NetBeans Architecture Answers for TextMate Lexer module

General Information

Question (arch-what): What is this project good for?
Answer:

TextMateGrammars - This project to allows to easily add syntax highlighting for languages by using the TextMate grammar files.

Question (arch-overall): Describe the overall architecture.
Answer:

This is a lexer and syntax highlighting for TextMate grammars. The grammars may be regitered using the system layer. register-grammar

Question (arch-usecases): Describe the main use cases of the new API. Who will use it under what circumstances? What kind of code would typically need to be written to use the module?
Answer:

Register grammar

To register a new TextMate grammar, add it as a file into the system filesystem, under "Editors/<mime-type>/", and make sure it has an attribute "textmate-grammar" whose value is a string representing the TextMate top-level scope. For example:

    <folder name="Editors">
        <folder name="text">
            <folder name="x-kotlin">
                <file name="Kotlin.tmLanguage.json" url="Kotlin.tmLanguage.json">
                    <attr name="textmate-grammar" stringvalue="source.kotlin" />
                </file>
            </folder>
        </folder>
    </folder>
          

Register grammar using Java API

To register a new TextMate grammar using Java API, add the GrammarRegistration annotation to an appropriate package-info file, or an appropriate Java class. For example:

    {@literal @}GrammarRegistration(mimeType="text/x-kotlin", grammar="path/to/Kotlin.tmLanguage.json")
          

Register injection grammar

Injection grammars let existing grammars to be extended. An injection grammar is a regular TextMate grammar that is injected into a specific scope within an existing grammar. To register a new injection grammar, add it as a file into the system filesystem under "Editors/", and make sure it has attributes "textmate-grammar" whose value is a string representing the TextMate top-level scope and "inject-to" whose value is a string representing comma separated list of scopes that the grammar is injected to. For example, registration of the injection grammar highlighting TODO keywords in JavaScript and TypeScript comments:

    <folder name="Editors">
        <file name="todo-comment-injection.json" url="todo-comment-injection.json">
            <attr name="textmate-grammar" stringvalue="todo-comment.injection" />
            <attr name="inject-to" stringvalue="source.js,source.ts" />
        </file>
    </folder>
          

Register injection grammar using Java API

To register a new injection grammar using Java API, add the GrammarInjectionRegistration annotation to an appropriate package-info file, or an appropriate Java class. For example:

    {@literal @}GrammarInjectionRegistration(grammar="path/to/todo-comment-injection.json", injectTo = {"source.js","source.ts"})
          

Question (arch-time): What are the time estimates of the work?
Answer:

Unclear.

Question (arch-quality): How will the quality of your code be tested and how are future regressions going to be prevented?
Answer:

Unit tests for the lexer.

Question (arch-where): Where one can find sources for your module?
Answer:

The sources for the module are in the Apache Git repositories or in the GitHub repositories.

Project and platform dependencies

Question (dep-nb): What other NetBeans projects and modules does this one depend on?
Answer:

These modules are required in project.xml:

• com.google.gson - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 2.7.0 is required.
• DataSystemsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.12 is required.
• org.netbeans.libs.jcodings - The module is used during runtime. Specification version 0.1 is required.
• editor-code-generator - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 2.22 is required.
• MimeLookupAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.44 is required.
• EditorSettingsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.61 is required.
• EditorUtilitiesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.69 is required.
• LexerAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 1.67.0.1 is required.
• org.openide.awt - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 7.72 is required.
• DialogsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 7.46 is required.
• FilesystemsAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 9.14 is required.
• LoadersAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 7.71 is required.
• NodesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 7.49 is required.
• EditorAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.71 is required.
• WeakListener.setAccessible - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 9.11 is required.
• LookupAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 8.37 is required.
• UtilitiesAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 9.12 is required.
• WindowSystemAPI - The module is needed for compilation. The module is used during runtime. Specification version 6.80 is required.
Question (dep-non-nb): What other projects outside NetBeans does this one depend on?
Answer:

This project uses the TextMate support for Eclipse.

Question (dep-platform): On which platforms does your module run? Does it run in the same way on each?
Answer:

Any platform.

Question (dep-jre): Which version of JRE do you need (1.2, 1.3, 1.4, etc.)?
Answer:

JRE 8.

Question (dep-jrejdk): Do you require the JDK or is the JRE enough?
Answer:

JRE.

Deployment

Question (deploy-jar): Do you deploy just module JAR file(s) or other files as well?
Answer:

Uses the core jar from TextMate for Eclipse.

Question (deploy-nbm): Can you deploy an NBM via the Update Center?
Answer:

Yes.

Question (deploy-shared): Do you need to be installed in the shared location only, or in the user directory only, or can your module be installed anywhere?
Answer:

Anywhere.

Question (deploy-packages): Are packages of your module made inaccessible by not declaring them public?
Answer:

Yes.

Question (deploy-dependencies): What do other modules need to do to declare a dependency on this one, in addition to or instead of the normal module dependency declaration (e.g. tokens to require)?
Answer:

Nothing.

Compatibility with environment

Question (compat-i18n): Is your module correctly internationalized?
Answer:

Yes.

Question (compat-standards): Does the module implement or define any standards? Is the implementation exact or does it deviate somehow?
Answer:

Supports the TextMate grammar standard by use of an external library.

Question (compat-version): Can your module coexist with earlier and future versions of itself? Can you correctly read all old settings? Will future versions be able to read your current settings? Can you read or politely ignore settings stored by a future version?
Answer:

No settings created or read by this module.

Question (compat-deprecation): How the introduction of your project influences functionality provided by previous version of the product?
Answer:

No particular plan to deprecate stuff.

Access to resources

Question (resources-file): Does your module use java.io.File directly?
Answer:

The TextMate support for Eclipse is using Files directly.

Question (resources-layer): Does your module provide own layer? Does it create any files or folders in it? What it is trying to communicate by that and with which components?
Answer:

Fonts&Colors are registered in the layer.

Question (resources-read): Does your module read any resources from layers? For what purpose?
Answer:

The grammar files are read from the system filesystem.

Question (resources-mask): Does your module mask/hide/override any resources provided by other modules in their layers?
Answer:

None known.

Question (resources-preferences): Does your module uses preferences via Preferences API? Does your module use NbPreferences or or regular JDK Preferences ? Does it read, write or both ? Does it share preferences with other modules ? If so, then why ?
Answer:

None known.

Lookup of components

Question (lookup-lookup): Does your module use org.openide.util.Lookup or any similar technology to find any components to communicate with? Which ones?
Answer:

Grammar files are looked up on the system filesystem.

Question (lookup-register): Do you register anything into lookup for other code to find?
Answer:

Languages are dynamically added into the MimeLookup.

Question (lookup-remove): Do you remove entries of other modules from lookup?
Answer:

No.

Execution Environment

Question (exec-property): Is execution of your code influenced by any environment or Java system (System.getProperty) property? On a similar note, is there something interesting that you pass to java.util.logging.Logger? Or do you observe what others log?
Answer:

None known.

Question (exec-component): Is execution of your code influenced by any (string) property of any of your components?
Answer:

None known.

Question (exec-ant-tasks): Do you define or register any ant tasks that other can use?
Answer:

No.

Question (exec-classloader): Does your code create its own class loader(s)?
Answer:

None known.

Question (exec-reflection): Does your code use Java Reflection to execute other code?
Answer:

None known.

Question (exec-privateaccess): Are you aware of any other parts of the system calling some of your methods by reflection?
Answer:

None known.

Question (exec-process): Do you execute an external process from your module? How do you ensure that the result is the same on different platforms? Do you parse output? Do you depend on result code?
Answer:

None known.

Question (exec-introspection): Does your module use any kind of runtime type information (instanceof, work with java.lang.Class, etc.)?
Answer:

None known.

Question (exec-threading): What threading models, if any, does your module adhere to? How the project behaves with respect to threading?
Answer:

The threading model is inherited from the lexing infrastructure.

Question (security-policy): Does your functionality require modifications to the standard policy file?
Answer:

None known.

Question (security-grant): Does your code grant additional rights to some other code?
Answer:

None known.

Format of files and protocols

Question (format-types): Which protocols and file formats (if any) does your module read or write on disk, or transmit or receive over the network? Do you generate an ant build script? Can it be edited and modified?
Answer:

The TextMate grammar files are read by the TextMate support for Eclipse library.

Question (format-dnd): Which protocols (if any) does your code understand during Drag & Drop?
Answer:

None known.

Question (format-clipboard): Which data flavors (if any) does your code read from or insert to the clipboard (by access to clipboard on means calling methods on java.awt.datatransfer.Transferable?
Answer:

None known.

Performance and Scalability

Question (perf-startup): Does your module run any code on startup?
Answer:

None known.

Question (perf-exit): Does your module run any code on exit?
Answer:

None known.

Question (perf-scale): Which external criteria influence the performance of your program (size of file in editor, number of files in menu, in source directory, etc.) and how well your code scales?
Answer:

The size of the grammar files and the size of the edited file affect the performance. Due to the format of the TextMate grammars, long lines may negativelly affect performance.

Question (perf-limit): Are there any hard-coded or practical limits in the number or size of elements your code can handle?
Answer:

None known.

Question (perf-mem): How much memory does your component consume? Estimate with a relation to the number of windows, etc.
Answer:

Not known.

Question (perf-wakeup): Does any piece of your code wake up periodically and do something even when the system is otherwise idle (no user interaction)?
Answer:

None known.

Question (perf-progress): Does your module execute any long-running tasks?
Answer:

None known.

Question (perf-huge_dialogs): Does your module contain any dialogs or wizards with a large number of GUI controls such as combo boxes, lists, trees, or text areas?
Answer:

None known.

Question (perf-menus): Does your module use dynamically updated context menus, or context-sensitive actions with complicated and slow enablement logic?
Answer:

None known.

Question (perf-spi): How the performance of the plugged in code will be enforced?
Answer:

Not enforced.