Extending Architecture Description Languages With Exchangeable Component Behavior Languages

Architecture description languages (ADLs) encapsulate domain concerns in components. Most ADLs enforce domain experts to use general purpose programming languages (GPLs) or an especially designed, fixed component behavior language. Domain-specific languages (DSLs), on the other hand, aim to reduce the conceptual gap between problem domain challenges and GPL solutions. Current ADLs focus on software engineering and disregard integration of domain-specific component behavior languages. We combine results from DSL-based software language engineering with component & connector ADLs to present a concept for the non-invasive and exchangeable integration of both. The concept is realized with the MontiArcAutomaton component & connector ADL. This liberates domain experts from using GPLs and facilitates their contribution.