FAQ -- How To's, Troubleshooting, Experiences, Resources, Future plans,
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a collection of questions and answers collated from the Forum. Thanks to all the questioners and answerers!
Please post a reply if you notice something incorrect, or want to recommend something to be listed here. [Just for this thread, we'll delete your reply after dealing with it.]
How to...
- Display the DSL inside a User Control inside VS
- Intercept click on icon decorator
- Force the placement of a port on its parent
- Define custom multiplicities - hard and soft constraints
- Create a custom tool that runs directly against a model file
- Respond to and propagate changes in custom code
- Calculate and set a property's value - e.g. to show two or more properties in one compartment shape item
- Use Path Syntax and Element Merge Directives
- Create a custom GeometryShape
- Export diagram as image
- Access link Properties
- Dynamically create shapes
- Add context menus to shapes
- Use DSL created in other .Net projects
- Generate many files from one template
- Merging generated code with hand-written code
- Make multiple views and alsomake models interact
- Move a DSL Project to another machine
- Listen to events fired from your domain model
- Set a Background picture
- Dynamically create connectors
- Hide and Show shapes and connectors
- Keep the DD file in sync with the DM (pre June 06)
- Expose domain model objects through DTE
See also the Samples for these:
- Limit number of Connectors between Concepts
- Block Self-Relationship
- Calculate a Property's value
- Prevent a property being displayed
- Write Text Templating files
Samples and guidance
The VS SDK Samples browser includes samples for DSL Tools. Open it by finding Visual Studio SDK under the Windows Start menu. Set the "SDK Area" filter to "DSL Tools".
- Validation
- Menu commands
- Designer customization
- Deployment
- An End-to-End demonstration of how to use a DSL in a project
Troubleshooting
- Mysterious crashes, unable to start Debugging, toolbox vanished, walkthrough problems, etc
- Self-replicating toolbox items
- Duplicate generated files
- Reserved words
- Known Issues
- Product Feedback(product Visual Studio Team System, category DSL Tools)
Using the DSL Tools - discussions
- What can you do with a DSL?
- Using DSL Tools
- Web chat - transcript of May live discussion with DSL Tools team
- DSL, XMI, MDF, UML, ...
- DSL Tools home page
Experience reports and user examples
Articles
- Using the Domain-Specific Languages Tools for Visual Studio 2005, May 2005
- Visual Studio 2005 Team System Modeling Strategy and FAQ
- GAT -- Guidance Automation Toolkit
- Visual Studio 2005 documentation
Presentations & Slides
ARC 411: Domain Specific Language Tools for Model-Driven Development in Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, TechEd 2005, June 2005
Thanks to all the questioners and answers for most of the material.
[11782 byte] By [AlanCameronWills] at [2007-12-16] 