Domain-specific languages: from design to implementationapplication to video device drivers generation

摘要

Domain-specific languages (DSL) have many potential advantages innterms of software engineering, ranging from increased productivity tonthe application of formal methods. Although they have been used innpractice for decades, there has been little study of methodology ornimplementation tools for the DSL approach. We present our DSL approachnand its application to a realistic domain: the generation of videondisplay device drivers. The article focuses on the validation of ournproposed framework for domain-specific languages, from design tonimplementation. The framework leads to a flexible design and structure,nand provides automatic generation of efficient implementations of DSLnprograms. Additionally, we describe an example of a complete DSL fornvideo display adaptors and the benefits of the DSL approach for thisnapplication. This demonstrates some of the generally claimed benefits ofnusing DSLs: increased productivity, higher-level abstraction, and easiernverification. This DSL has been fully implemented with our approach andnis available. Compose project URL: http://www.irisa.fr/compose/gal