Make modello self-generating

• Complexity:

  Intermediate
• Patch Submitted:

  Yes

Following discussion (well, qui short discussion, but well, modello isn't much about disucssions right now):
http://www.nabble.com/-Modello--Providing-a-modello's-meta-model-t2084698.html

I'm aiming at making modello self-generating (ie be able to generate Java class / xpp-reader for modello using a modello - model).
Bootstrap problems should/could be taken care of by committing the generated code te SVN, so as to be able to build modello from scratch at any time. What's more, that would provide interesting, up-to-date documentation about modello.

So to do this, there are several steps to take:

1. create the meta-model file (using current version)
2. clean-up existing modello code
3. implements missing features
4. rewrite modello meta-model to fully support current modello syntax

I have already taken step 1 (this can already provide some nice documentation, available on http://dcabasson.developpez.com/maven/metamodel.html ).

That leads me to the following things on my TODO list:

1. For step 2
   • Following attributes seems unused : deprecatedVersion, typeValidator
2. For step 3
   • allow for imports/import in code segments (some code segments needs external import, such as exceptions)
   • refactor code to extract helper methods to other class? (as including codeSegments is, IMHO, much less understandable)
   • add support for metadata on some tag. For example, add an allowMetadata field on class and field level. (maybe an optionnal metadataName too)

There is probably some other things to be done, but that's my first list there....

Attach is first patch, providing a crude metamodel.