[Haskell-cafe] generate Haskell code from model

[Steffen Mazanek]

Hello everybody,

I would like to start a discussion on how to generate
best-practice Haskell code from a model, e.g. from
EMF.

It seems to be very difficult and unconvenient to simulate
OOP with Haskell (as described in the paper "Object-oriented
style overloading for Haskell"). However, I think it might
be possible to generate "something useful" out of a model to
not start from scratch an implementation.

For example, I could imagine to generate for every class
a module, import and export lists and a type class (with some
restrictions) at the very least.

In the EMF book there is an example, PurchaseOrder, look at

http://www.awprofessional.com/content/images/0131425420/samplechapter/budinskych02.pdf

at page 11.

How would you like generated code from this model to look like?

The most obvious way would be something like this:

data PurchaseOrder = PurchaseOrder {shipTo::String, billTo:: String,
items::[Item]}
data Item = Item {productName::String, quantity::Int, price::Float}

This does not work well if function names are reused or
inheritance comes into play, however, even this might be a useful
starting point (better than nothing).

The benefits of the model+generate approach are well known. Best practices
in programming are propagated, for Haskell e.g. use different modules
for different things, use the tedious import/export lists, Haddock your
code...


What are your ideas?

Best regards,
Steffen

-- 
Dipl.-Inform. Steffen Mazanek
Institut für Softwaretechnologie
Fakultät Informatik

Universität der Bundeswehr München
85577 Neubiberg

Tel: +49 (0)89 6004-2505
Fax: +49 (0)89 6004-4447

E-Mail: steffen.mazanek at unibw.de
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