Domain-Specific Language for Modeling Fluent API

Abstract

The fluent API is most often used when there is a need to implement a certain flow of execution of operations, which is achieved by the method chaining technique. Conventional methods of implementing fluent API such as manual coding require a lot of development time and increase the chances of errors. The lack of visual representation of the relationships between interfaces and methods makes it difficult to understand them. This paper presents the design and implementation of the model-based graphical development tool, which is built using Domain-Specific Language that relies on fluent API grammar rules. The proposed tool is implemented as a Microsoft Visual Studio extension using DSL Tools, and it can be used for graphical modeling of the fluent API structure. Such a graphical development tool is the first step towards the automated process of generating the code skeleton of the fluent API structure out of its domain model.