1. Metaprogramming and its relevance in Software Engineering
(CSC 532 Term Paper)
By,
Sucharitha Rodda

2. INTRODUCTION Need for an evolution of Abstract Conceptual tools
Metaprogramming is the art of programming programs that read, transform, or write other programs

3. Metaprogramming in everyday life
Input -> Output
0 -> 0 : Normal program
1 -> 0 : Interpreter
0 -> 1 : Data Pre-Compiler
1 -> 1 : Automatic translator
2 -> 0 : Metainterpreter
2 -> 1 : Code walker
1 -> 2 : Phase splitter

4. Significance of Metaprogramming in Software Engineering
Enables Software Reuseability
Enforces Consistency
Performs semi automatic programming
Helps in inexpensive maintenance of
software

5. Metaprogramming applied to Web Component Deployment
«interface»
Component
+m1()
+m2()
MyComponent
MyImpl

6. Architecture «interface» Component +m1() +m2() MyComponent
MyImpl MyStub
+handle()
Skeleton
MySkeleton

7. abstract class A { int i; A a; }
interface B { }
class C extends A { float f; B b; }
class X extends C implements B { X x; }
class Y extends X { boolean[] b; }
class Z implements B { X x; }
XMLSerializer:
public static void serializeClassY(XMLSerializerStream s, Y o) {
if(s.serializeReference(o))
return;
o.serializeXML(s); // o may be of type Y or any
// subtype thereof }

8. public void serializeXML(XMLSerializerStream s) {
s.openingTag("<classY>");
serializeBodyClassY(s);
s.closingTag("</classY>"); }
protected final void serializeBodyClassY(XMLSerializerStream s) {
serializeBodyClassX(s); // superclass data layout
XMLSerializer.serializeArrayOfBoolean(s, this.b); // boolean[] b;

9. Implementation
Analysis
Transformation

10. Why are metaprogramming techniques not used commonly?
Consist precisely in not using the studied language, but another language, through metaprograms
Lack of a formal encoding
Lack of a general approach
Lack of a metaprogramming notation

11. Conclusion
Computing today has to face two challenges, metaprogramming and the free availability of source code of software.
Practitioners of computing arts should free themselves from slogans like multimedia, object-oriented, design-pattern, virtual machine, intelligent network, etc, and should rather adopt a scientific attitude.

12. References: http://www.erlang.org http://www.tunes.org
XML
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)