Metaprogramming

Kind: technique

Layer: Declarative Core

Record: architecture:metaprogramming

Severity: contextual

Scope: compile-time, runtime, framework

Canonical: Ontology

A technique for writing programs that generate or transform other programs, at compile time or at runtime.

Listed in Architecture principles, after Code as Data and before Reflection.

Requires

• Reflection/AST/Code Generation

Reinforces

• Do Not Repeat Yourself (DRY)
• DSLs

Enables

• Boilerplate Elimination

In tension with

• Debuggability
• Static Analysis
• Explicit Handwritten Code

Tensions

• Metaprogramming / Debuggability
• Metaprogramming / Static Analysis
• Metaprogramming / Explicit Handwritten Code

Violated by

• Unchecked Dynamic Code

Refactored by

• Unit Tests
• Declare Capability

Severity

• contextual

Category

• Metaprogramming / Language-Oriented Architecture

Reinforced by

• Homoiconicity

Linked from

• Correctness / Determinism / Verification
• Core Modular Design
• Metaprogramming / Language-Oriented Architecture
• Core Vocabulary
• Correctness / Determinism / Verification
• Metadata / Self-Description / Declarative Systems
• Metaprogramming / Language-Oriented Architecture
• Quality Attributes
• Severity levels
• The resolutions