MOF Layer Reference

Farkitect organises all content into three layers based on the Meta Object Facility (MOF) standard.

M3 — Meta-Metamodel

Aspect	Detail
Contains	MOF Core: Class, Property, DataType, Enumeration, Relationship
Purpose	Defines what M2 metamodels can contain
Editable	No — always read-only
Visible	Yes — appears in Explorer with red text
Per-project	Shared — same M3 in every project

M3 is the foundation. You never edit it. It exists so that Farkitect knows what “element type,” “property,” and “relationship type” mean.

M2 — Metamodels

Aspect	Detail
Contains	Element types, relationship types, properties, enumerations, notation, constraints
Purpose	Defines modelling languages
Editable	Built-in M2s: no. Custom M2s: yes
Visible	Yes — appears in Explorer with yellow text
Per-project	Built-in: shared. Custom: project-specific

M2 packages have a standard structure with role-tagged sub-packages: elementTypes, elementTypeLayer, relationshipTypes, enumerations, views.

Built-in M2 metamodels

Metamodel	Element types	Relationship types
M2 Common	4 (Note, Text, Boundary, Artifact)	4 (Trace, Realization, Annotation, Dependency)
M2 ArchiMate 3.2	61 across 8 layers	11
M2 UML Class Diagram	4 across 1 layer	5
M2 C4 Model	6 across 3 layers	3
M2 Logical Data Model	2 (Entity, Attribute)	1 (Related)
M2 Business Model Canvas	9 across 3 layers	11
M2 Business Motivation Model	15 across 5 layers	21
M2 Requirements	10 across 2 layers	10
M2 TOGAF	35 across 6 layers	11

M1 — Models

Aspect	Detail
Contains	Elements, relationships, property values, diagrams, catalogs
Purpose	The actual modelling work — instances of M2 types
Editable	Yes (subject to project role)
Visible	Yes — appears in Explorer with white text
Per-project	Always project-specific

Every M1 element has a classifier pointing to its M2 element type. This determines the element’s properties, notation, and constraints.

Layer Relationships

M3 defines → M2 (what metamodels can contain)
M2 defines → M1 (what models can contain)
M1 classifier → M2 type (each instance points to its type)
M1 imports → M2 package (packages declare which metamodels they use)

Package Layer Designation

Every package has a layer field: "M3", "M2", or "M1". This determines:

• How it appears in the Explorer (text colour)
• Whether it’s editable
• What role it plays in the metamodel architecture