UVL.js: Experiences on using UVL in the JavaScript Ecosystem

Abstract

[Abstract]: The Universal Variability Language (UVL) was developed as a community-driven effort to create a simple yet extensible language for feature modeling, promoting tool interoperability within the software product line community. Although UVL is supported by several tools like FeatureIDE, Flamapy, and Pure::variants, it currently lacks direct support for web environments. To address this, we introduce a JavaScript-based UVL parser built with the ANTLR framework. This parser makes UVL models accessible directly within browser-based environments, eliminating the need for extra installations and enhancing UVL’s usability for web-based tools. Furthermore, the parser can be used in back-end environments with JavaScript runtime environments such as Node.js. The parser has been successfully tested with more than 1,000 UVL models available on UVLHub and supports various UVL language levels and conversion strategies. We demonstrate its integration through two use cases: UVLHub, a public repository for UVL models developed using open science principles, and an application lifecycle management tool for software product lines. This JavaScript UVL parser is the first of its kind, unlocking new possibilities for web and JavaScript applications to take advantage of the advancements in UVL technology.