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DSL Reading Group Notes
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DSL Notes.md

Chapter 3

Patterns to Review : Nested Function; Method Chaining; Expression Builders; Symbol Table; Notification

  • The Krikri Mapping DSL does have a Semantic Model it is just a data structure rather than a Doman Model.
  • The mapping Semantic Model forms the basis for our notion of using a GUI front-end. We did this naturally because we were working in an OO language & thoughtful about separation of concerns.
  • We should look closely at Expression Builders as a pattern to be introduced in Krikri.
  • An internal DSL might be thought of as an added parsing layer, following the main language.
  • I need script tests in heidrun-mappings.
    • It should be easy to do this at the parsing level; but
    • harder to run it as an "integration test" since overall success will depend on the records processed which are unknown until the mapping task runs.
  • Push syntactic information into the semantic model

Chapter 1

  • The KriKri Mapping DSL is categorized as a declarative language.
    • It should have maintaining this status through all levels of expressions as a design goal.
  • There are some good readings on definitions for a DSL in the links from the preface notes below. A rigorous definition is hard to come by.
  • KriKri does not follow the Semantic Model pattern. Most of its expressions are captured by the PropertyDeclaration or ChildDeclaration classes. Its engine is essentially a Declaration parser.

Preface

  • Other reading I've been taking on related to DSLs:
  • Fowler makes some comments about learning about DSL's from others.
    • I'm remembering seeing this in the spring: How to Tell When You've Written a Language. I remember appreciating the candor and personal nature of the talk, and Fowler's comments reminded me of that. Though I knew I was designing a DSL when I started, I may have neglected to appreciate the last letter of the acronym."Improving"
  • "Improving communications with domain experts". My goal transcends this: Domain experts already write XSLT, I want to give them a language that expresses their domain problem directly.
  • Regex as a language is an interesting perspective---and nicely completes the circle with a view of regexes as automata/grammar.
  • "Often, when people start experimenting with DSLs, they pick up only one technique." I feel a little like this.
  • Fowler acknowledges a gap in the book around diagnostics. I'll be looking for information to fill that gap.
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