Domain specific languages contextualized
Michael H. Matthee, Stephen Phillip Levitt · 2011
Many software systems attempt to provide solutions to problems located in the real-world. Problem frames identify specific combinations, and interactions, of problems, real-world domains, and requirements. Domain-Specific Languages (DSL's) are exemplary in their ability to provide solutions to specific problem domains. This paper explores the relationship between problem frames, that describe the types of problems that a software system is attempting to address, and DSL decision patterns that detail when a DSL might prove useful. Thirty-five DSL case studies are used in mapping the decision patterns to their corresponding problem frames. It is shown that all of the decision patterns map to transformation or workpieces problems. This mapping serves as a guide linking a given problem to appropriate decision patterns, and ultimately to DSL employment.