MetaEdit+ - Edit the metaedit-editor thru programming

Edit the metaedit-editor thru programming

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Forum Name: MetaEdit+
Forum Description: All topics relating to MetaEdit+ or DSM
URL: https://www.metacase.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=67
Printed Date: 27.Mar.2026 at 02:15
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Topic: Edit the metaedit-editor thru programming

Posted By: vegaaa
Subject: Edit the metaedit-editor thru programming
Date Posted: 07.Nov.2008 at 17:01

Hello!

Another quick and prolly easy question;

Is it possible to edit Metaedit's behavior when metamodeling?

To clearify what I meen;

In e.g Visual Studio and Eclipse you can create your own "templates" that changes a metamodel's behavior in run-time.

A good example could be:

-How an object of a metamodel behaves in run-time.

Perhaps we would like it's size to change? Or perhaps we would like to specify that an object A MUST be created within Object B and not "outside it's boundaries". This can, as you guys prolly know, be specified at compile-time in both visual studio and eclipse.

If I wasn't clear anough, please shout out!:)

-Regards,

Vegard

Replies:

Posted By: stevek
Date Posted: 07.Nov.2008 at 17:25

Yes, you can achieve those things with MetaEdit+ - that's all part of the functionality of the metamodeling tools. As you point out, the metamodeling tools of Visual Studio and Eclipse can't do that, so there you have to resort to hand coding your own modeling tool behavior. In MetaEdit+, we give you the concepts and tools you need.

Most things are done by simple selections in the metamodeling tools, and if you need to go beyond that you can use MERL. In the case of rules you should think about the user experience: he might want to create the sub-object first, or outside all big objects, and then move it in later, or to move it from one big object to another. If you have to hand-code all those cases in C# or Java, you'll be there forever! Much better just to make the object's symbol show an error icon or text if it isn't inside a big object. You can see an example of this in the "Structured Analysis and Design" graph in the GOPPRR project: drag any of the smaller objects outside the dotted line boundaries and it will show an error. The test is done in MERL, in the generator called "_not part of graph type":

if not containers then 'Error: Not part of graph' endif

I find the MetaEdit+ approach rather a lot faster and more convenient for both metamodelers and modelers!