Extending a Conceptual Modeling Language For Adaptive Web Applications

The complexity of adaptive Web applications (AWA) is increasing almost every day. Besides impacting the implementation phase, this complexity must also be suitably managed while modeling the application. To this end, the paper proposes an approach for AWA called GIWA based on WA-UML (Web Adaptive Unified Modeling Language). This extension defines a set of stereotypes and constraints, which make possible the modeling of AWA. GIWA‘s target is to facilitate the automatic execution of the design and the automatic generation of adaptable web interface. The GIWA methodology is based on different step: requirement analysis, conceptual design, adaptation design and generation. Using GIWA, designers can specify, at a requirement analysis, the features of web application to be generated. These features are represented, at the conceptual level using WA-UML. At the adaptation level, GIWA acquires all information about users’ preferences and their access condition to be used at the generation level. The last level is based on java swing interface to instantiate models which are translated in XML files. GIWA uses then XSL files (user preferences) and RDF files (devices’ capability) to generate the HTML page corresponding to the user: