A domain-specific language ( DSL) is a specialised to a particular application. This is in contrast to a (GPL), which is broadly applicable across domains. There are a wide variety of DSLs, ranging from widely used languages for common domains, such as for web pages, down to languages used by only one or a few pieces of software, such as soft code. DSLs can be further subdivided by the kind of language, and include domain-specific, domain-specific (more generally, ), and domain-specific. Special-purpose computer languages have always existed in the computer age, but the term 'domain-specific language' has become more popular due to the rise of. Simpler DSLs, particularly ones used by a single application, are sometimes informally called mini-languages. The line between general-purpose languages and domain-specific languages is not always sharp, as a language may have specialized features for a particular domain but be applicable more broadly, or conversely may in principle be capable of broad application but in practice used primarily for a specific domain.
For example, was originally developed as a text-processing and glue language, for the same domain as and, but was mostly used as a general-purpose programming language later on. By contrast, is a language, and in principle can be used for any task, but in practice is narrowly used as a. Contents.
Use The design and use of appropriate DSLs is a key part of, by using a language suitable to the domain at hand – this may consist of using an existing DSL or GPL, or developing a new DSL. Considers the creation of special-purpose languages for expressing problems as standard part of the problem solving process. Creating a domain-specific language (with software to support it), rather than reusing an existing language, can be worthwhile if the language allows a particular type of problem or solution to be expressed more clearly than an existing language would allow and the type of problem in question reappears sufficiently often.
Pragmatically, a DSL may be specialized to a particular problem domain, a particular problem representation technique, a particular solution technique, or other aspect of a domain. Overview A domain-specific language is created specifically to solve problems in a particular domain and is not intended to be able to solve problems outside it (although that may be technically possible). In contrast, general-purpose languages are created to solve problems in many domains. The domain can also be a business area. Some examples of business areas include:. domain-specific language for life insurance policies developed internally in large insurance enterprise. domain-specific language for combat simulation.
domain-specific language for salary calculation. domain-specific language for billing A domain-specific language is somewhere between a tiny programming language and a, and is often used in a way analogous to a. The boundaries between these concepts are quite blurry, much like the boundary between scripting languages and general-purpose languages. In design and implementation Domain-specific languages are languages (or often, declared syntaxes or grammars) with very specific goals in design and implementation.
A domain-specific language can be one of a visual diagramming language, such as those created by the, programmatic abstractions, such as the, or textual languages. For instance, the command line utility has a syntax which matches patterns in lines of text. The utility defines a syntax for matching and replacing regular expressions. Often, these tiny languages can be used together inside a to perform more complex programming tasks.
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The line between domain-specific languages and is somewhat blurred, but domain-specific languages often lack low-level functions for filesystem access, interprocess control, and other functions that characterize full-featured programming languages, scripting or otherwise. Many domain-specific languages do not compile to or executable code, but to various kinds of media objects: GraphViz exports to, etc., where compiles to audio files, and a ray-tracing domain- specific language like compiles to graphics files. A computer language like presents an interesting case: it can be deemed a domain-specific language because it is specific to a specific domain (in SQL's case, accessing and managing relational databases), and is often called from another application, but SQL has more keywords and functions than many scripting languages, and is often thought of as a language in its own right, perhaps because of the prevalence of database manipulation in programming and the amount of mastery required to be an expert in the language. Further blurring this line, many domain-specific languages have exposed APIs, and can be accessed from other programming languages without breaking the flow of execution or calling a separate process, and can thus operate as programming libraries. Programming tools Some domain-specific languages expand over time to include full-featured programming tools, which further complicates the question of whether a language is domain-specific or not. A good example is the, specifically designed for transforming one XML graph into another, which has been extended since its inception to allow (particularly in its 2.0 version) for various forms of filesystem interaction, string and date manipulation, and data typing.
In, many examples of domain-specific languages may be found like, a language for decorating models with assertions or, a domain-specific transformation language. However languages like are typically general purpose modeling languages. To summarize, an analogy might be useful: a Very Little Language is like a knife, which can be used in thousands of different ways, from cutting food to cutting down trees. A domain-specific language is like an electric drill: it is a powerful tool with a wide variety of uses, but a specific context, namely, putting holes in things. A General Purpose Language is a complete workbench, with a variety of tools intended for performing a variety of tasks.
Domain-specific languages should be used by programmers who, looking at their current workbench, realize they need a better drill, and find that a particular domain-specific language provides exactly that. Further information: Complementing, as well as all other forms of domain-specific languages, are the class of compiler writing tools called. A metacompiler is not only useful for generating and for domain-specific languages, but a itself compiles a domain-specific specifically designed for the domain of. Besides parsing domain-specific languages, metacompilers are useful for generating a wide range of software engineering and analysis tools. The meta-compiler methodology is often found in.
Metacompilers that played a significant role in both computer science and the computer industry include and its descendent. Unreal Engine before version 4 and other games and unveiled a language called. This allowed for rapid development of modifications compared to the competitor (using the engine). The Id Tech engine used standard code meaning C had to be learned and properly applied, while UnrealScript was optimized for ease of use and efficiency. Similarly, the development of more recent games introduced their own specific languages, one more common example is for scripting.
Rules Engines for Policy Automation Various have been developed for automating policy and business rules used in both government and private industry., and others provide support for DSLs aimed to support various problem domains. Goes so far as to define an interface for the use of multiple DSLs within a Rule Set. The purpose of Business Rules Engines is to define a representation of business logic in as human readable fashion as possible. This allows both and developers to work with and understand the same representation of the business logic. Most Rules Engines provide both an approach to simplifying the control structures for business logic (for example, using Declarative Rules or ) coupled with alternatives to programming syntax in favor of DSLs. Statistical modelling languages Statistical modellers have developed domain-specific languages such as, and.
These languages provide a syntax for describing a Bayesian model, and generate a method for solving it using simulation. Generate model and services to multiple programming Languages Generate object handling and services based on a for a domain-specific language such as JavaScript for web applications, HTML for documentation, C for high performance code, etc. This is done by cross language frameworks such as. Gherkin is a language designed to define test cases to check the behaviour of software, without specifying how that behaviour is implemented. It is meant to be read and used by non-technical users using a natural language syntax and a.
The tests defined with Gherkin must then be implemented in a general programming language. Then, the steps in a Gherkin program acts as a syntax for method invocation accessible to non-developers. Other examples Other prominent examples of domain-specific languages include:.
Advantages and disadvantages Some of the advantages:. Domain-specific languages allow solutions to be expressed in the idiom and at the level of abstraction of the problem domain. The idea is that domain experts themselves may understand, validate, modify, and often even develop domain-specific language programs. However, this is seldom the case.
Domain-specific languages allow at the domain level. As long as the language constructs are safe any sentence written with them can be considered safe. Domain-specific languages can help to shift the development of business information systems from traditional software developers to the typically larger group of domain-experts who (despite having less technical expertise) have deeper knowledge of the domain. Domain-specific languages are easier to learn, given their limited scope. Some of the disadvantages:. Cost of learning a new language vs.
Its limited applicability. Cost of designing, implementing, and maintaining a domain-specific language as well as the tools required to develop with it. Finding, setting, and maintaining proper scope. Difficulty of balancing trade-offs between domain-specificity and general-purpose programming language constructs. Potential loss of processor compared with hand-coded software.
Proliferation of similar non-standard domain-specific languages, for example, a DSL used within one insurance company versus a DSL used within another insurance company. Non-technical domain experts can find it hard to write or modify DSL programs by themselves. Increased difficulty of integrating the DSL with other components of the IT system (as compared to integrating with a general-purpose language).
Low supply of experts in a particular DSL tends to raise labor costs. Harder to find code examples. Tools for designing domain-specific languages. is a tool for designing domain-specific languages. It uses projectional editing which allows overcoming the limits of language parsers, and building DSL editors, such as ones with tables and diagrams.
It implements language-oriented programming. MPS combines an environment for language definition, a, and an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for such languages. is an open-source software framework for developing programming languages and domain-specific languages (DSLs). Unlike standard parser generators, Xtext generates not only a parser, but also a class model for the abstract syntax tree. In addition, it provides a fully featured, customizable Eclipse-based IDE. See also. References.
^ Marjan Mernik, Jan Heering, and Anthony M. When and how to develop domain-specific languages. ACM Computing Surveys, 37(4):316–344, 2005.:. ^ Diomidis Spinellis.
Journal of Systems and Software, 56(1):91–99, February 2001.:. Retrieved 2016-01-14. Archived from (PDF) on 2004-07-19. Retrieved 2004-05-20. Shorre, D.V., META II a syntax-oriented compiler writing language, Proceedings of the 1964 19th ACM National Conference, pp. 41.3, 1964.
C. Stephen Carr, David A. Luther, Sherian Erdmann, 'The TREE-META Compiler-Compiler System: A Meta Compiler System for the Univac 1108 and General Electric 645', University of Utah Technical Report RADC-TR-69-83.
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^ Freudenthal, Margus (1 January 2009). 'Domain Specific Languages in a Customs Information System'. IEEE Software. Aram, Michael; Neumann, Gustaf (2015-07-01).
Journal of Internet Services and Applications. Miotto, Eric. Further reading.
Dunlavey, 'Building Better Applications: a Theory of Efficient Software Development', 1994. Constance Heitmeyer.
Using the SCR Tool-set to Specify Software Requirements. Proceedings, Second IEEE Workshop on Industrial Strength Formal Specification Techniques, Boca Raton, FL, Oct.
Marjan Mernik, Jan Heering, and Anthony M. When and how to develop domain-specific languages. ACM Computing Surveys, 37(4):316–344, 2005.:. Diomidis Spinellis. Journal of Systems and Software, 56(1):91–99, February 2001.:.
Terence Parr. The Definitive ANTLR Reference: Building Domain-Specific Languages. Spending Moore's Dividend. Communications of the ACM. Volume 52, Issue 5 (May 2009). Werner Schuster (June 15, 2007). Retrieved 2009-09-08.
Martin Fowler. Domain Specific Languages. Marco Brambilla, Jordi Cabot, Manuel Wimmer, Model Driven Software Engineering in Practice, foreword by ( Chairman), Morgan & Claypool, USA, 2012, Synthesis Lectures on Software Engineering #1. ISBN paperback: 820,.
External links. ', by. and. Also in. and. example of internal Domain-Specific Language for the Modeling and Simulation of Extended.
Articles. 'Building Domain-Specific Languages over a Language Framework'. Sagar Sen; et al. 'Meta-model Pruning'.
Our computers and mobile devices are all loaded with all kinds of software, and each software has a different purpose to fulfill. It is important to first understand the differences between application software and system software. System software is the programming and the coding that is utilized by the various components in the device to communicate with each other. There are millions of commands and instructions that are transferred from one component to another with every passing second, and the system software enables this flow of communication. Additionally, the person using the device does not directly interact with or use the system software, since it is all happening inside the device itself. On the other hand, application software is that which is used directly by the user for the sole purpose of completing a certain task.
This type of software needs to be installed separately on a device, and it regularly has interfaces that enables communication between the machine and the user, hence giving rise to many different advantages and disadvantages. For instance, consider a program that allows you to work with databases. This is a software that is used for a specific application, so it falls under this category. It is universally assumed that they have many advantages, and you will be hard pressed to find disadvantages for the same because ultimately, the purpose of all these devices is to perform many tasks with their help. Common Types of Application Software The are used by individual users and business enterprises as well, and they have many benefits of doing so. This includes word processing software, database software, multimedia software, editing software, and many other different kinds as well. All these software are either provided individually, or they are packaged together and sold by business to business sellers.
When a whole variety of them are integrated collectively and sold to a business, they can take up the form of enterprise software, educational software, simulation software, information worker software, etc. Advantages When you begin to compare, you will find that the pros outweigh the cons very easily.
With that in mind, here are some of their most popular and widely accepted benefits. Note that in this scenario, we are speaking of application software that is designed for a specific purpose, to be used either by individuals or by businesses. Their single biggest advantage is that they meet the exact needs of the user.
Since they are designed specifically with one purpose in mind, the user knows that he has to use one specific software to accomplish his task. The threat of viruses invading custom-made applications is very small, since any business that incorporates it can restrict access and can come up with means to protect their network as well. Licensed application software gets regular updates from the developer for security reasons. Additionally, the developer also regularly sends personnel to correct any problems that may arise from time to time. Disadvantages As is the case with all such matters, there are certain disadvantages of such software as well.
Though these are not spoken about very often, nor are they highlighted, the fact is that they do exist and affect certain users. But people have accepted these misgivings and still continue to use such software because their utility and importance is much more profound than their weaknesses. Developing application software designed to meet specific purposes can prove to be quite costly for developers. This can affect their budget and their revenue flow, especially if too much time is spent developing a software that is not generally acceptable.
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Some software that are designed specifically for a certain business, may not be compatible with other general software. This is something that can prove to be a major stumbling block for many corporations. Developing them is something that takes a lot of time, because it needs constant communication between the developer and the customer. This delays the entire production process, which can prove to be harmful in some cases. Application software that is used commonly by many people, and then shared online, carries a very real threat of infection by a computer virus or other malicious programs. So, whether you are buying them off the shelf, or whether you are hiring a developer to build specific software for you, all of these points will seem pertinent to you. Many individuals and businesses have regularly found the need and the requirement for such software, and the fact remains that any computing device will be utterly useless without such software running on it.