A tool for formal feature modeling based on BDDs and product families algebra

Feature models are commonly used to capture the commonality and the variability of product families. There are several feature model notations that correspondingly depict the concepts of feature modeling techniques. Therefore, the tools based on them reflect this diversity in the notations used and the fuzziness of the concepts adopted. We propose a tool based on Product Families Algebra (PFA) and on Binary Decision Diagrams (BDD). The first brings the mathematical formalism to the specifications of product families and the mathematical theory that enables calculations on featuremodels. The second brings efficient algorithms in time and in space. Hence, the tool allows several algebraic manipulations of feature models algebraically specified. The paper discusses the architecture of the tool, and the process through which a term in PFA is translated into a term formed by BDD symbols and operations. A case study is presented to illustrate the tool's key functionalities.