[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: if you can find the time, could you very briefly summarize a few issues you had trouble with ? I would like to know if the were genuine issues that have now been fixed, if the documentation wasn't clear or if it's something else.. (end of quote)
Wouter - My previous post was fairly typical of the issues I've run into, and how easy it was to go "down the wrong path." I think the ROOT of the problem for me was a combination of being new to Maven, and some early build problems. I initially checked out the ENTIRE project using CVS. I learn with maven that we are dealing with a "maven.xml", a "project.xml", and a "project.properties." Fair enough - what's in those? Well, the AndroMDA is multi-project, and a quick search of my hard drive results in 145 project.xml files! Where to start? I tried to run simply maven from the root, and it ran for about 10 minutes, but it ultimately failed. I'm not sure why, but I THINK it was doing a test for one of the samples. maven from the root builds EVERYTHING, and thus I figured I didn't need to do that, so I started poking around. Eventually, I found my way around the project, but am still unclear on some parts. It gets REALLY confusing with the very similar names: there is the andromda core, the andromda plug-in for maven, the andromda app generator for maven. Once I figured out that the maven sub-directory represented the maven plug-in source (I THINK that's right [Embarassed] ) then things improved a bit. What looks like the entire source tree is REPEATED under the maven sub-directory. After fumbling around with "learning the system", I went on to try to actually create my own project. Had several false starts with that. The actually project structure that was generated had a few bugs in it (my post about a reference to "hibernate-.jar" as an example). Still I had to figure out how the project was structured, where all the pieces fit. I couldn't just do a maven from the root of the generated project (I got some errors), but I COULD do pieces. maven mda worked, for example. I could run just that, and start looking at the generated code. That turned out to be a trap, however, as maven mda doesn't generate the DDL files. etc. etc. Really, now that I know what I know, the project structure is well organized. Assuming a stable release, I'd say its probably a documentaiton thing. Even there - the documentation IS there somewhere, assuming you know where to find it. There is just so much of it. The "readme.txt" file created with a generated project, for example, does lay everything out. I just went back to the "how to" guide for newbies, and it even tells me to read the README.TXT. I think I read it initially, but then moved on, not realizing its importance. Again, the project is so massive, its hard to figure out where to start - what is important, and what is not. Between the HowTo guides, the support forum, the readme.txt, etc. I'm evenually am finding my way. I also made the mistake of trying to learn how to build and customize AndroMDA itself, BEFORE learning how to use the system. While writing this, I'm taking a seroius look at my journey and am trying to figure out how much of this is self inflicted. I think one of the pitfalls I ran into is that as an experienced developer, I what I REALLY wanted was a quick executive summary/birds eye view of the system. Perhaps a web page of "AndroMDA in a nutshell", something like this: Creating your own projects: 1) One everything is installed (follow the directions at http://...) issuing maven andromdapp:generate will create a new project. If you need details on creating a new project, see http://... 2) The UML file your new project will use is located in mda/src/uml/yourProjectName.xmi. Edit this with MagicDraw (yes, you COULD use another tool, but you'll be fighting an uphill battle. See the andromda forums at http:// for more details on this discussion). 3) How AndroMDA generates code is controlled by the AndroMDA configuration file located in mda/conf/andromda.xml. Options can be configured by you here for the various cartridges and are referred to as "namespace properties". Properties are documented at http://... 4) Many of the properties used in andromda.xml, as well as other build properties specific to your project, appear as maven build properties and be configured n the /project.properties file. Possible options are documented here at http:// 5) To simply generate initial code, issue maven mda from your project's root directory. To actually BUILD executing code, as well as create the DDL files (if using Spring or Hibernate), execute maven install 6) The resulting code from AndroMDA will be located in either the /src or /target directories. All generated code that may be overwritten by subsequent runs of the code generated are located in the /target directory. Code that you can create by hand (and/or is protected from subsquent overwrites) should be located in the /src directory. For more details regarding the project structure, be sure to read the "readme.txt" file .... Customizing AndroMDA: 1) The system is composed of: The AndroMDA core (does the UML translation). The source code for this is found in /andromda, and can be build by issuing maven install from this directory. 2) "Cartridges" which does specific types of translations (such as hibernate). The source code is found in /cartridges/andromda-hibernate. Details about this system can be found at http://... etc. etc. .... One last suggestion: how about making the DDL generation part of the maven mda goal? That right there may have eliminated some confusion. That way, maven mda could be used to "generate all code". While learning the system, it was beneficial to look at the resulting code, without actually building it. I consider the DDLs to be part of that "code" worth studying. _________________________________________________________ Reply to the post : http://galaxy.andromda.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2557#2557 Posting to http://forum.andromda.org/ is preferred over posting to the mailing list! ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by the 'Do More With Dual!' webinar happening July 14 at 8am PDT/11am EDT. We invite you to explore the latest in dual core and dual graphics technology at this free one hour event hosted by HP, AMD, and NVIDIA. To register visit http://www.hp.com/go/dualwebinar _______________________________________________ Andromda-user mailing list Andromda-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/andromda-user
