A New Version of GTXL : An Exchange Format for Graph Transformation Systems

GTXL (Graph Transformation Exchange Language) is designed to support and stimulate developers to provide their graph transformation-based tools with an exchange functionality regarding the integration with other tools. For this exchange XML was chosen as underlying technology. The exchange of graphs is facilitated by the exchange format GXL which is also XML-based. GTXL uses GXL to describe the graph parts of a graph transformation system. A first version of GTXL arose from the format discussion within the EU Working Group APPLIGRAPH. Trying to restimulate the discussion on a common exchange format for graph transformation systems, this paper presents a new version of GTXL. Three important changes have been made. At first, an integrated presentation of rules is introduced, secondly the expression of more general conditions is supported and finally the storage of the underlying semantics of a graph transformation system by means of special attributes is proposed.