Extensible meta model for capturing solution patterns

An apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of modules, where the modules are implemented in at least one of hardware and software operating on hardware, the modules comprising:
• a schema module configured to provide a first extensible markup language (XML) schema defining elements representing different point of variability (POV) types for points of variability of a software solution pattern that comprises a reusable solution to a commonly occurring software design problem, where the elements belong to an XML schema substitution group that enables the POV types to be substituted for one another by an end user to change POV types used to instantiate an instance of the software solution pattern, and where the substitutable POV types of the XML schema substitution group are derived from an abstract complex POV type that forms a head element of the XML schema substitution group, where the substitutable POV types as derived comprise at least one of a simple POV type and a complex POV type, where the simple POV type comprises one of an integer, a string, a floating point number, and a real number, and where the complex POV type comprises one of a one-dimensional array of values and a multi-dimensional array of values, and where the substitutable POV types comprise at least one action that each specifies an operation to be performed with point of variability values and specifies at least one object that each action operates on with the point of variability values;
• and
• a pattern template module configured to generate, as a software solution pattern template usable to instantiate an instance of the software solution pattern, an instance of the first XML schema, the instance defining user-changed POV types derived from the abstract complex POV type and user-assigned default point of variability values for the user-changed POV types for a specific software solution pattern using the elements belonging to the XML schema substitution group.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-usable program code embodied therein, where the computer-usable program code when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

• provide a first extensible markup language (XML) schema defining elements representing different point of variability (POV) types for points of variability of a software solution pattern that comprises a reusable solution to a commonly occurring software design problem, the elements belonging to an XML schema substitution group that enables the POV types to be substituted for one another by an end user to change POV types used to instantiate an instance of the software solution pattern, and where the substitutable POV types of the XML schema substitution group are derived from an abstract complex POV type that forms a head element of the XML schema substitution group, where the substitutable POV types as derived comprise at least one of a simple POV type and a complex POV type, where the simple POV type comprises one of an integer, a string, a floating point number, and a real number, and where the complex POV type comprises one of a one-dimensional array of values and a multi-dimensional array of values, and where the substitutable POV types comprise at least one action that each specifies an operation to be performed with point of variability values and specifies at least one object that each action operates on with the point of variability values;
• and
• generate, as a software solution pattern template usable to instantiate an instance of the software solution pattern, an instance of the first XML schema, the instance defining user-changed POV types derived from the abstract complex POV type and user-assigned default point of variability values for the user-changed POV types for a specific software solution pattern using the elements belonging to the XML schema substitution group.