Writing Code that Writes Code

The best developers are fundamentally very lazy. What if there was a way to write a fraction of the volume of code you currently write without losing any functionality, and massively increasing code quality (can you say ‘100% test coverage’)?

Code generation allows us to do exactly that: we can write less code that does more. Imagine a world where all your code is unit-tested, fully documented, clearly commented, fully optimised, is a joy to maintain, and /still/ meets all the requirements. That world is exactly what code generation offers.

Why outsource code to someone halfway around the world when you can outsource it to the little goblins inside the magic box on your desk? Steve Marshall will show you the how, the why, and the ‘what’s that warm feeling inside?’

You can also watch the video on Skillsmatter’s site: http://skillsmatter.com/podcast/home/code-generation-in-action

Transcript

1. WRITING CODE that WRITES CODE STEVE MARSHALL
2. But why?
3. Code munging Inline code expansion Mixed code generation Partial class generation Tier generation Full domain language
4. Code munging Inline code expansion Mixed code generation Partial class generation Tier generation Full domain language
5. Source code Code munger Output file
6. Code munging Inline code expansion Mixed code generation Partial class generation Tier generation Full domain language
7. Source code Inline code expander Output source code Compiler
8. Code munging Inline code expansion Mixed code generation Partial class generation Tier generation Full domain language
9. Source code Mixed code generator Output source code Compiler
10. Code munging Inline code expansion Mixed code generation Partial class generation Tier generation Full domain language
11. Definition file Partial class generator Output base class code Compiler Custom derived class code Templates
12. Code munging Inline code expansion Mixed code generation Partial class generation Tier generation Full domain language
13. Definition file Tier generator Output source code Compiler Templates
14. Code munging Inline code expansion Mixed code generation Partial class generation Tier generation Full domain language
16. What should I use?
17. Let me tell you a story…
18. One for the team.
19. Respect (and loathe) hand-coding. 1.
20. Hand-code first. 2.
21. Control your source. 3.
22. Consider the generator’s language. 4.
23. Integrate the generator into your workflow. 5.
24. Include warnings. 6.
25. Play nice with others. 7.
26. Document well. 8.
27. Consider the cultural impact. 9.
28. Keep it maintained. 10.
30. icanhaz.com/codegen-book icanhaz.com/codegen @stevemarshall steve@nascentguruism.com Stephen Wolfram photo: flickr.com/photos/hybernaut/87907765/