Less is more: Unparser-completeness of metalanguages for template engines

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Abstract

A code generator is a program translating an input model into code. In this paper we focus on template-based code generators in the context of the model view controller architecture (MVC). The language in which the code generator is written is known as a metalanguage in the code generation parlance. The metalanguage should be, on the one side, expressive enough to be of practical value, and, on the other side, restricted enough to enforce the separation between the view and the model, according to the MVC. In this paper we advocate the notion of unparser-complete metalanguages as providing the right level of expressivity. An unparsercomplete metalanguage is capable of expressing an unparser, a code generator that translates any legal abstract syntax tree into an equivalent sentence of the corresponding context-free language. A metalanguage not able to express an unparser will fail to produce all sentences belonging to the corresponding context-free language. A metalanguage able to express more than an unparser will also be able to implement code violating the model/view separation. We further show that a metalanguage with the power of a linear deterministic tree-to-string transducer is unparser-complete. Moreover, this metalanguage has been successfully applied in a nontrivial case study where an existing code generator is refactored using templates.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationGPCE'11 - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Generative Programming and Component Engineering
Place of PublicationNew York NY
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages137-146
Number of pages10
ISBN (Print)978-1-4503-0689-8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Nov 2011
Event10th ACM International Conference on Generative Programming and Component Engineering (GPCE 2011) - Portland, United States
Duration: 22 Oct 201123 Oct 2011
Conference number: 10

Publication series

NameACM Sigplan Notices
Volume47(3)
ISSN (Print)0362-1340

Conference

Conference10th ACM International Conference on Generative Programming and Component Engineering (GPCE 2011)
Abbreviated titleGPCE 2011
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPortland
Period22/10/1123/10/11

Keywords

  • Code generation
  • Templates
  • Unparser

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