Exemplar Analysis Tooling

DPTK transformations, like any other MDA transformation implementation, are nothing more than programs that read data from a model and output Eclipse artifacts and more data. These transformations run in a combined container and framework called a transformation engine, invoke a set of runtime API's (the template tags), should be implemented according to best practices and are tedious to hand code. In short, DPTK transformations exhibit all of the characteristics of a class of applications whose development can be made easier through the use of DPTK transformations.

Instead of developing a DPTK transformation by hand, the exemplar analysis approach means first building a model (an XML file of type .txm for "transformation model") that describes the expected model schema (types and attributes) as well as the set of Eclipse projects, folders and files to be created for each instance of each type in the schema. You use the Exemplar Analysis tool to edit this model.

Once the model is complete, you apply a DPTK transformation to the model to create a pattern project, a view template for each defined artifact type and a set of control templates that navigate the model to implement naming conventions and start the view templates. There can be several DPTK transformations you can choose from that would each generate a different style of DPTK pattern. In addition, other DPTK tranformations can take this same model and generate GEF editors, UML profiles and other tooling specific to the model expected by the transformation you are authoring.


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