Summary
In this chapter we introduced Domain-Specific Development and discussed some examples and benefits of the approach.
We looked at how to define textual domain-specific languages as new languages or as embedded languages within an existing host language, and we saw how XML can be used as a simple and cost-effective substrate for defining textual DSLs. We discussed the different aspects of graphical DSLs, and saw how these are being implemented in several components of Visual Studio 2005. We talked about the customization pit and how to overcome it.
Finally, we discussed UML and saw how it provides a very popular set of conventions for creating diagrammatic documentation of software and how a domain-specific approach helps to overcome its disadvantages.