How to specify features when dealing with textual DSLs
Today I will be discussing how to do specify features when dealing with textual DSLs. There is nothing more soul draining than a feature that takes forever to implement because the scope is not well defined. The problem is that there is no standard way to specify a language without diving into grammars and formal semantics. Grammars and formal semantics are precise, but precision and clarity are complementary concepts, the more you get of one, the less you get of the other. Contrary to standard applications, you cannot just write a use case for a language feature. However, here I’m a proposing a different way that I explain the following paragraphs. I believe that having a standardized way of specifying features is a big time saver for an organization.
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