Variability Management in Domain-Specific Languages

Abstract. Domain-specific languages (DSLs) have demonstrated their capability to reduce the gap between the problem domain and the techni-cal decisions during the software development process. However, building a DSL is not an easy task because it requires specialized knowledge and skills. Moreover, the challenge becomes even more complex in the con-text of multi-domain companies where several domains coexist across the business units and, consequently, there is a need of dealing not only with isolated DSLs but also with families of DSLs. To deal with this complexity, the research community has been working on the definition of approaches that use the ideas of Software Product Lines Engineering (SPLE) for building and maintaining families of DSLs. In this paper, we present a PhD thesis that is aimed to contribute to this effort. In particular, we explain the challenges that need to be addressed during the process of going from a family of DSLs to a software language line. Then, we briefly discuss the state of the art, and finally we introduce a research plan.