Practical metaprogramming

Metaprogramming is the process of specifying generic software source templates from which classes of software components, or parts thereof, can be automatically instantiated to produce new software components. Metaprograms are specified in an annotated by-example style accessible to ordinary programmers of the source language. Annotations are in the form of Prologlike predicates that specify the conditions under which different parts of the source template are to be instantiated. Instantiation of a source component is done by specifying facts about the new application in a database, from which the appropriate instance of the metaprogram is automatically inferred using Prolog-style deduction. This paper describes a practical metaprogramming system being developed as part of the ITRC Software Life Cycle Technology project, which utilizes source transformation to implement all phases of the metaprogramming process. Metaprograms are automatically transformed into TXL (Tree Transformation ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1992
• Where: CASCON
• Authors: James R. Cordy, Medha Shukla
• Keywords: CASCON 1992, CASCON 2007, Metaprogramming, Source Template, Source Transformation