Domain Specific Development with Visual Studio DSL Tools Book

List of Figures     xvii
List of Tables     xxv
Foreword     xxvii
Preface     xxix
About the Authors     xxxv
Domain-Specific Development     1
Introduction     1
Domain-Specific Development     2
Examples     4
Software Defined Circuitry     8
Embedded Systems     9
Device Interfaces     9
Software Development Process Customization     9
Benefits     10
Languages     11
Textual DSLs     15
Graphical DSLs     20
Conventions for Representing Structure     21
Conventions for Representing Behavior     22
Aspects of Graphical DSLs     23
Notation     24
Domain Model     24
Generation     24
Serialization     25
Tool Integration     26
Putting It All Together     26
DSLs in Visual Studio     27
The Customization Pit     32
UML     34
Summary     40
Creating and Using DSLs     41
Introduction     41
Process:Incremental Development of DSLs     41
Generalizing an Application: Identify Variability, Discover DSLs     42
Top-Down and Bottom-Up     46
Developing the DSL: From Sketches to Domain Model     48
Domain Model and Presentation Are Separate     49
Refining the DSL     50
Driving the Framework from the DSL     51
Using the DSL     53
Evolving the DSLs     55
Interpretive Architectures     56
Creating a DSL in Visual Studio     57
Creating a DSL Authoring Solution in Visual Studio     57
Trying Out the DSL Solution     61
Defining the DSL     64
Generating the Code for the Designer     66
Adding to the DSL     67
Constraints     68
Customizing the Explorer Window     71
Customizing the Properties Window     72
Custom Code for the Designers     73
Serialization Format of the DSL File     73
Driving Applications from the DSL     74
Deployment     76
A Second DSL: The Project Definition DSL     77
Architecture of the DSL Tools     78
The Generated Code     78
DSL Tools Architectural Layers     79
The Framework Assemblies     79
Content of the DSL Project     81
Content of the DslPackage Project     83
Summary     85
Domain Model Definition     87
Introduction     87
The Domain Model Designer     88
The In-Memory Store     89
Domain Classes     92
Domain Relationships     98
Embeddings     101
Multiplicity     104
References     105
Relationship Derivation     106
Generating a Designer with No Shapes     108
The Generated Code     109
Using the Generated Code     113
More about Domain Classes     115
DomainClassInfo     118
More about Domain Properties     119
Calculated Properties     121
DomainPropertyInfo     121
More on Domain Relationships and Roles     122
Accessing Links     124
More on Relationship Derivation     126
DomainRelationshipInfo and DomainRoleInfo     129
More about the Store     129
Looking Up Elements     129
Partitions      130
Rules     130
DomainModelInfo     130
Summary     131
Presentation     133
Introduction     133
Graphical Notation-Overview     134
Diagram and Editor     137
Diagram     138
Editor     141
Designer     142
Custom Editor     142
Shapes     146
Kinds of Shapes     147
Shape Maps     154
Connectors     164
Connector Anatomy and Appearance     164
Connectors and Inheritance     165
Connector Maps     165
Advanced Connector Maps     167
Decorators     167
Kinds of Decorators     168
Positioning     169
Decorator Maps     170
Customizing the Graphical Notation in Code     173
Multiline Text Decorators     173
Variable Image Shape     174
Set a Background Picture     176
Set Custom Connection Points     177
Change Routing Style of Connectors     178
Explorer     180
Default Appearance     181
Changing the Window Icon and Label      183
Customizing the Appearance of Nodes     184
Hiding Nodes     186
Customizing the Explorer through Code     187
Properties Window     188
Default Appearance of Properties Window     188
Categories, Names, and Descriptions     190
Hiding Properties and Making Them Read-Only     192
Forwarding Properties     192
Customizing the Properties Window through Code     193
Summary     195
Creation, Deletion, and Update Behavior     197
Introduction     197
Element Creation     197
The Toolbox     198
Element Merge Directives     200
Custom Element Merge Directives     208
Re-Parenting with Element Merge Directives     211
Custom Element Tool Prototypes     212
Connection Builders     216
Multiple Source and Target Role Directives     217
Multiple Link Connect Directives     219
Custom Connection Builders     222
Element Deletion     229
Default Delete Propagation Rules     229
Controlling Delete Propagation     231
Customizing Delete Propagation     232
Summary      234
Serialization     237
Introduction     237
Saving and Loading Models and Diagrams     238
Model XML File Format     239
Elements and Properties     242
Relationships     243
Relationship Derivation     245
Cross-Referencing     245
Using Guids as References     246
Using Qualified Names as References     248
References to Links     249
Diagram XML File Format     251
Versioning and Migration     254
The XML Schema     257
Customization     258
Modifying XML Element Names     259
Element Data     261
Implementing Your Own Serializer     264
Generated Serialization Code     264
Customized Serialization Code     271
Impact of Customization on the Schema     272
Summary     273
Constraints and Validation     275
Introduction     275
Choosing Hard or Soft Constraints?     277
Choices Made by the DSL Tools     280
Soft Constraints in the DSL Tools     280
Validation Methods     282
Enabling Validation      284
Invoking Validation     288
Custom Validation Categories     289
Inheriting Validation Behavior     292
Validation Output     292
Using Validation Outside the IDE     293
Validation Against External Data     294
Hard Constraints in the DSL Tools     295
Rules     296
Putting Together Hard and Soft Constraints     299
Summary     307
Generating Artifacts     309
Introduction     309
Artifact Generation Styles     311
Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations     311
Making Use of the Domain-Specific API     314
A Template-Based Approach     319
Complex Relationships and Round-Tripping     321
The Templatization Process     325
The First Cut Template     328
Generation-Specific Model Data     338
Starting to Build a Library     340
Syntax of a Text Template     341
Directives     341
Custom Directives     344
Control Block Types     346
Problems of Large-Scale, Real-World Artifact Generation     349
Advanced Customizations      351
Text Templating Architecture     352
Custom Hosting     354
Custom Directive Processor     357
Custom Orchestration     359
Summary     366
Deploying a DSL     369
Introduction     369
Files Needed to Install a Designer     370
Getting Started-Creating a Setup Project     373
Setup Project Contents     376
Customizing Setup     377
Customizing InstallerDefinition.dslsetup     377
Customizing settings.ini     377
Customizing Strings.wxl     378
Customizing Product.ico     378
The .dslsetup Format     378
[left angle bracket]dslPackage[right angle bracket]     380
[left angle bracket]licenseAgreement[right angle bracket]     382
[left angle bracket]supportingFiles[right angle bracket]     382
[left angle bracket]vsItemTemplates[right angle bracket]     383
[left angle bracket]dslSchemas[right angle bracket]     384
[left angle bracket]vsProjectTemplates[right angle bracket]     384
[left angle bracket]mergeModules[right angle bracket]     384
[left angle bracket]textTemplates[right angle bracket]     385
Refreshing the Installation Files     387
Package Load Key     388
Deploying Text Templates for Code Generation     390
Creating a Project Template from the Debugging Project     390
Using a Text Template Include File     392
Including Text Templates in the VS Item Template     393
Summary     396
Advanced DSL Customization     397
Introduction     397
Tools for Customization     397
Partial Classes     397
Double Derived-The Generation Gap     398
Custom Constructors     399
Customization Switches     399
Custom Overrides     401
Responding to Changes     402
Property Handlers "On Value Changed/Changing"     402
Calculated Domain Properties     404
Custom Storage Domain Properties     405
Notify Value Change     407
Propagating Change from Model to Shape: OnAssociatedPropertyChanged     408
Rules     412
Store Events     417
.NET Event Handlers     419
Event Overrides     420
Bounds Rules     420
Summary of Change Propagation and Constraint Techniques     424
DSL Shell Architecture     426
How to Add a Menu Command     429
Add a Command Id for Each Command     430
Increment Menu Resource Index     430
Add Commands to Command Set     431
Define the Command Handlers     432
Good Practices for Command Handlers     434
Build and Run     435
Providing Handlers for Standard Commands     435
Building the DSL Diagram into Another Interface     435
Implementing Copy and Paste     437
The Copy Method     437
The Paste Method     438
Registering the Menu Handlers     440
Shape Containers     442
Child Shapes     442
A DSL Using Nested Child Shapes     443
Shape Containment Using Rules     446
Summary     453
Designing a DSL     455
Introduction     455
Identifying Variability     456
Bottom-Up or Top-Down?     457
Feature Trees     458
Feature Trees and DSLs     459
Developing the Domain Model     460
Sketch Domain Snapshots     460
Domain Model from Snapshots     464
Developing the Notation      468
Project Definition Notation     470
Issue State Notation     471
Familiar Notations     474
Defining Validation Constraints     475
Internal Consistency     476
Consistency with External Data and Models     478
Developing and Evolving the Framework     479
Generation versus Interpretation     479
Evolving a Generic Framework     481
Driving a Framework from the DSL     483
Testing     484
Validation Constraints     486
Generator Templates     488
Generated Code     488
Rules     489
Language Definition     489
Evolving a DSL     489
What Makes a Good DSL?     491
Appropriate Notation: An Example with Regular Expressions     493
Candidate Notations     495
Graphs Are Not Syntax Trees     498
Summary     498
Conclusion     499
Index     503