(1) Acceleo is a code generation tool that can generate Android apps from models. It has a long history within Eclipse. (2) The tutorial shows how to take an existing Android app and generate additional apps using the same models. This allows generating new apps in just a few clicks. (3) More advanced Acceleo features include overriding existing generators, adding protected areas to templates, and looking at plans for the next release of Acceleo.

1. Acceleo
Code Generation
From the model
to the Android app
Stéphane Bégaudeau
stephane.begaudeau@obeo.fr
Mikaël Barbero
mikael.barbero@obeo.fr

2. Goals of the tutorial

3. Goals of the tutorialGoals of the tutorial
Beginners
See a simple
concrete
case-study
Acceleo
addicts
Discover
new killing
features
Android
experts
Learn
enough to
build
full-fledged
generator

4. I 'mI 'm notnot
an Androidan Android
development expertdevelopment expert

5. 1.
Acceleo:
A new code generator

6. A long history
From Acceleo.org in 2006...
...to Eclipse.org in 2009
Version 3.0 is part of the
Eclipse Helios release train

7. A new codeA new code generation languagegeneration language
Metamodel and
templates based
technology
Implementation
of the Model To
Text OMG
standard (MTL)
Eclipse Modeling
/ M2T Project
Tooling to help
starting a new
generator from
scratch

8. The Acceleo SDK
Acceleo Runtime
(Compiler + Engine)
Acceleo
Development Tools
+=
Eclipse independant: can be
run anywhere (plain old Jar,
OSGi, Eclipse...)

9. 2.
Prototype
based
approach

10. Warm-up
1. Launch the Eclipse
runtime
2. Switch to the
Acceleo perspective
3. Import the
handcrafted Android
application

11. Warm-up
1. Launch the Eclipse
runtime
2. Switch to the
Acceleo perspective
3. Import the
handcrafted Android
application
Put your hands dirty

12. Unlock the power of your models
Java UI Java DB
XML Properties
Different kinds of source
artifacts to be generated

13. One file to be generated...
...one MTL file to be created
Good Practice

14. A little bit of syntax
Header

15. A little bit of syntax
Body

16. The workflow file
The MTL file calling
the other ones
@main annotation

17. Initialize the generation project
1. Create new
Acceleo project
2. Use the wizard
(update file paths)
3. Create a
workflow file

18. Initialize the generation project
1. Create new
Acceleo project
2. Use the wizard
(update file paths)
3. Create a
workflow file
Put your hands dirty

19. 3... 2... 1...
Launch
configuration
Anything
that can
launch Java...
Generated
Java Main
Stand
alone
Same
VM as
Eclipse
Standalone Standalone

20. Ignition
1. Launch the
generator
(launch config as Eclipse plugin)
2. Look @ the
traceability view

21. Ignition
1. Launch the
generator
(launch config as Eclipse plugin)
2. Look @ the
traceability view
Put your hands dirty

22. Quick replacement
Select a text section in the
template, then hit "Content
Assist" hotkeys

23. Quick replacement
Select a text section in the
template, then hit "Content
Assist" hotkeys
Put your hands dirty

24. Hierarchy Tree
Select a text section in the
template, then right-click
"Source > As For/If"

25. Hierarchy Tree
Select a text section in the
template, then right-click
"Source > As For/If"
Put your hands dirty

26. "As For/If" is quick but dirty...
...use templates
Good Practice
polymorphism instead!!

27. Generation patterns
Use the Generation
Patterns View

28. Generation patterns
Use the Generation
Patterns View
Put your hands dirty

29. Extract as
template
Select a text section in the
template, then right click
"Refactor > Extract as template"

30. Extract as
template
Select a text section in the
template, then right click
"Refactor > Extract as template"
Put your hands dirty

31. Refactoring
Alt + Shift + R

32. Refactoring
Alt + Shift + R
Put your hands dirty

33. 3.
Make the Android App
run

34. Debug your templates
Thanks to Acceleo
debugger

35. Configure the
Android Development Kit
Create a new Android
Virtual Device - AVD
Set the path to the
SDK location

36. Turn on the phone

37. Turn on the phone
Put your hands dirty

38. 4.
An generic Android App
generator

39. Create a fresh new model

40. Run the generator again
With a new Android
project as target folder

41. Generate new
Android Apps
Generate new

42. Generate new
Android Apps
Generate new
Put your hands dirty

43. 5.
A new App
in a few
clicks

44. Packaging and deploying
Generate an Eclipse
UI plugin
Add an action on
right-click on models

45. Packaging settings
Filename pattern
of the model
Target folder of
the generation
Warning: Eclipse specific

46. Workout
1. Create new
Acceleo UI project
2. Use the wizard
3. Launch a 2nd
Eclipse Runtime
and test

47. Workout
1. Create new
Acceleo UI project
2. Use the wizard
3. Launch a 2nd
Eclipse Runtime
and test
Put your hands dirty

48. 6.
Override specific behavior

49. Static
overriding
Dynamic
overriding
Overriding existing generators
Eclipse-only

50. Module B
Template
MT
Module A
Template
MT
Extends
overrides
Module C
Imports
C invokes MT, B.MT
will be executed
Overriding behavior

51. Protected area
Will not be erased
after re-generation
Dont forget the
comments marks...
... and the ID

52. Hands on
1. Statically override
previously defined
generators
2. Add protected area
in the body of
DBAdapter#updateNote()

53. Hands on
1. Statically override
previously defined
generators
2. Add protected area
in the body of
DBAdapter#updateNote()
Put your hands dirty

54. 7.
The next step: Acceleo 3.1

55. Documentation

56. UI Improvements

57. (1) Brief history of Acceleo
(2) From an existing App to an App generator
(3) An App in a few clicks
(4) Advanced Acceleo features
(5) The next release

58. Thank you for your attention!
Questions?

59. CREDITS:
(c) Copyright Obeo, 2010
Photos (Creative Commons):
1. flickr/photos/laihiu/4407979507
2. flickr/photos/zachbonnell/5043454271
3. flickr/photos/mobergeron/130537193
4. flickr/photos/pictureperfectpose/76138988
5. flickr/photos/twid/410697715
7. flickr/photos/e2/2244075454
8. flickr/photos/17258892@N05/2588347668
9. flickr/photos/paperpariah/2417220138
10. flickr/photos/st3f4n/3975004250
11. flickr/photos/subcircle/500995147
12. flickr/photos/thetruthabout/2842830409
13. flickr/photos/enter/11960491
14. flickr/photos/enter/11960491
15. flickr/photos/wongdood/3379046643
16. flickr/photos/st3f4n/4106193567
17. flickr/photos/nasahqphoto/4109708805
18. flickr/photos/pcw/247087091
19. flickr/photos/purplemattfish/3020016417
20. flickr/photos/grungetextures/4213233972
21. flickr/photos/cococait/5016130987
22. flickr/photos/kh-67/3339157498
23. flickr/photos/carbonnyc/2965625438
24 .flickr/photos/7606551@N03/4917584222
25. flickr/photos/alain_limoges/4593736342
26. flickr/photos/knowprose/101872870
27. flickr/photos/john_dyer_jr/4764666803
28. flickr/photos/st3f4n/4408582299
29. http://www.android.com/media/
30. http://www.blogger.com
http://twitter.com/
http://www.fifa.com
http://www.openclipart.org
flickr/photos/schoffer/144670634
31. flickr/photos/loozrboy/4887231336
32. flickr/photos/st3f4n/4372885123
33. flickr/photos/darwinbell/316668966/
34. flickr/photos/edwbaker/4268008033
35. flickr/photos/wessexarchaeology/215904318
36. flickr/photos/st3f4n/4297940349
37. flickr/photos/koichiwb/4323277195
38. flickr/photos/merelymel/230291050
39. flickr/photos/st3f4n/4322352483
40. flickr/photos/gernot/2554175292
41. flickr/photos/st3f4n/4291462682
42. flickr/photos/40386452@N05/4487564062
43. flickr/photos/loty/326761635
44. flickr/photos/slowburn/2986303105
45. flickr/photos/82862943@N00/367490867
46. flickr/photos/stu_p/2317403942
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