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10 Jahre MESCONF

MESCONF – Modeling Embedded Systems

Worum geht es bei der MESCONF?

Embedded Systeme sind allgegenwärtig; ein Alltag ohne diese intelligenten kleinen Helfer kaum noch vorstellbar. Wie man Embedded Systeme so baut, dass sie zuverlässig das tun, was erwartet wird, das steht bei der MESCONF im Mittelpunkt. Dabei betrachten wir insbesondere, wie Modelle helfen können, Architekturen, Systeme und Software zu entwickeln und zu verfeinern.

Warum solltest Du teilnehmen?

Der oft beschworene “Blick über den Tellerrand” kann
überraschende und wertvolle Anregungen bringen, wie
die eigene Projektarbeit verbessert werden kann.
Deshalb steht der Austausch von praktischen
Erfahrungen in konkreten Anwendungsbeispielen bei der
MESCONF im Vordergrund. Anwender berichten aus
ihren Projekten, und es gibt viel Raum, sich über das
Gehörte, eigene Ideen, Erfahrungen und Erwartungen im
persönlichen Gespräch auszutauschen.

Format der MESCONF

  • Fachvorträge
  • Diskussionsrunden
  • Workshops der Toolhersteller
  • Fishbowl

Warum gibt es die MESCONF?

Ganz einfach: weil Embedded Systeme heute derart komplexe Aufgaben
lösen, oft auch im Verbund, dass die Entwicklung extrem aufwendig
werden kann. Fehler werden spät entdeckt; deren Beseitigung ist
kompliziert und kann zu unerwünschten Seiteneffekten führen, und am
Ende laufen Kosten aus dem Ruder, und Liefertermine werden verpasst.

Visuelle Hilfsmittel wie Bilder sind hilfreich; noch besser sind Modelle!
Weil die Symbole eindeutig sind und nicht falsch interpretiert werden
können. Modelle können in Entwicklungstools bearbeitet werden, was
viele Entwicklungsaufgaben erleichtert.

Inhalte können überprüft werden, Source-Code, Dokumente und andere
Artefakte generiert werden, mit Hilfe von Simulationen können
Unstimmigkeiten frühzeitig aufgedeckt oder ausgeschlossen werden.
Missverständnisse werden minimiert, viele mögliche Fehlerquellen sind a
priori ausgeschaltet.

Was kann Modellierung konkret leisten und was ist dabei zu
berücksichtigen? Das „Modeling Manifest“ (http://mdse-manifest.org)
einer Gruppe von Experten ist ein guter Einstieg. Jedoch: was sich darin
einfach liest und logisch anhört, ist in der Praxis nicht in jedem Projekt
exakt so umsetzbar, und es stellen sich immer wieder neue Fragen.

Und genau deshalb gibt es die MESCONF, fokussiert auf diese Thematik.
Am 22. und 23. Mai 2025 treffen sich Experten und Anwender, um „Best
Practices“ auszutauschen, Ideen und Fragen zu besprechen und neue
Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen.


Rückblick auf die MESCONF 2024


Fachvorträge MESCONF 2024 (Auswahl)

  • Funktionsorientierte Entwicklung mit MBSE und Potentiale für den Einsatz von AI
    Jochen Epple, Mercedes-Benz, Anuschka Gummel, BHC
  • Game Changer SysML v2 und AI
    Tim Weilkiens, oose
  • Guided System Modeling und Übergang in die SW und E/E Domäne
    Johannes Trageser, SodiusWillert
  • SysML v2 in der praktischen Erprobung
    Samir Sarkic, Bosch


Workshops MESCONF 2024

  • Infineon: Model-Based Design (MBD) and Automated Code Generation
  • Mathworks: System Architecture Modeling of an Electric Vehicle with MathWorks Toolchain
  • Incquery: Model Governance für das Digital Engineering der Zukunft: IncQuery Validator Product Launch
  • IBM: Einstieg in die Modellbasierte Entwicklung – Welchen Einfluß hat die neue SysML v2 auf etablierte MBSE Methoden?


Auszug aus den Diskussionsrunden MESCONF 2024

  • AI-Assisted MBSE
  • Model-based requirements engineering
  • Text vs. Grafik aus Anwendersicht
  • Reviewing models — review management, results management, results documentation
  • Requirements in the loop — Verifikation von Anforderungen durch Formalisierung
  • Product-line engineering — ab wann sinnvoll, wo anfangen?
  • Impact analysis in models — how to make it work
  • Das Problem mit den UML-Komponenten in IBM Rhapsody


Hier gehts zur Agenda 2024

Ich hoffe viele von euch zu sehen auf der MESCONF!

Walter van der Heiden (walter@sodiuswillert.com)

10 Years of MESCONF 

10 Years of MESCONF – Let’s Talk Models, Not B.S.

April 16, 2025 / rhapsody207 / 1 Comment / Edit

🎉 We’re celebrating 10 years of modeling, collaboration, and fresh ideas!

📅 May 22–23, 2025 | 📍 Infineon Campeon, Munich

Let’s cut to the chase: 2025 marks 10 years of MESCONF.

What started as a small prototype has grown into the go-to event for model-based systems engineering (MBSE) pros, tool nerds, process thinkers—and let’s be honest, all of us who just really like making complex stuff actually work.

Whether you’re a Systems Engineer, Architect, Tool Wizard, or just MBSE-curious, MESCONF is where the real conversations happen—with folks who know what they’re talking about, no PowerPoint fluff required.


💬 What’s on the agenda?

Classic expert talks? Yep.

Open discussion formats? You bet.

PowerPoint prison? Nope.

Pre-scripted speakers? Forget it.

The real star? Open Space.

Here’s how it works:

👉 Got a topic? Bring it.

👉 Others care? Talk about it.

👉 No hierarchy, no moderator—just smart people exchanging real-world ideas.

From SysMLv2 to traceability, simulation, tool integration, and yes—AI in modeling—Open Space is where the sparks fly.


🤖 My 2 cents this year:

I’m pitching an Open Space session on AI in modeling.

(And yes, I do say “AI” not “KI”. “KI” sounds like a technique for getting cows pregnant—no offense to the cows. 🐄💉)

On a serious note:

  • Where does AI actually help in MBSE?
  • Where is it just shiny nonsense?
  • How can we integrate smart assistance into our workflows without handing over the model to some black box?

Curious? Opinionated? Just want to argue a bit over coffee? Come join the conversation—I’d love your input.


🛠️ Why bother showing up?

Because modeling is how we wrangle complexity.

Because MBSE doesn’t have to live in an ivory tower.

And because MESCONF is one of the very few places where you’ll find open, honest, practical exchange without corporate smoke and mirrors.

🎟️ Spots are limited – sign up now:

👉 https://mesconf.de

🚀 10 years of MESCONF – let’s write the next chapter together.

See you in Munich!


Keep modeling – with Rhapsody or whatever gets the job done.

Walter van der Heiden

walter@sodiuswillert.com


Happy Modeling ( preferably with Rhapsody)!!

Walter van der Heiden email://walter@sodiuswillert.com

🚀 Implementing DDS in IBM Rhapsody: Real-Time Systems Engineering for the Future

As embedded and distributed systems become increasingly complex, ensuring reliable, real-time communication is no longer optional—it’s essential. That’s where the integration of Data Distribution Service (DDS) into IBM Rhapsody changes the game.

At SodiusWillert, we’re enabling teams to build smarter, more connected systems by combining DDS with model-based systems engineering (MBSE). Here’s a breakdown of what DDS is, how it works with Rhapsody, and why it’s a major win for industries like aerospace, automotive, defense, and industrial IoT.


🧠 What is DDS?

Data Distribution Service (DDS) is a middleware standard defined by the Object Management Group (OMG), designed for scalable, real-time, and reliable data exchange in distributed systems. It uses a publish-subscribe communication model—perfect for:

  • Autonomous vehicles
  • Aerospace and defense systems
  • Industrial automation
  • Internet of Things (IoT) and cyber-physical systems

Key features of DDS:

  • ⚡ Low latency and deterministic communication
  • 🔁 Decentralized architecture (no single point of failure)
  • ✅ Built-in Quality of Service (QoS) management for reliability

💡 Why Combine DDS with IBM Rhapsody?

IBM Rhapsody is a powerful MBSE tool for designing and simulating embedded systems. Integrating DDS into Rhapsody brings multiple benefits:

1. Real-Time Simulation & Execution

Model systems in SysML or UML and simulate live DDS-based communication within Rhapsody. Perfect for systems where timing and data flow are critical.

2. Seamless Distributed Design

Define DDS publishers and subscribers directly in your Rhapsody models. Automatically generate DDS-compatible code for distributed execution.

3. Earlier Testing & Validation

Simulate DDS networks inside Rhapsody before deployment to reduce integration risk—vital for mission-critical domains.

4. Industry Standards Support

DDS is a core part of frameworks like AUTOSAR, ROS 2, and FACE. With DDS integration, Rhapsody projects stay compliant and future-proof.



🔧 How It Works

Using the SodiusWillert DDS integration for IBM Rhapsody, here’s how the workflow looks:

  1. Model your architecture in SysML or UML using IBM Rhapsody
  2. Use SodiusWillert M2M to transform SysML to UML
  3. Apply the DDS profile in Rhapsody
  4. Generate DDS-compliant source code
  5. Integrate with your target DDS libraries
  6. Build and execute your DDS applications
  7. Visualize results directly in Rhapsody

This approach enables a full MBSE cycle from modeling to real-time distributed execution.


🌍 Real-World Benefits

Whether you’re building autonomous vehicles, avionics systems, or industrial control software, DDS in Rhapsody provides:

  • 📉 Reduced development risk
  • 🧪 Testing before hardware is available
  • 🔁 Faster development cycles
  • 🛡️ Improved system robustness and reliability

🔎 Learn More

Want to dive deeper into DDS modeling with IBM Rhapsody? Need help setting up your DDS development environment?

👉 Contact us at SodiusWillert for a demo or expert advice.


Based on insights from a recent LinkedIn post by SodiusWillert Deutschland, this article highlights our commitment to advancing model-based engineering with real-time communication support.

Happy Distributing with Rhapsody!!

Walter van der Heiden email://walter@sodiuswillert.com

Automotive Day 2023

Automotive Systems und Software Engineering zwischen Standards, Effizienz und Qualität

Politische Vorgaben und Prioritäten sind kontinuierlichen Veränderungen unterworfen, und die Automobilindustrie wird wie kaum ein anderer Wirtschaftszweig durch politische Rahmenbedingungen in den Zielmärkten beeinflusst. Als beständiger Fakt in dieser sich ständig wandelnden Umgebung gilt: Die Fahrzeugelektronik ist der Schlüsselfaktor für die Agilität und Anpassungsfähigkeit der Modellstrategie. 

Um diesem Anspruch gerecht zu werden, wird die Elektronik immer komplexer. Die Anzahl der Module, Systeme, Schnittstellen und Varianten steigt rasant, und die Entwicklungsprojekte werden in gleichem Maße immer schwerer zu beherrschen. Dennoch sind Hersteller und Zulieferer, trotz der schwierigen Rahmenbedingungen, gefordert, qualitativ hochwertige und sichere Fahrzeuge zu liefern. 

Beim Automotive Day 2023 hören Sie von praktischen Erfahrungen bei Mercedes-Benz, Robert Bosch, FORVIA HELLA, Continental und anderen. Schwerpunktthemen sind unter anderem ASPICE, AUTOSAR, ISO26262, Systems Engineering, Prozesse und Normenkonformität. 

Dieses Event ist Ihre Plattform, von Erfahrungen Ihrer Peers zu profitieren und sich mit ihnen darüber auszutauschen, wie die täglichen Herausforderungen im Automotive Systems und Software Engineering bewältigt werden können.

Sichern Sie sich Ihren Platz beim Automotive Day 2023, und nehmen Sie Erkenntnisse mit, die Ihnen bei den weiteren Planungen in Ihrem Unternehmen helfen können.

Zitate von Teilnehmern des Automotive Day 2022:

„Es war eine sehr interessante Veranstaltung, darf gern länger sein!“

„Sehr hilfreich und informativ!!!“

„Gute Einblicke, interessante Gesprächspartner“

„Top Veranstaltung, gute Atmosphäre, tolle Gespräche und Vorträge“

„Es war super. Tolle Location, sehr gute Vorträge und hochkarätige Gespräche“

„Informative Vorträge, gute Möglichkeiten zum Netzwerken. Blick über den Tellerrand in die Domänen Mechanik, Elektronik“

Hotelinfos

Motel One München-Parkstadt Schwabing
Anni-Albers-Straße 10
80807 München

muenchen-parkstadtschwabing@motel-one.com

2019 is half over already….

Introduction

Or as we say in the Netherlands: the year is cut in two. Time flies when you’re having fun!
What have we seen? A new Rhapsody (8.4)! Lots and lots of new customers, a merger with Sodius… learning French…

What are we going to see in the next half year?
A new Rhapsody! (8.4.1?, 8.5?… 9.0??? who knows!) RXF ‘C’ 7.0, AUTOSAR Adaptive support, C++14 support (Will take a while… sorry….)

MESCONF 2019

Something to really look forward to is the Mesconf, the Modeling for embedded systems conference that we organize every year in Munich. (Oh and last year in Shanghai!)
Since this is a German Congress, the flyer and other information is in German. So sorry for “english-only” readers….

Die deutsche Konferenz über modellbasiertes Engineering für Embedded Systeme gewinnt immer mehr an Bedeutung 

Im 5. Jahr seit der initialen Veranstaltung in 2015 ist die Verwendung von verifizierbaren Modellen als System Spezifikation eines der Schlüsselthemen

Jochen Epple von Daimler berichtet in seiner spannenden Keynote über die Motivation für modellgetriebenes Systems Engineering in seinem Unternehmen, wie es die klassische textuelle Anforderungsanalyse ablösen wird und wie weit man inzwischen gekommen ist.

In diesem Kontext wird es auch eine Arbeitsgruppe geben, die sich mit Konzepten beschäftigt, wie zukünftig bei Auftragsvergaben modellbasierte Spezifikationen im Kontext von Lasten- und Pflichtenheften genutzt werden können, welche Vorteile und Herausforderungen sich daraus ergeben werden.

In bewährter Manier werden Erfahrungen zu vielen anderen spannende Themen in Arbeitsgruppen ausgetauscht und Lösungskonzepte erarbeitet: Modellierung von Varianten und/oder Plattformen, Test Driven MDSE und die Simulation von Modellverhalten, um nur einige Beispiele zu nennen.

Raum für Experten und Toolhersteller, die Ihre Konzepte und Lösungen vorstellen ist inzwischen fester Bestandteil der Veranstaltung geworden.

Und wie immer erwartet die Besucher auch dieses mal ein innovatives aber bereits sehr bewährtes alternatives Format, was die Konferenz zu einem echten Anwendertreffen macht, die deren Fragen und Belange in den Vordergrund stellt. Dazu hier exemplarisch zwei Kommentare aus den letzten Jahren:

‘Ich war positiv überrascht von dem Open Space Ansatz. Zu allen Themen, die mich interessierten, habe ich wertvolle Anregungen oder Bestätigungen bekommen. Ich bin beim nächsten Mal wieder dabei.’ (Michael Sommer)

‘Es hat sich einmal mehr gezeigt, der direkte Austausch zwischen Anwendern lässt sich durch nichts ersetzen‘ (Martin Reiß)

Weitere Informationen: WWW.MESCONF.DE 

Treffen Sie Top-Experten,  Anwender und Toolhersteller. Lassen Sie sich inspirieren, bringen sie Ihre ganz konkreten Fragestellungen ein und diskutieren Sie Lösungen mit gleichgesinnten Praktikern und Experten. Machen Sie sich schlau über aktuelle Trends, Methoden, Tools und Lösungen. Zwei Tage rund um das Thema Modellierung von Embedded Systemen im Systems und Software Engineering sind ein gut angelegtes Investment in Zeiten des rapiden Wandels und der Komplexitätsfalle.

Zum 5. Jubiläum der MESCONF vergeben wir 10 Freikarten. Sie haben Interesse? Dann senden sie sofort eine Mail an uns, weil die schnellsten und am besten informierten, wie so oft, gewinnen!

OK that’s it. Have fun modeling (With any tool!)

Walter van der Heiden ( wvdheiden@willert.de )

Rhapsody Getting Started – part 1.

San José

The second part of this USA trip brings me to San José in California. I am joining the 10th AUTOSAR Conference there. The meeting is held in the Computer Museum in San Jose.
I think that’s pretty cool. Also in the neighborhood are Apple, Google, Tesla, the famous garage of Jobs&the Woz and the HP garage. When there’s time I will take pictures. But we will fly to Detroit very early on Thursday.. so there is only limited time.

San José is nice but very, very expensive. Hotels cost a fortune, the hotels that are affordable are really low-class. The weather is nice, about 20ºC .

 

Introduction

People ask me a lot of times: “Why don’t you write something for “beginners”?”
OK, good point. Let’s do something for beginners.

First: what are we going to do, what are we going to use.

  • Board: Infineon XMC2Go Board
    ARM Cortex M0 – XMC1100, 64k ROM, 16k RAM
  • Keil µVision IDE
    When installed without a license, this acts like an eval version with a 32k size limit: we can live with that! The Willert Frameworks are really small, a Blinky is only a few KiloBytes without optimisation. If optimising it’s just over 1 KiloByte.
  • Keil CMSIS2 RTOS
    Embedded RTOS that implements the CMSIS standard
  • Rhapsody 8.2.1, the latest version
    We use the ‘C’ or the ‘C++’ version. We will cover both languages.
  • Willert RXF for C or C++
    The “general” version of the award-winning Rhapsody Framework.
    includes the UML Target Debugger
  • CygWin/Visual Studio/Eclipse
    Some C/C++ compiler running on a PC, preferably a free one.

Second: The sequence of installing:

  • C/C++-Compiler
  • Keil
  • Rhapsody
  • Willert RXF

See Installing Rhapsody for more info.

Third: What are we going to make?

That’s easy, there is a Hello World equivalent in the embedded world. It’s called Blinky. We let an LED blink on the board, that is about the smallest complete program you can make that still has user interaction.

Getting Started

Now we have installed it all, we can start using the environment to create a project.

First we start Rhapsody. I always like to make a shortcut on the Desktop to have Rhapsody accessible always. In Windows 10 you can pin it to they taskbar. As you can read a in the Installing Rhapsody part, you can influence the version of Rhapsody that is started by adding command line options.

So the version we need to start is Rhapsody Developer in C++. You can start Rhapsody Developer in C if you like, i will describe the differences between these versions.

People that just start with Rhapsody often ask: Why do I have to choose a language when I start a new model? Why can’t I do that later. Well that is because Rhapsody not only generates code, it also accepts your own code that you type in. You can do that in operations that are in classes but also in state-charts and activity diagram actions.

So changing the language after a while would implicate that you would have to change your own code as well. Can be done, but is much work. Also there are differences in the language versions. Rhapsody in C cannot generate code for inheritance (only from Interfaces) and there are mode differences.

Luckily you never switch the programming language that often, where I worked we always decided which one we’d use upfront and stayed with it…

Now that looks pretty empty

Yes, it does. That’s why it’s now time to create a new model. Rhapsody works with models. Models as in representations of the real world not the models from the middle pages of certain magazines… We can open an existing model but for now we will create a complete new one. Can be done in multiple ways;

I don’t use the mouse often so I usually press CTRL-N. Yes, I like the keyboard…. I’m old enough. And now we are outing ourselves anyway: Yes I like VI…. But feel free to use the mouse if you like. You’ll become a small window that asks you to enter 4 things.

  • Name, the name of the model. You’ll notice that Rhapsody adds the name of the model to the path. So it will create a new directory for every model you create.
  • Path, where the model is stored. Non-existing parts of the path will be created (after asking…. after all this is Windows!) only if you create a new directory in the root directory, this cannot be created. It’s not Rhapsody, it’s a Windows relict from the past. Have I already mentioned that I hate Windows?
  • Project type, here you can select a profile to be loaded with the new model. The profiles have to be stored in a Rhapsody directory (and preferably have an accompanying text file with the same name that contains a description)
  • Project settings, almost the same as project type but adds a settings file

You should create a directory that you can find easy, preferably c:\work or something similar. This is the directory to filled in after “Path”. As Project Name you take “Blinky”, as project Type you click on select, then scroll down to the directory “WST_RXF_V7”, in there choose “RXF_CPP_V7”. In the Settings Tab, go to the same directory and choose WSTProfile

If you have filled in everything a new model is created.

OK… Now what?

You see an empty model [picture of Rhapsody GUI]

There are a few area’s on the screen.

  • Menu
  • Browser
  • Diagram area
  • Output Area
  • Drawing Menu

The menu is a partly straightforward, the stuff that visual studio gives you for free, but parts are Rhapsody specific. You can create and open diagrams and do a lot more.

What is the Browser? It is the view to your model. It contains all element of your UML or SysML model. You can select what you see in the browser by using queries, you can from the browser, create and delete model elements. Your Browser View will not be empty, it will contain some default elements and the profiles you have selected when creating the model.

The Diagram Area is logically the view on your diagram. Per default Rhapsody will create and open a diagram for you: An object Model Diagram named “Model1”.

The Output Area is empty until you start doing things like generating, compiling or executing code. Then the output is shown here, beware, it has multiple tabs.

The drawing menu is on the right and contains the elements that can be used on the currently open diagram type. Rhapsody has possibilities to add items to it or to limit the items on the drawing menu.

Repository

Or, as we call it, the browser. When a new model is just created, it contains a few folders.

  • Components, contain what you are actually creating with Rhapsody. Per default it contains a single component: “DefaultComponent”. If you double-click that’s window will open, the Features Window. All Elements in Rhapsody have a feature window, a double-click will open it. Even diagrams have features, only they are not opened with a double click but with a right-click and selecting “Features”. A double click on a diagram will of course open that diagram. The first tab contains the name and type (library, executable or other”.The second has a “Scope” that lets you select what other UML elements are part of this component.
    Under a component there is at least one “Configuration” (Default: DefaultConfiguration” . This contains the information about the target environment.
  • Object Model Diagrams, normally all diagrams are located under a package, like all other UML elements. But to make a model better accessible for others we need diagrams on the top-level to assure an entry in the model. You can (Actually you should…) add navigation info to allow for traversing the model from there.
  • Packages, the base of your UML Model. Packages are nothing more than folders, however they have influence on the generated code, some elements will be generated inside .c (or .cpp) and .h. You can organize your work by dividing it in packages and sub-packages. And sub-sub-packages, and sub-sub-sub-packages, and… you get it I guess.
  • Profiles, these are the profiles that were loaded when we selected our project type. It is, of course possible to load more profiles after you have created the model. Just use “File”, “Add Profile to Model”. Profiles are used to transfer a lot of properties in one go but also to include certain information in the model.
  • Settings, about the same as profiles, technically there is no difference. Then why? Beats me….

C or C++?

What is the difference between Rhapsody in C and in C++? There are a few differences which I will explain but there is also a lot that is the same. You can draw exactly the same elements, the generated code will differ. Also the code that you enter must be equal to the chosen language otherwise nothing will work.

‘C++’ is of course closer to the UML. It already has classes, OO, inheritance and a lot more. But Rhapsody in ‘C’ also offers OO. Here you see the same class code, in ‘C’ and in ‘C++’.

The Object orientation in C is done by using a struct to mimic a class. (Private members are not really private there, unfortunately.But in Rhapsody, the get and set methods are used to implement private, public and (only in ‘C++) protected.
Functions have the name of the class as prefix to prevent linking problems when 2 classes have the same functions. Private functions have only the name of the function and are “static” which makes them really private.
All functions have a “class * me” as first parameter to have access to the objects attributes.
Calling a function in C++: object->function();
Calling the same in C: class_function(object);

So. That was the start. Happy modeling with Rhapsody and see you in part 2!

Walter van der Heiden (wvdheiden@willert.de)

Too hot to work…

There are people who deny the climate change… I’m not one of them. It is hot here today.. and my Home Office does not have an Aircon… Well… just ignore the heat and keep on writing! Today an item about Class Variables in ‘C’.

Support Case

I got a question in support@willert.de (An email address normally only for customers with a valid support contract. But we will do our best to answer all questions from all people)

The question was: Does Rhapsody in ‘C’ has a possibility to use Class variables, i.e Attributes that are shared over all instances?

The answer is, yes with some little tricks!

Class Variables

Class variables are actually not difficult. Normally, Attributes are generated inside the Class structure and can never be declared static, that is a disadvantage of ,C‘.

But we also have types that we can use. A Type will be generated outside the Class structure. In combination with a <> „New Term“ we can, with a minimal amount of hand labour, create a Class Variable that helps us in creating a real Singleton.

 

The stereotype does the following:

– It sets the name for the variable (prefixed with the class name) and the visibility. – The variable is declared „static“ so it is not visible outside the C file.

– Visibility is set to private.

 

TheType must be „LanguageType“ and the declaration must be the desiredType. %s is the name of theType.

The nice thing about this is that it really looks good in your browser tree, very logical what is happening, as it should be!

Happy Modeling with Rhapsody!

Walter van der Heiden wvdheiden@willert.de

 

The more Objects you ‘C’…

A BLOG entry… on this holiday in (most of) Germany.

Many years ago i was asked to work on a project in Germany, in Düsseldorf to be precise. That is when I found out that Germans have lots of holidays, probably more than anywhere in the world, at least a lot more then in the Netherlands.
The number is varying depending in where in Germany you are. The southern states have the most, the Northern states the least. The southern states are also the economically best ones…

Coincidence? I think not.

Since I’m now at home where everybody works, i have enough time to write a BLOG entry. Today about a question that is keeping the embedded world busy since a long time:

Shall I use ‘C’ or ‘C++’?

The answer is not really simple (as expected…). There is a simple answer, it is: “It depends”. Does not help…

Depends on what? Well… on a couple of things:

  • How is your ‘C++’ knowledge? It is not recommended to use an important project for your first ‘C++’ experience…. Stay with ‘C’ if you are comfortable with it.
  • Is there a decent ‘C++’ compiler for your target environment? With decent I mean a real, full-fledged, used by many others ‘C++’ compiler. Not a ‘C++’ front-end, not a crippled C++ compiler.
  • Do you have a lot of legacy code available in ‘C’ or in ‘C++’. Then that should be the language of choice

In earlier days other arguments would have been: how much memory does your target have? Today this is no longer valid. We (Willert) have Rhapsody frameworks available for C and C++ fr many targets. We can also compare between both languages and we have measured that in many case C++ is smaller and faster than C!

For the hard-core ‘C’ programmers: Rhapsody in ‘C’ is an excellent way to learn Object Orientation and eventually ‘C++’!

I learned to program ‘C’ in 1982 in school. I tried to learn ‘C++’ end of the 1990’s. Bought me a book (Unfortunately “The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup”, not exactly a learning book…..) After reading this I was no a single bit wiser about ‘C++’ . I found it very difficult to understand what Classes and Objects were. When I started using Rhapsody in ‘C’ I  started to understand OO while the OO was expressed in ‘C’, which I could read and understand.

So a real answer cannot be given but the trend is towards ‘C++’. My Advise: If you can use ‘C++: do it, if you can’t, think twice about alternatives.

Happy Modeling with Rhapsody!

Walter van der Heiden (wvdheiden@willert.de)

Was ist grün und stinkt nach Fisch….

This week we are in Bremen, “we” being my son Robbert (who does an internship @ Willert) and me. The title is German and means:

“What is green and smells fishy”. This is what German soccer fans sing when they play against the local soccer team “Werder Bremen”. Because Bremen is near the sea and you can eat fish here. (Which tastes excellent by the way…) Later some pictures, now some Rhapsody!

Rhapsody First-Aid:

Sometimes Rhapsody is not working as it should. Many “problems” can be solved by installing Rhapsody in the right way and by using it the right way.

Here are some quick solutions that might help improving your Rhapsody Experience:

  • Use the 32-bit version of Rhapsody.
  • OK, Rhapsody brings its own Java JDK but please see that you have a 32-bit version of Java installed.
  • When possible, install “as Administrator”. Just install as admin, do not login as admin!!
  • Do not use “Install for all users” when installing. Please….
  • Do only use “Install all files in one directory” when you install outside “c:\Program Files”, otherwise: don’t!
  • Rhapsody installs in 2 directories: Programs (default: “c:\Program Files”) and Data (default: “c:\users\<you>”)
  • Always install the developer. You can later start the correct version by editing the “rhapsody.ini” file or via the command-line.
  • Edit rhapsody.ini to start the version/language you need. DefaultEdition = Developer/Architect/Designer …, DefaultLanguage = C/C++/Java
  • Install only the languages you _really_ need.
  • If you have multiple versions of Rhapsody installed: only the last one is the default!
  • Before trying to fix stuff: remember that a re-install does not take long.

After installing:

  • When starting Rhapsody for the first time: do it “as Administrator”.
  • Rhapsody heavily relies on the rhapsody.ini in the Data directory (Share) check of there are no duplicates (e.g in the c:\windows directory)
  • Using Rhapsody as Eclipse starts the Version/Language as set in rhapsody.ini
  • Rhapsody is sensitive for having a “Bad Windows”. Many crashes are an indication for a DLL Problem.
  • In 8.2 there is a known Problem when “Active Code View” is on and a diagram is opened.

We hope that this helps you when installing and using Rhapsody!

 

Walter van der Heiden (wvdheiden@willert.de)

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