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Meta3: a code generator framework for domain-specific languages

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Abstract

In software development, domain-specific languages (DSLs) are often applied for specific or repetitive tasks. For executable DSLs, a model interpreter can be developed to run DSL programs. Nevertheless, it is more widespread to generate code in a general-purpose programming language. A properly chosen DSL expresses the original problem more naturally for both domain and information technology experts, and thus, this approach makes the whole development process, especially requirements engineering and requirements analysis, more efficient and less prone to human errors. There are code generator frameworks and so-called language workbenches available that make the development of code generators for DSLs easier. In this paper, we report on our own code generator framework, called Meta3. Meta3 is based on our code generator development experience. We believe that this experience report will be useful for developers of code generators and language workbenches interested in building more flexible and robust code generators as well as better tools that support the construction of the latter.

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Notes

  1. The question may arise, why is this representation necessary and why the syntax tree cannot be a model. In fact, it may be used as a model but the elements of the model also carry semantic meaning, whereas the syntax tree does not. Moreover, the model is usually redundancy free and designed consciously to be a concise and intuitive representation of the information.

  2. https://github.com/gaborbsd/ProtoKit

  3. https://github.com/gaborbsd/ProtoKit2

  4. https://github.com/FTSRG/concerto

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Acknowledgements

This work was performed in the frame of FIEK_16-1-2016-0007 project, implemented with the support provided from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the FIEK_16 funding scheme. This work was partially supported by the CONCERTO (ART-2012-333053) EU-Artemis project, co-financed by the ARTEMIS Joint Undertaking and the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Fund. This paper was supported by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and supported by the ÚNKP-16-4-III. New National Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities.

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  1. Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary

    Gábor Kövesdán & László Lengyel

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  1. Gábor Kövesdán
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  2. László Lengyel
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Correspondence to Gábor Kövesdán.

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Communicated by Dr Juha-Pekka Tolvanen.

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Kövesdán, G., Lengyel, L. Meta3: a code generator framework for domain-specific languages. Softw Syst Model 18, 2421–2439 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-018-0673-6

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