Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for stereotype constructs in a visual modeling environment. A method of generating applications includes providing a first set of modeling language entities and a predefined stereotype construct, receiving input specifying the stereotype construct as a component of an application being developed, and generating the application, where the application includes a runtime version of the stereotype construct.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for supporting a model including descriptions of modeling language entities in a visual modeling environment. A method includes providing a visual modeling tool and modeling language entities being entities of a language of expressing applications designed in a visual modeling language environment, receiving input defining an application in the visual modeling language environment, and generating a platform-independent model of the application based on the input and the modeling language entities. In that method, the modeling language entities have a corresponding syntactic description that can be in accordance with the language, the input defines the application as a selection of the modeling language entities and a configuration of the selection, and the platform-independent model includes the selection, the configuration, and a syntactic description of the modeling language entities in the selection.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating runtime entities in a visual modeling environment. A method includes providing designtime graphical modeling language entities for use in a visual modeling program, receiving input defining an application definition at designtime as including at least a first and second designtime entities as components of a designtime version of the application, and generating runtime entities of the application. The designtime graphical modeling language entities include the first and second designtime entities, and the first designtime entity has an associated first runtime entity precompiled for a first platform. The input includes a configuration of properties of the first and second designtime entities, and generating the runtime entities includes setting properties of the first runtime entity in accordance with the configuration of properties of the first designtime entity.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for selectively supporting extensions to a modeling language. A method includes receiving a request to extend a modeling language entity and selectively providing support to define an extension of the modeling language entity. Support is selectively provided by determining whether the support to define the extension of the modeling language entity can be provided based on a definition of the modeling language entity in a visual modeling language. If the support can be provided, the support is provided; otherwise, the support is excluded. The method can further include selectively generating the extended modeling language entity. The extended modeling language entity can be selectively generated by determining whether the extension meets one or more conditions for being a valid extension to the modeling language entity, and if the extension meets the conditions, the extended modeling language entity is generated.

Abstract: The description includes methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for detecting and handling changes to back-end systems. Configuration data for a pattern is received. The pattern includes a predefined arrangement of user interface elements and specifies predefined actions that can be performed using the user interface elements. The configuration data includes a first version identification and specifies associations between one or more of the user interface elements and one or more entities in a back-end system. The back-end system is accessed and a second version identification is obtained. If the first version identification does not match the second version identification, the configuration data is modified based on information about the back-end system.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for generating an application based on a selection of one or more application patterns. A model of an operation of the application is generated. A design time application component to provide content for the model is provided, as well as a runtime application component to execute the operation associated with the model based with the content. The model, design time application component, and runtime application component are linked together to form a pattern module, the pattern module being an executable and portable operation of the application.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and computer program product for enabling hot deployment of changes to an implementation of an application. An application pattern is generated. The application pattern includes one or more pattern modules, each pattern module comprising a model, a design time application component to provide content for the model, a runtime application component to execute the model with the content, and a plurality of interfaces that define dependencies between the design time component and runtime component of a first pattern module and respective design time component and runtime component of a second pattern module. The implementation of the application is bound to the plurality of interfaces, such that changes made to the application pattern are added to the implementation of the application.