Meta Borg

Stratego -- Strategies for Program Transformation

MetaBorg is a method for providing concrete syntax for domain abstractions to application programmers. The method consists of embedding domain-specific languages in a general purpose host language and assimilating the embedded domain code into the surrounding host code. Instead of extending the implementation of the host language, the assimilation phase implements domain abstractions in terms of existing APIs leaving the host language undisturbed. Indeed, MetaBorg can be considered a method for promoting APIs to the language level.

Publications

The MetaBorg approach is described in the following papers:

Concrete Syntax for Objects about JavaBorg (to appear at OOPSLA'04)
Meta programming with concrete object syntax about concrete syntax in Stratego
Retrofitting the AutoBayes program synthesis system with concrete syntax about concrete syntax in Prolog

Instantiations

The MetaBorg approach has been instantiated for the following host and embedded languages:

Stratego
- Embedded languages: Stratego, Java, XML, Tiger, ...
- See: Concrete syntax in Stratego
Java
- Embedded languages: Java, XML, Swul (Swing user interface language)
- See: JavaBorg (Java, XML) and Java-Swul (Swul)
Prolog
- Embedded languages: ABIR (AutoBayes Intermediate Representation)
- See: PrologTools

Implementation

A generic implementation for parsing with concrete syntax is provided in the

concrete syntax package

in the StrategoXT distribution. Concrete syntax is support is built into the Stratego compiler. For Java and Prolog we have built pre-processors that transform Java/Prolog programs with concrete syntax into pure Java/Prolog programs.

Why call it MetaBorg?

MetaBorg provides generic technology for allowing a host language (collective) to incorporate and assimilate external domains (cultures) in order to strengthen itself. The ease of implementing embeddings makes resistance futile.

If you still don't get it you should probably read on.

Authors

MetaBorg is being developed by