Article

MetaBorg in action: examples of domain-specific language embedding and assimilation using Stratego/XT

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GTTSE'05: Proceedings of the 2005 international conference on Generative and Transformational Techniques in Software Engineering

Pages 297 - 311

https://doi.org/10.1007/11877028_10

Published: 04 July 2005 Publication History

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Abstract

General-purpose programming languages provide limited facilities for expressing domain-specific concepts in a natural manner. All domain concepts need to be captured using the same generic syntactic and semantic constructs. Generative programming methods and program transformation techniques can be used to overcome this lack of abstraction in general-purpose languages.

In this tutorial we describe the MetaBorg method for embedding domain-specific languages, tailored syntactically and semantically to the application domain at hand, in a general-purpose language. MetaBorg is based on Stratego/XT, a language and toolset for the implementation of program transformation systems, which is used for the definition of syntactic embeddings and assimilation of the embedded constructs into the surrounding code.

We illustrate MetaBorg with three examples. JavaSwul is a custom designed language for implementing graphical user-interfaces, which provides high-level abstractions for component composition and event-handling. JavaRegex is a new embedding of regular expression matching and string rewriting. JavaJava is an embedding of Java in Java for generating Java code. For these cases we show how Java programs in these domains become dramatically more readable, and we give an impression of the implementation of the language embeddings.

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Bettini LShin SMaldonado J(2013)Implementing Java-like languages in Xtext with XsemanticsProceedings of the 28th Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing10.1145/2480362.2480654(1559-1564)Online publication date: 18-Mar-2013
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Bettini LDamiani FSchaefer IStrocco F(2013)TraitRecordJScience of Computer Programming10.1016/j.scico.2011.06.00778:5(521-541)Online publication date: 1-May-2013
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.scico.2011.06.007
Bettini LProbst CWimmer C(2011)A DSL for writing type systems for Xtext languagesProceedings of the 9th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Programming in Java10.1145/2093157.2093163(31-40)Online publication date: 24-Aug-2011
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2093157.2093163
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MetaBorg in action: examples of domain-specific language embedding and assimilation using Stratego/XT
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software notations and tools
    1. General programming languages
2. Theory of computation
  1. Formal languages and automata theory

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Published In

GTTSE'05: Proceedings of the 2005 international conference on Generative and Transformational Techniques in Software Engineering

July 2005

471 pages

ISBN:354045778X

Editors:
Ralf Lämmel
Fachbereich 4, Institut für Informatik, B127, Universität Koblenz-Landau, Universitätsstraße 1, Koblenz, Germany
,
João Saraiva
Fachbereich 4, Institut für Informatik, B127, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
,
Joost Visser
Fachbereich 4, Institut für Informatik, B127, Software Improvement Group, A.J., Ernststraat 595-H, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Published: 04 July 2005

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Bettini LShin SMaldonado J(2013)Implementing Java-like languages in Xtext with XsemanticsProceedings of the 28th Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing10.1145/2480362.2480654(1559-1564)Online publication date: 18-Mar-2013
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2480362.2480654
Bettini LDamiani FSchaefer IStrocco F(2013)TraitRecordJScience of Computer Programming10.1016/j.scico.2011.06.00778:5(521-541)Online publication date: 1-May-2013
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.scico.2011.06.007
Bettini LProbst CWimmer C(2011)A DSL for writing type systems for Xtext languagesProceedings of the 9th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Programming in Java10.1145/2093157.2093163(31-40)Online publication date: 24-Aug-2011
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2093157.2093163
Sateanpattanakul SWalairacht A(2010)JGroovy - an extensible Java programming language with GroovyProceedings of the 12th international conference on Advanced communication technology10.5555/1833006.1833048(1139-1144)Online publication date: 7-Feb-2010
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/1833006.1833048
Heidenreich FJohannes JSeifert MWende CBöhme M(2009)Generating safe template languagesACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/1837852.162162445:2(99-108)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2009
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1837852.1621624
Heidenreich FJohannes JSeifert MWende CBöhme MSiek JFischer B(2009)Generating safe template languagesProceedings of the eighth international conference on Generative programming and component engineering10.1145/1621607.1621624(99-108)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2009
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1621607.1621624
Bravenboer MKalleberg KVermaas RVisser E(2008)Stratego/XT 0.17. A language and toolset for program transformationScience of Computer Programming10.1016/j.scico.2007.11.00372:1-2(52-70)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2008
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.scico.2007.11.003
Kühne TSchreiber D(2007)Can programming be liberated from the two-level styleACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/1297105.129704442:10(229-244)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2007
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1297105.1297044
Kühne TSchreiber DGabriel RBacon DLopes CSteele G(2007)Can programming be liberated from the two-level styleProceedings of the 22nd annual ACM SIGPLAN conference on Object-oriented programming systems, languages and applications10.1145/1297027.1297044(229-244)Online publication date: 21-Oct-2007
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Arnoldus JBijpost Jvan den Brand MConsel CLawall J(2007)RepleoProceedings of the 6th international conference on Generative programming and component engineering10.1145/1289971.1289977(25-32)Online publication date: 1-Oct-2007
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/1289971.1289977
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Assimilating MetaBorg:: embedding language tools in languages

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