensure that the resulting code is always well-formed. The results we present include a novel type safety verification of template definitions, and template arguments, providing model consistency across application layers. We implemented this template language in a prototype of the OutSystems platform and ported nine of the top ten most used sample code fragments, thus improving the reuse of professionally designed components.
The creation of blockchain-based software applications requires today considerable technical knowledge, particularly in software design and programming. This is regarded as a major barrier in adopting this technology ...
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The creation of blockchain-based software applications requires today considerable technical knowledge, particularly in software design and programming. This is regarded as a major barrier in adopting this technology in business and making it accessible to a wider audience. As a solution, low-code and no-code approaches have been proposed that require only little or no programming knowledge for creating full-fledged software applications. In this paper we extend a review of academic approaches from the discipline of model-driven engineering as well as industrial low-code and no-code development platforms for blockchains. This includes a content-based, computational analysis of relevant academic papers and the derivation of major topics. In addition, the topics were manually evaluated and refined. Based on these analyses we discuss the spectrum of approaches in this field and derive opportunities for further research.
This paper summarizes the results of a master's thesis [1], which was written at the Technical University of Applied Sciences in Cologne in cooperation with mgm technology partners. The goal of the thesis was to a...
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ISBN:
(纸本)9783031720406;9783031720413
This paper summarizes the results of a master's thesis [1], which was written at the Technical University of Applied Sciences in Cologne in cooperation with mgm technology partners. The goal of the thesis was to analyze the issues and benefits of BPMN and S-BPM and to determine the most suitable approach for business process modeling, especially in the context of low-code. Both notations were found to have limitations - BPMN is quite complex and hard to understand for domain experts, while S-BPM lacks tool support. Therefore, a third approach of combining both notations has been developed with the goal of transforming S-BPM models created by domain experts into BPMN for direct execution in a BPMN-based architecture. As this approach is also not the ideal solution, future work should focus on improving tool support for S-BPM. However, S-BPM has several advantages that make it suitable for modeling business processes where people and their knowledge play an important role.
Gamification is a growing trend, driving behavioral shifts and nurturing user engagement across online platforms. Yet, a critical challenge persists in sustaining the underlying gamification engines that drive platfor...
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ISBN:
(纸本)9783031735370;9783031735387
Gamification is a growing trend, driving behavioral shifts and nurturing user engagement across online platforms. Yet, a critical challenge persists in sustaining the underlying gamification engines that drive platform-oriented gamification. Typically, these systems are the domain of developers, but what if this capability were democratized for end users? This paper presents a case study wherein a gamification engine underwent evaluation within the dynamic ecosystem of the CAMPUS platforms. Given the technical complexity inherent in construction and the inadequacy of hard coding, the study's evaluation centered on a design-based research methodology. This approach encompassed four iterative cycles, testing various phases of prototype designs and culminating in the development of a low-code interface tailored for platform administrators' use. According to the results of this study, it was possible to validate the relevance and importance of implementing the lowcode interface since it proved useful in simplifying the gamification creation process and was suitable for the target audience, bringing novelty to the current gamification system.
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