[exprla-devel] Some additional advantages of XPL

[reid_spencer <ras...@re...>]

--- In xpl-dev@y..., "Alexander Gutman" <gutman@m...> wrote:
Hello, friends.

Here are some of my thoughts concerning XPL
and what it can be useful for.

1. XPL as a source language

A program written in XPL can be transformed
into programs in different languages.
This transformation can be performed by suitable XSLTs:
for each destination language, we have a corresponding
XSLT, one for Java, another for JavaScript, etc.

2. XPL as a universal programming language

Consider the following situation. A developer creates
(or designs) an application for the Web. Some fragments
of the code correspond to the server part, while other
fragments should be executed on the client side.
Therefore, these fragments should be written
in different languages: for instance, the first in Java
and the second in JavaScript.

However, at early stages of development, it is rather
difficult to predict which fragments of the application
will work on a server and which on a client.

Moreover, there are different clients. Some of them
are thick, other are thin. For thick clients, some
fragments of the code will be executed on the client
side and, for thin clients, the same fragments will work
on the server side.

In addition, it is quite possible that, in some time,
a need will occur to transforming the application into
a different platform which will require a different
language, or some fragment will be separated for working
on an intermediate server (for instance, in order
to make the main server part more lightweight).

If the code is written in XPL, all the above problems
are easily solved: just transform different parts
of the code into different languages.

3. XPL as a program storage format

With the help of a special editor/environment,
a user can create XPL programs by using his/her
favorite programming language.
This means that, on the screen, the user sees
the code as if it is written in, say, Java,
while the code is actually stored as an XPL program.
Later, the XPL staff can be transformed into another
language, say, C++. The advantage is obvious:
a developer creates a C++ code by using Java coding.

By the way, such an editor/environment will be very
useful even if the destination is XPL: native XPL
code is not convenient for everyday programming,
it is rather "cryptic", and not so readable and
concise as usual programming languages.

4. XPL as a skeleton for a programming environment

If an editor/environment stores the code in XPL,
it is much easier to provide very smart and powerful
service for a user, since the DOM of the hidden XPL
source can be effectively used. For instance,
with the help of a simple search pattern,
the XPL source can be queried to produce the list
of methods available for an object under cursor
in a very convenient and rich form.

Enough for a start, I think. :-)

Excuse my English.
My native language is Russian, and there are no
XPL applications yet which could help me creating
messages in English by using my favorite language. :-)

--
Alexander E. Gutman
--- End forwarded message ---