When building a new tool for modelling and code generation like Essential, one has to rethink again what template engine use to drive all the machinery. In code generation contexts, template engines are a good field for innovation and your choice will be with you probably for the full lifetime of your tool.
In this post, I will try to introduce and explain why StringTemplate is a superb engine for doing code generation and why you should consider it if dealing with a code generation scenario. More… »
The Hello World sample is a nice starting point to show the syntax and capabilities of every new language. This test is also useful for code generators and Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) also as a proof of concept.
Following this honorable tradition, I have created a video showing the capabilities of Essential: the tool I am working on for doing agile Model Driven Development.
In this 10 minutes video you will get a general idea of the DSL the language provides to create:
metamodels
models
templates
and control transformations
In order to see the details, jump to Vimeo, activate the High Definition mode (HD) and set full screen (sorry embebed version is not good enough).
Language Workbenches, as defined originally by Martin Fowler, are tools aiming to cope with DSL creation and code generation to increase the level of abstraction of software development.
Currently, the main efforts on MDD, MDE, MDSD (model-driven-whatever you prefer…) are focused in the development of this kind of tools perceived as a hot research area for Software Engineering.
In this scenarion, Cambridge, at Code Generation 2010 was the perfect place for sparkling the idea of promoting a contest to show and compare the advances of different language workbenches.
The Language Workbench Competition born with the objective to serve as a point of comparison between different tools in this exciting and fast moving area.
The competition is now open to the public. So anyone interested can enroll and implement the proposed challenge just published.
On the other hand, if you want to know more about Language Workbenches, modeling and code generation add this page to you bookmarks and come back in few months to see some proposals.
It also was the public presentation of Essential: the tooling supporting my approach for applying MDD. I got a very good feedback from the audience and receive many request to test the tool.
People interested in beta testing it can still enroll here.
Today I want to share an outstanding video found by my colleague Nico.
This kind of material always shock and amaze me!
When I was a child, I imagine how multimedia contents can effectively be more educational than just using the boring traditional books. I remember myself playing with animated GIFs to show the cyclic nature of the glucose and later on playing with Powerpoint, Flash, etc. to try to explain complex things visually. I prefer a good picture than a thousand of words.
Thereby, when I see a video like the next one I need to see it two or three more times till be able to close the mouth and that only happens just after satisfying my curiosity and gathering the full details. Math, nature and a piece of art, all in one.
After seen the video, and coming back from the off-topic, isn’t beauty to dream about that, may be, Nature is really model-driven… and actually has a complex and hidden metamodel governing it all?
Additional Model Driven bonus: Reviewing the making-of I found two visual models (DSL) (this and this using XPresso) describing algorithms in a visual form driving the animation in two scenes. Wow!
On April 27, my colleague Nicolas Cornaglia and I will be presenting a talk with some live demos in Valencia, Spain representing our company Capgemini, in the scope of the event Semana Informatica 2010.
The title of the talk will be: Productivity through frameworks and MDD.
Business applications for Enterprise Software usually follows a fixed set of standards (global or in-house) to help in keeping the maintenance cost as lower as possible (reducing TCO). In this context, homogeneity and regulation compliance is frequently a must.
The main issue in our presentation will be to show how an approach based in a good framework, modeling tools and code generation techniques can be the right tools to achieve a high degree of standarization, quality, productivity and flexibility to evolve the Enterprise Architecture. Such flexibility is key to provide a better Time to Market when a business process change or a technical requirement suddenly emerges.
To give a talk about my favourite topic, it’s always a pleasure. To give it at home, it’s an invaluable pleasure.
I’ve been invited to talk about MDD in my native university (University of Castilla-La Mancha, UCLM at Albacete, Spain) where I started my Computer Science studies. So, I have a lot of good feelings remembering my student days every time I come back there.
On Monday, February 22th, I will be there sharing my points of view and experiences about applying MDD.
Update:
When & where: February 22th, 18:00 H. Salon de actos de la Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Informática, Albacete (location).
