Hi,

  I post a copy of this message on the UML2EJB list so let's start to
use it.

>> MB> this week, I have completed the development of an open source
>> code generator
>> MB> that takes a Unified Modeling Language (UML) model from a
>> CASE-tool in XML
>> MB> Metadata Interchange (XMI) format and generates Enterprise
>> JavaBeans classes
>> MB> with XDoclet tags as output ...
>>
>>   I am developing a tool who works like this.
>>   My tool has many thing in common with yours.

AH> Is it open source? If yes, where is it?

  Until now it is just a simple test program.
  My idea is to merge it with the UML2EJB project.
  
>>   This is a XDoclet list but I will say something. What do you
>> think about create just plain Java files and not XDoclets files ?
>> Today I can understand XDoclet and this is not a problem to me. But if
>> we are generating files why not create all of them ? To the final user
>> this does not make any difference. In fact is better because the user
>> shoud not need to install XDoclet. On my first version I had some very

AH> I don't think that the desire to save people from installing XDoclet is a
AH> good argument for developing a code generator that generates everything.
AH> XDoclet is highly customisable (you can write your own templates), so if
AH> XDoclet doesn't fit your needs, it might be easier to write new XDoclet
AH> templates instead of writing an entirely new code generation engine.

  Sure the problem is not install XDoclet. This is easy.
  The program I am making now is just Java. I think I can do it
simple. You inform the name of the XMI file and it will create the
source code to you.
  Now think in a person who do not know XDoclet/Velocity but knows
EJB.
  If you do not like what you got ? No problem. You will need to
subclass some classes (who can be used without compile the main
program) and run it again.
  Now compare this with :

  - First of all the person will need to study XDoclet to know what it
  should gerate.
  - Maybe XDoclet do not have the template he wants. So it will need
  to update the template too ...
  - Then it will go to the Velocity (or another template engine) and
  see the rules to use it.
  - And you can see it is not always trivial make XDoclet do what we
  want.

  Can be a lot of work to someone who only can need a simple update on
the final source code.
  
  Or to quote Ryan :

  "If you are generating code, why not generate exactly what you want, exactly
   the way you want it without the extra layer of translation?".

   This is my point.

>> simple code geration routines. In fact they are just println
>> statements. For the next version I am planning something better.

AH> If you still want to stay away from XDoclet, I highly recommend Jakarta
AH> Velocity. My own tool (http://boss.bekk.no/boss/middlegen.jsp) also used
AH> println in its early stage. Then I refactored it to use Velocity, and it
AH> became a lot easier to do modification of the output.

   I will look it.
   But I think the best is to have a modular program.
   The template idea of XDoclet is very good. Velocity looks good too.
   It is very powerfull have templates to make the code generation.
   But if I need I will need to read a manual of how this work, and
 then try, learn what new problems I can have and then use it.
   I think to use a simple java class to create the code is much
 simpler to understand and mantain. So the chance of someone will look
 at it and make it better is bigger.
   
>>   I think we can do a very good job with this.

AH> It's just a few days since Matthias announced his tool, and there has been a
AH> lot of interest already. It would be great if everybody could unite their
AH> forces in this area. The Java open source community needs a good UML-based
AH> code generator. XDoclet is already one of the most popular code generators,
AH> so using it for what it's worth is a good idea. Matthias is definitely on
AH> the right track ;-)

  On this point I can not agree more with you ;-)
  
-- 
Best regards,
 Danilo                            mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]



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