The WebML modeling language and its accompanying design method are currently implemented in a commercial Web design tool suite, called WebRatio Site Development Studio.
|
With respect to the WebML development workflow, WebRatio covers the phases of data design and hypertext design, and supports implementation by automating the production of the relational database and of the application page templates.
Thanks to the automatic generation of code, the tool can be used for fast-prototyping, thus shortening the requirements validation cycle. Differently from traditional prototyping tools, which generate application mock-ups, the WebRatio code generator produces application modules running on state-of-the-art architectures, and can be used for implementation, maintenance, and evolution.
|
|
WebRatio internally uses XML and XSL as the formats for encoding both the specifications and the code generators: XML is used for describing data and hypertext schemas, whereas XSL is used for generating the graphic properties and layout of the page templates, for validity checking, and for automatic project documentation. The extensive use of XML and XSL facilitates custom extensions, which apply both to the WebML language, which can be extended with user-defined units and operations, and to the tool functions, which can be enriched with custom consistency checkers, documentation and code generators, and presentation rules. Please refer to the WebRatio site (http://www.webratio.com/) for details on how to obtain the software. |
