clafer-0.4.2.1: README.md
[](https://hackage.haskell.org/package/clafer)
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# Clafer, the Language
v0.4.2.1
[Clafer](http://clafer.org) is a general-purpose lightweight structural modeling language developed by
[GSD Lab](http://gsd.uwaterloo.ca/), [University of Waterloo](http://uwaterloo.ca), and
[MODELS](http://www.itu.dk/research/models/) group at [IT University of Copenhagen](http://www.itu.dk/).
Clafer can be used for modeling of static hierarchical structures but has no support for modeling the change of the structures over time (behavior).
The main goal of Clafer is to make modeling more accessible to a wider range of users and domains.
There are many possible applications of Clafer; however, three are prominent:
1. *Product-Line Modeling* - aims at representing and managing commonality and variability of assets in product lines and creating and verifying product configurations.
Clafer naturally supports multi-staged configuration.
2. *Multi-Objective Product Optimization* - aims at finding a set of products in a given product line that are optimal with respect to a set of objectives.
Clafer multi-objective optimizer generates a Pareto front of optimal product configurations.
3. *Domain Modeling* - aims at improving the understanding of the problem domain in the early stages of software development and determining the requirements with fewer defects.
This is also known as *Concept Modeling* or *Ontology Modeling*.
### Resources
* [Learning Clafer](http://t3-necsis.cs.uwaterloo.ca:8091/#learning-clafer)
* [Cheat Sheet](doc/CheatSheet.md)
* [Syntax Documentation](doc/clafer.pdf)
* [Grammar](src/clafer.cf)
# Clafer, the Compiler
Clafer compiler provides a reference implementation of Clafer, the language.
It translates models in Clafer to other formats (e.g., Alloy, JSON, JS, HTML, DOT) to allow for reasoning and processing with existing tools (Alloy Analyzer, Choco3, and GraphViz).
Currently, the compiler is used by
* Backends
* Alloy-based Instance Generator ([ClaferIG](https://github.com/gsdlab/claferIG)),
* Choco3-based Instance Generator and Multi-Objective Optimizer ([chocosolver](https://github.com/gsdlab/chocosolver), [ClaferChocoIG](https://github.com/gsdlab/ClaferChocoIG)).
* Web Frontends
* Clafer Integrated Development Environment ([ClaferIDE](https://github.com/gsdlab/claferIDE)),
* Clafer Configurator ([ClaferConfigurator](https://github.com/gsdlab/ClaferConfigurator)),
* Multi-Objective [Visualizer and Explorer](https://github.com/gsdlab/ClaferMooVisualizer), and
* Clafer Wiki ([ClaferWiki](https://github.com/gsdlab/claferwiki)).
## Contributors
* [Michał Antkiewicz](http://gsd.uwaterloo.ca/mantkiew), Main developer.
* [Kacper Bak](http://gsd.uwaterloo.ca/kbak), Original developer.
* [Jimmy Liang](http://gsd.uwaterloo.ca/jliang), Developer.
* [Ed Zulkoski](http://gsd.uwaterloo.ca/ezulkosk), Python IR Generator.
* Luke Michael Brown, co-op student May-Aug 2013. Many improvements.
* Paulius Juodisius, [customized BNFC generator](https://github.com/juodaspaulius/bnfc) and layout resolver.
* [Rafael Olaechea](http://gsd.uwaterloo.ca/rolaechea), Multi-Objective Optimization extensions.
## Getting the Clafer Compiler
Clafer can be installed from a binary distribution (preferred), from Hackage, and from the source code.
### Dependencies for running
Regardless of the installation method, the following are
Optional:
* [Java Platform (JDK)](http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html) v8+, 32bit on Windows, 64bit otherwise
* only needed for running Alloy validation
* [Alloy4.2](http://alloy.mit.edu/alloy/download.html)
* only needed for Alloy output validation
* [GraphViz](http://graphviz.org/)
* the program `dot` is needed only in the `html` mode for SVG graph generation
### Installation from binaries
Binary distributions of the release 0.4.2.1 of Clafer Tools for Windows, Mac, and Linux,
can be downloaded from
[Clafer Tools - Binary Distributions](http://gsd.uwaterloo.ca/clafer-tools-binary-distributions).
1. download the binaries and unpack `<target directory>` of your choice
2. add the `<target directory>` to your system path so that the executables can be found
### Installation from Hackage
Clafer is now available on [Hackage](http://hackage.haskell.org/package/clafer-0.4.2.1/) and it can be installed using either [`stack`](https://github.com/commercialhaskell/stack) or [`cabal-install`](https://hackage.haskell.org/package/cabal-install).
#### Installation using `stack`
Stack is the only requirement: no other Haskell tooling needs to be installed because stack will automatically install everything that's needed.
1. [install `stack`](https://github.com/commercialhaskell/stack#how-to-install)
2. execute `stack install clafer`
#### Installation using `cabal-install`
Dependencies
* [GHC](https://www.haskell.org/downloads) >= 7.8.3. 7.10.2 is recommended,
* `cabal-install` >= 1.18, should be installed together with a GHC distribution,
* [alex](https://hackage.haskell.org/package/alex),
* [happy](https://hackage.haskell.org/package/happy).
1. Install GHC
2. `cabal update`
3. `cabal install alex happy`
4. `cabal install clafer`
5. on Windows `cd C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\cabal\i386-windows-ghc-7.10.2\clafer-0.4.2.1`
6. on Linux `ca ~/.cabal/share/x86_64-linux-ghc-7.10.2/clafer-0.4.2.1/`
7. to automatically download Alloy jars, execute
* `make alloy4.2.jar`,
* move `alloy4.2.jar` to the location of the clafer executable.
### Installation from the source code
Dependencies
* [`stack`](https://github.com/commercialhaskell/stack#how-to-install)
* [Git](http://git-scm.com/)
On Windows
* [MSYS2](http://msys2.sourceforge.net/)
* it is installed automatically by `stack`
* after building clafer, execute
* `pacman -Syu`
* `pacman -S make wget unzip diffutils`
#### Important: Branches must correspond
All related projects are following the *simultaneous release model*.
The branch `master` contains releases, whereas the branch `develop` contains code under development.
When building the tools, the branches should match.
Releases from branches 'master` are guaranteed to work well together.
Development versions from branches `develop` should work well together but this might not always be the case.
#### Building
1. in some `<source directory>` of your choice, execute
* `git clone git://github.com/gsdlab/clafer.git`
2. in `<source directory>/clafer`, execute `stack setup`. This will install all dependencies, build tools, and MSYS2 (on Windows).
3. first time only on Windows
* open `MinGW64 Shell` using `C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Programs\stack\i386-windows\msys2-20150512\mingw64_shell.bat`
* update MSYS2 following the [update procedure](http://sourceforge.net/p/msys2/wiki/MSYS2%20installation/):
* `pacman -Sy`
* `pacman --needed -S bash pacman pacman-mirrors msys2-runtime`
* restart shell if the runtime was updated
* `pacman -Su`
* `pacman -S make wget unzip diffutils`
4. `cd <source directory>`
* `make`
### Installation
1. Execute
* `make install to=<target directory>`
#### Note:
> On Windows, use `/` with the `make` command instead of `\`.
## Integration with Sublime Text 2/3
See [ClaferToolsST](https://github.com/gsdlab/ClaferToolsST)
## Integration with VIM
See [clafer-vim](https://github.com/wasowski/clafer-vim)
## Usage
### Clafer Compiler
(As printed by `clafer --help`)
```
Clafer 0.4.2.1
clafer [OPTIONS] [FILE]
Common flags:
-m --mode=CLAFERMODE Generated output type. Available
CLAFERMODEs are: 'alloy' (default,
Alloy 4.2); 'json' (intermediate
representation of Clafer model);
'clafer' (analyzed and desugared
clafer model); 'html' (original model
in HTML); 'graph' (graphical
representation written in DOT
language); 'cvlgraph' (cvl notation
representation written in DOT
language); 'python' (generates IR in
python); 'choco' (Choco constraint
programming solver). Multiple modes
can be specified at the same time,
e.g., '-m alloy -m html'.
-o --console-output Output code on console.
-i --flatten-inheritance Flatten inheritance ('alloy' mode
only).
--timeout-analysis=INT Timeout for analysis.
-l --no-layout Don't resolve off-side rule layout.
-n --nl --new-layout Use new fast layout resolver
(experimental).
-c --check-duplicates Check duplicated clafer names in
the entire model.
-f --skip-resolver Skip name resolution.
-k --keep-unused Keep uninstantated abstract clafers
('alloy' mode only).
-s --no-stats Don't print statistics.
-v --validate Validate outputs of all modes. Uses
'<tooldir>/alloy4.2.jar' for Alloy
models, '<tooldir>/claferchocoig.jar'
for Alloy models, and Clafer
translator for desugared Clafer
models. Use '--tooldir' to override
the default location ('.') of these
tools.
--tooldir=DIR Specify the tools directory
('validate' only). Default: '.'
(current directory).
-a --alloy-mapping Generate mapping to Alloy source
code ('alloy' mode only).
--self-contained Generate a self-contained html
document ('html' mode only).
--add-graph Add a graph to the generated html
model ('html' mode only). Requires
the "dot" executable to be on the
system path.
--sr --show-references Whether the links for references
should be rendered. ('html' and
'graph' modes only).
--add-comments Include comments from the source
file in the html output ('html' mode
only).
-e --ecore2clafer Translate an ECore model into
Clafer.
--ss=SCOPESTRATEGY --scope-strategy Use scope computation strategy:
none or simple (default).
--check-afm --afm Throws an error if the cardinality
of any of the clafers is above 1.
--meta-data Generate a 'fully qualified
name'-'least-partially-qualified
name'-'unique ID' map ('.cfr-map').
In Alloy and Choco modes, generate
the scopes map ('.cfr-scope').
-? --help Display help message
-V --version Print version information
--numeric-version Print just the version number
```
The dependencies among the command line arguments are described on the [model wiki](http://t3-necsis.cs.uwaterloo.ca:8091/ClaferTools/CommandLineArguments).
Multiple modes can be used at the same time. For example,
`clafer model.cfr -m alloy -m json -m html -m graph --self-contained --show-references --no-stats`
The mode `-m alloy` is only the default mode if no other modes are given. When other modes are given, the mode `-m alloy` must be added explicitly if needed.
Additionally, `[OPTIONS]` can also be specified directly in the model file by inserting the following compiler directive as the first line of the file:
```
//# [OPTIONS]
```
for example
```
//# --keep-unused -m=alloy
```
Options given at command line override the options given in the file using `//#` which, in turn, override the defaults.
### Using compiler directives
Compiler directives are comments of the form
```
//# <directive name>
```
The following directives are markers of locations in the input files for different purposes:
* `//# FRAGMENT` - marks the beginning of the new [module fragment](http://gsd.uwaterloo.ca:8888/question/463/multi-fragment-modules).
* `//# GRAPH` - marks the insertion point for a graph rendering. The graph is only produced in HTML mode with the argument `--add-graph`.
* `//# STATS` - marks the insertion point for module statistics. The statistics can be omitted using the argument `--no-stats`.
* `//# SUMMARY` - shorthand for `//# GRAPH` and `//# STATS`
# Developing Clafer
Here is some information about the development of the Clafer compiler.
## Branching
We are following the simplified version of the [successful Git branching model](http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/).
The branch `master` is for releases and hot fixes only.
The branch `develop` is for minor development and for integration of features from feature branches.
For any substantial work, branch off from `develop` and create a pull request back into `develop` after the work is completed.
We do testing and code review before merging into develop.
If the `develop` is ahead, merge it into the feature branch and perform integration testing there.
To make a release, we create a pull request from `develop` into `master`.
We tag `master` with version numbers after each release merge.
## Building
We have switched to [Haskell Tool Stack](https://github.com/commercialhaskell/stack#the-haskell-tool-stack).
Install the tool first.
## Testing
We have both automated tests and regression tests.
To run the automated tests (including both unit tests and [doctests](https://github.com/sol/doctest#readme)), execute
```
stack test
```
To only run unit tests, execute `stack test test-suite`.
To only run doctests, execute `stack test doctests`.
> Note: it is still possible to run `cabal test` as previously; however, the `Makefile` uses `stack` by default.
For instructions for adding new modules to the doctest suite, see [cabal integration](https://github.com/sol/doctest#cabal-integration).
To run all the automated tests and the regression tests, execute
```
make test
```
We do test-driven development in the following way:
1. create a test case Clafer model in either `test/positive` or `test/negative` depending on whether a test case should compile successfully or return an error. For example, see a positive test case [test/positive/redefinition.cfr](https://github.com/gsdlab/clafer/blob/namedDrefs/test/positive/redefinition.cfr).
2. produce the intended compiler output automatically if possible and manually fix the output. Save the intended output as a regression test case. For example, see [test/regression/redefinition.cfr.reg](https://github.com/gsdlab/clafer/blob/namedDrefs/test/regression/redefinition.als.reg).
3. implement the feature to reproduce the intended output: compiler the test case and execute
```
cd test
make diffRegressions
```
this will show you how the current output diverges from the intended output.
## Modifying the grammar
We are using a [customized version of BNCF](https://github.com/juodaspaulius/bnfc).
Clone the repository and install a binary of `bnfc` so that it's visible in your `PATH`.
After changing the grammar, execute
```
make grammar
```
# Need help?
* Visit [language's website](http://clafer.org).
* Report issues to [issue tracker](https://github.com/gsdlab/clafer/issues)