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Section: Research Program
The Rascal Meta-programming language
The Rascal Domain-Specific Language for Source code analysis and Transformation is developed by ATeams. It is a language specifically designed for any kind of meta programming.
Meta programming is a large and diverse area both conceptually and technologically. There are plentiful libraries, tools and languages available but integrated facilities that combine both source code analysis and source code transformation are scarce. Both domains depend on a wide range of concepts such as grammars and parsing, abstract syntax trees, pattern matching, generalized tree traversal, constraint solving, type inference, high fidelity transformations, slicing, abstract interpretation, model checking, and abstract state machines. Examples of tools that implement some of these concepts are ANTLR, ASF+SDF, CodeSurfer, Crocopat, DMS, Grok, Stratego, TOM and TXL. These tools either specialize in analysis or in transformation, but not in both. As a result, combinations of analysis and transformation tools are used to get the job done. For instance, ASF+SDF relies on RScript for querying and TXL interfaces with databases or query tools. In other approaches, analysis and transformation are implemented from scratch, as done in the Eclipse JDT. The TOM tool adds transformation primitives to Java, such that libraries for analysis can be used directly. In either approach, the job of integrating analysis with transformation has to be done over and over again for each application and this requires a significant investment.
We propose a more radical solution by completely merging the set of concepts for analysis and transformation of source code into a single language called Rascal. This language covers the range of applications from pure analyses to pure transformations and everything in between. Our contribution does not consist of new concepts or language features per se, but rather the careful collaboration, integration and cross-fertilization of existing concepts and language features.
Goals
The goals of Rascal are: (a) to remove the cognitive and computational overhead of integrating analysis and transformation tools, (b) to provide a safe and interactive environment for constructing and experimenting with large and complicated source code analyses and transformations such as, for instance, needed for refactorings, and (c) to be easily understandable by a large group of computer programming experts. Rascal is not limited to one particular object programming language, but is generically applicable. Reusable, language specific, functionality is realized as libraries. As an end-result we envision Rascal to be a one-stop shop for source code analysis, transformation, generation and visualization.