Hi,
A while ago we had a discussion between the use of the importer and extractor terms. In particular, Stef argued that the SmalltalkImporter should be named SmalltalkExtractor to denote that we talk about source code. I think it is useful to get a consensus around this topic.
I happen to have implemented recently a half a dozen importers for various situations, and here is the current status of my understanding of the meaning of terms:
- importer stands for creating a model out of some source that is external to Moose. This can be source code in a file, an XML file, an MSE file, or source code in Smalltalk. It is the importer that contains the factory logic of creating and ensuring entities. This is a simple meaning that can be communicated in a simple manner: "we import the model from something"
- extractor stands for the dedicated logic of traversing the external source. In most cases, the importer requires one or more extractors as helpers to do the job. For example, the SmalltalkImporter requires the SmalltalkMethodVisitor. The MSE importer is special, because it does not have explicit factory methods, and thus it is one with the extractor.
What do you think?
Cheers, Doru
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