Chapter 2 Resource Files and the Public Metamodel

Creating separate generation targets with extended model definitions

Extended model definitions can be used to create new generation targets provided the following conditions are respected:

• The Complement Language Generation check box in the extended model definition property sheet should not be selected
• The extended model definition contains generated files and templates. During generation, the evaluation of a template generates text which is written to a file.

This type of generation is called extended generation, and is available from the Tools→Extended Generation command.

If you have several extended model definitions designed for extended generation, these will appear in the Targets page of the extended generation dialog box.

You can create commands in the Tools menu to directly access extended generation for a selected target. To do so you have to:

• Create a menu in the Model metaclass in the Profile category of the extended model definition, name and select the Tools menu in the Location list
  
  For more information about creating menus, see "Menus (Profile)" in the Extending your Models with Profiles chapter.
• Create a method to invoke extended generation as follows:

Sub %Method%(obj)

   Dim selection ' as ObjectSelection
   
   ' Create a new selection
   set selection = obj.CreateSelection
   
   ' Add object of the active selection in the created selection
   selection.AddActiveSelectionObjects

   ' Generate scripts for specific target
   InteractiveMode = im_Dialog
   obj.GenerateFiles "", selection, "specific target"
   
End Sub

Where "specific target" is the code of the extended generation target.

For more information about creating methods, see "Methods (Profile)" in the Extending your Models with Profiles chapter.

• Add the method for extended generation to the menu in order to create a specific command
• Save the extended model definition

The new command is displayed in the Tools menu.

The Targets tab does not display because the underlying method already specifies a generation target.

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