CSM: Language eXtension WorkBench

The key enabling technology to the CSM's success is the Language Extension Workbench (LXWB), a generic environment for the incremental development of programming language analysers and translators.

The LXWB comes equipped with:

• automated generation of programming language parsers and code generators
• generic language analysis and report presentation tools
• executable specification language for user-defined analyses and transformations
• self-implementation for convenient incremental development of reengineering tools.

The implication of the LXWB is that is now easy to develop new analysis and conversion tools (e.g. for Y2K diagnosis and correction) for languages which suitable off-the-shelf products do not exist (e.g. PL/I). Rather than coding a new tool from scratch, all that is required with the LXWB is to supply abstract specifications of programming language syntax and semantics, and of the required analyses and transformations (e.g. for Y2K), and the LXWB will automatically generate the required reengineering tool.

Moreover, the LXWB admits comprehensive models of programming language syntax and semantics, and thus allows combinations of important analysis and transformation tasks (e.g. Y2K correction together with language and database conversion).

The LXWB was developed by the CSM for the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation, and is itself an extension of the Software Refinery ¹ metaprogramming system.

The LXWB User's Guide is available online.

¹Software Refinery is a registered trade mark of Reasoning Systems Inc.