A Domain-Specific Language and Editor for Parallel Particle Methods

Domain-specific languages (DSLs) are of increasing importance in scientific high-performance computing to reduce development costs, raise the level of abstraction and, thus, ease scientific programming. However, designing and implementing DSLs is not an easy task, as it requires knowledge of the application domain and experience in language engineering and compilers. Consequently, many DSLs follow a weak approach using macros or text generators, which lack many of the features that make a DSL a comfortable for programmers. Some of these features---e.g., syntax highlighting, type inference, error reporting, and code completion---are easily provided by language workbenches, which combine language engineering techniques and tools in a common ecosystem. In this paper, we present the Parallel Particle-Mesh Environment (PPME), a DSL and development environment for numerical simulations based on particle methods and hybrid particle-mesh methods. PPME uses the meta programming system (MPS), a projectional language workbench. PPME is the successor of the Parallel Particle-Mesh Language (PPML), a Fortran-based DSL that used conventional implementation strategies. We analyze and compare both languages and demonstrate how the programmer's experience can be improved using static analyses and projectional editing. Furthermore, we present an explicit domain model for particle abstractions and the first formal type system for particle methods.Comment: Submitted to ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software on Dec. 25, 201

The State of the Art in Language Workbenches. Conclusions from the Language Workbench Challenge

Language workbenches are tools that provide high-level mechanisms for the implementation of (domain-specific) languages. Language workbenches are an active area of research that also receives many contributions from industry. To compare and discuss existing language workbenches, the annual Language Workbench Challenge was launched in 2011. Each year, participants are challenged to realize a given domain-specific language with their workbenches as a basis for discussion and comparison. In this paper, we describe the state of the art of language workbenches as observed in the previous editions of the Language Workbench Challenge. In particular, we capture the design space of language workbenches in a feature model and show where in this design space the participants of the 2013 Language Workbench Challenge reside. We compare these workbenches based on a DSL for questionnaires that was realized in all workbenches

Language Interaction and Quality Issues: An Exploratory Study

Most software systems are complex and often composed of a large number of artifacts. To realize each different artifacts specific techniques are used resorting on different abstractions, languages and tools. Successful composition of different elements requires coherence among them. Unfortunately constraints between artifacts written in different languages are usually not formally expressed neither checked by supporting tools; as consequence they can be a source of problems. In this paper we explore the role of the relations between artifacts written in different languages by means of a case study on the Hadoop open source project. We present the problem introducing the related terminology, we quantify the phenomenon and investigate the relation with defect pronenes

Engineering a ROVER language in GEMOC STUDIO & MONTICORE: A comparison of language reuse support

Domain-specific languages (DSLs) improve engineering productivity through powerful abstractions and automation. To support the development of DSLs, the software language engineering (SLE) community has produced various solutions for the systematic engineering of DSLs that manifest in language workbenches. In this paper, we investigate the applicability of the language workbenches GEMOC STUDIO and MONTICORE to the MDETools’17 ROVER challenge. To this effect, we refine the challenge’s requirements and show how GEMOC STUDIO and MONTICORE can be leveraged to engineer a Rover-specific DSL by reusing existing DSLs and tooling of GEMOC STUDIO and MONTICORE. Through this, we reflect on the SLE state of the art, detail capabilities of the two workbenches focusing particularly on language reuse support, and sketch how modelers can approach ROVER programming with modern modeling tools

Extensible Host Language for Domain-Specific Languages

Programming languages greatly influence the way how programs are created and evolved. This means that the use of appropriate language for solved problem can greatly increase developer productivity. Composition of languages can provide great help in construction of a new language from existing components and for integration of several languages that may be needed to effectively solve a complex problem. In this paper we analyze the composition problem on the two levels: composition of languages and composition of concepts in a language. Possibilities of transition from language composition to concepts composition are also presented. Based on that, we propose a framework of languages construction based on concept composition that aims to support reusability of language elements and tools. It uses common host syntax for developed languages. Their semantics is defined in a general-purpose language. Proposed approach is demonstrated on example languages developed using prototype implementation

Specifying Software Languages: Grammars, Projectional Editors, and Unconventional Approaches

We discuss several approaches for defining software languages, together with Integrated Development Environments for them. Theoretical foundation is grammar-based models: they can be used where proven correctness of specifications is required. From a practical point of view, we discuss how language specification can be made more accessible by focusing on language workbenches and projectional editing, and discuss how it can be formalized. We also give a brief overview of unconventional ideas to language definition, and outline three open problems connected to the approaches we discuss