Automated Code Generation (Page 5)

<< Introduction & Message Forum

<< Page 4 (Types of Code Generator)

Advantages of Code Generators

Some advantages of auto-generated code are:

	Ultra-consistent (machine generated)
	Changes the way programmers work: code tends to be much cleaner and simpler, as it only needs to do what is required now. If requirements change later, simply modify the generator and crank out a new version of the source code
	Stable and bug-free, "works first time" (the debugging takes place when writing the code generator itself - hence the bulk of the debugging work has taken place BEFORE the project begins)
	Produced very quickly (just point the generator at the problem domain, and crank out a brand-new, guaranteed up-to-date API)
	Customisable (assuming you have the source code for the generator itself, you can easily customise the code that will be generated)
	Takes change in its stride (if a database needs to be changed, simply make the change, then turn the handle and "crank out" a new version of the source code - takes minutes)
	Programmers are free to concentrate on the areas of development that deserve their brainpower (hence morale improves, which further increases productivity)
	Code mentor (as the generated code is well written and 100% consistent, programmers are more likely to copy the style of this code and learn from it than they would a dusty old standards document. So all project code is more likely to be consistent and very clear, despite being produced at an incredibly rapid rate)

Disadvantages of Code Generators

Some disadvantages of auto-generated code:

	The code generator must be written first
	Only applicable given a specific set of conditions
	There will always be some code that needs to be hand-crafted. The actual amount varies from project to project. Usually, the generated code acts as "support" for this hand-crafted code, i.e. an API
	For database code, the database must be well formed (i.e. properly designed and normalised). Generators generally do not cope well with databases that have special, "unique" design features

The last item can also be used to the project's advantage, as long as the database is being designed especially for this project. In effect, the code generator can be used as a database design validator: the design should be tweaked and honed until a proper API can be generated. The database will be much better designed as a result. This will save a LOT of time later on.

However, if the database was created for an older project, and has "gone live" with real data, then it might not be possible to use a code generator. In this instance, the generator could be customised to cope with the specifics of the database; or the "traditional" route could be taken, and the API source hand-coded from scratch.

>> Page 6 (Generators and Agile Projects)

<< Back to Programming