libg3n

libg3n is a python module designed for the automatic configuration and generation of program libraries. The module systematically searches for variation points which are specified in the program library source files.

Motivation

This module was developed in the course of the master thesis "Evaluierung von Methoden der Generativen Programmierung zur automatischen Konfiguration von Programmbibliotheken" by Jan Kloß.

Abstract

The development of complex software systems is increasingly based on the use of program libraries to map specific functions. They are designed to be as universally applicable as possible, which makes it necessary to adapt them to the specific software project in some cases. In order to reduce the required customization effort, methods and concepts of Generative Programming were investigated and their suitability for an automatic configuration of program libraries was evaluated. In this context, the conception and implementation of a library was pursued to realize such an automatic configuration. Within the framework of a web application it should be tested whether the identified suitable methods contribute to a reduction in the configuration effort of program libraries. In the course of this work the program library Libg3n was developed. Libg3n allows a universal configuration of arbitrary libraries and the automatic generation of program code based on a Domain-Specific Language respectively a code generator. Compatibility with different programming languages was established by the extension of Libg3n in the form of Language Modules. In addition, the usability of Libg3n was confirmed during the implementation of a graphical interface. As a result, the effort required to adapt program libraries has been significantly reduced. Further steps to customize Libg3n have also been identified, which must be performed before the library can be used productively.

Structure

The module is seperated in two submodules, which are also represented by the folder structure of libg3n. There ist the model submodule containing abstract classes to be used for language modules. These modules are used to extend the language compatibility of libg3n.

Integrated language modules can be found in the modules subfolder. In the current version of libg3n there are the following supported modules / language:

Python
Java

Usage

The libg3n module exposes the Generator() singeleton, which takes each a libg3n Library and Configuration Object to generate sourcecode. This class encapsulates the complete generation logic, form searching for variation points to the actual modification of source files.

# The library with variation points
library = PythonLibrary(<path>)

# The configuration file with values
configuration = PythonConfiguration(<path>)

# Generator instance
generator = Generator()

# Start the generation
generator.generate(library, configuration)

Working Example

To further visualize the uses of libg3n, a minimal web application was implemented. This application provides a minimal Interface for the function and class generation capabilities of libg3n. The sourcecode can be found in the libg3n_frontend repository.

License

MIT License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.