Program Generators with XML and Java (Paperback)

by J. Craig Cleaveland (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Using Java and XML, you can now create "wizard-like" program generators that automate much of the work of software development -- and deliver productivity improvements of up to 100x. In this book, former Bell Laboratories Distinguished Staff Member J. Craig Cleaveland demonstrates how to do it -- often, with little or no additional coding. Using extensive practical examples, Program Generators with Java and XML walks you through every technique, and every step. Cleaveland identifies off-the-shelf tools you can use to quickly building program generators; then introduces Domain Analysis techniques for determining the terminology, boundaries, commonalities, and variabilities of software families. Next, you'll master Domain Implementation: processes and tools for efficiently generating customized software. Cleaveland accounts for run-time and compile-time variabilities; then shows how to use XML documents as input, and use the DOM and SAX APIs to read and analyze them. You'll learn how to use JavaServer Pages and Xpath/XSLT to generate customized software; and how to create reusable architectures. Use this book to extend the advantages of code generation throughout your custom applications -- and get to market faster, with better reliability and lower costs. Part of the Prentice Hall Charles F. Goldfarb XML Series.

From the Back Cover
The step-by-step guide to creating program generators with Java and XML.

• Breakthrough Java/XML techniques for creating program generators, including detailed examples and real-world guidelines
• Domain engineering techniques for improving software development productivity
• CD-ROM with examples, working code, and relevant XML specifications

"XML isn't just for data any more. Now you can use XML to describe the programs you need, then write a Java program template to generate them automatically. This book shows you how." —Charles F. Goldfarb

Using Java and XML, you can now easily create "wizard-like" program generators that automate much of the work of software development(and deliver significant productivity improvements. In this book, former Bell Laboratories Distinguished Staff Member J. Craig Cleaveland shows you how to do it. Using extensive practical examples, Program Generators with XML and Java walks you through every step:

• Identifying off-the-shelf tools for quickly building program generators
• Domain Analysis: determining the terminology, boundaries, commonalities, and variabilities of software families
• Domain Implementation: processes and tools for efficiently generating customized software
• Accounting for run-time and compile-time variabilities
• Using XML documents as program specifications, and using the DOM and SAX APIs to read and analyze them
• Using JavaServer Pages and XPath/XSLT to generate customized software
• The role of reusable architectures and components, including JavaBeans

Chances are, you're already using automated GUI builders, database application generators, and other code generation "wizards." Now, with Program Generators with XML and Java, you can extend the advantages of code generation throughout your own custom applications and get to market faster, with greater reliability and lower costs.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (February 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130258784
• ISBN-13: 978-0130258786
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,240,299 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, not bad..., October 8, 2001

By	Rasmus (Denmark) - See all my reviews

I would have given 4½ stars...

Why do I like this book? The author explains how code generation can be used to separate concerns when programming. He compares program generation to the use of run-time configurations, separation of concerns the way it's done with frameworks, with aspect oriented programming etc. What these technologies have in common is, that they try to figure out what a problem domain is really about - what is common between all applications needed in the domain, and what are the differences. Program Generation is ONE of several possible ways of making the common stuff once, while making 'configuration' of the stuff that varies from app to app as easy as possible.

What I like is he doesn't use a lot of pages explaining the technologies he uses (like most other books do). He expects the reader to know Java and XML - and only includes short resumes(including DOM, XSLT). He shows severel different ways of generating code, explained in an interesting, understandable, babble-free way.

On the down-side, you are sometimes wondering why you are reading what you read - after a while you figure it out. I would have preferred a short introduction to each chapter explaining WHAT it is about, and WHY it is relevant...

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book, May 19, 2001

By	Jay Walters "darthfurby" (Needham, MA United States) - See all my reviews

I have been working on program generators on and off for many years, and just recently completed a project using Java and XML to generate a variety of output files. This book hits on some of the key issues I encountered and provides insight towards solutions to these problems. This book will be a good read for anybody new to writing program generators, and provides useful information even to those who've been doing it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ideas in the book are worth exploring, February 9, 2002

By	Soumen Sarkar (Fremont, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Agreed that XML may not be the best language to capture domain
specification expressiveness. But use of XML/XSLT to do
custom code generation has the benifit of rapid application
prototyping and development. The crucial fact is that the
domain specification is captured in XML only relatively few times
and project software developers mainly use the generated code.
The question is how many people in the project is exposed
to 'ugliness' of XML and how many times. The advantages
of 'neat' code generation far outweigh the disadvantages
of 'ugliness' of domain specification in XML.

In a real Network Management Software development I achieved
60% of generated code (EJB, SNMP, Java utilities) by using
custom code generation by XML/XSLT. Only myself dealt with
XML other software developers happily used generated code. You
can imagine the lead the project had and continues to have
because of use of XML/XSLT in project specific custom code
generation. The code generation system is stable now -- any new
addition in EJB, SNMP model results in thousands of lines of
Java/SQL/XML/SVG code without any additional effort.

I would, therefore, continue to recommend the book as worth
exploring. This book really contributed new techniques in
software development. More specically with XML/XSLT you have
freely available tools to implement "model driven programming"
in your software project.