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A ___domain property is a feature of a model element that can hold a value. For example, the Person ___domain class could have properties Name and BirthDate. In the DSL Definition, ___domain properties are listed in the ___domain class box on the diagram and under the ___domain class in DSL Explorer. For more information, see How to Define a Domain-Specific Language.
Note
The word "property" has two uses. A ___domain property is a feature that you define on a ___domain class. By contrast, many elements of a DSL have properties, which are listed in the Properties window in the DSL Definition. For example, every ___domain property has a set of properties, which are described in this topic.
At run time, when a user creates instances of the ___domain class, the values of the ___domain properties can be seen in the Properties window, and can be displayed on the shapes.
Most ___domain properties are implemented as ordinary CLR properties. However, from a programming point of view, ___domain properties have richer functionality than ordinary program properties:
You can define rules and events that monitor the state of a property. For more information, see Responding to and Propagating Changes.
Transactions help prevent inconsistent states. For more information, see Navigating and Updating a Model in Program Code.
When you select a Domain Property in a diagram or in DSL Explorer, you can see the following items in the Properties window. For more information about how to use these items, see Customizing and Extending a Domain-Specific Language.
Property |
Description |
Default Value |
|---|---|---|
Description |
The description that is used to document the user interface (UI) of the generated designer. |
<none> |
Display Name |
The name that will be displayed in the generated designer for this ___domain property. It can contain spaces and punctuation, for example "Song Title". |
<none> |
Element Name Provider |
This is applicable only if you have set Is Element Name to true. You can write code that provides a name for a new element of a ___domain class, overriding the default behavior. In a code file in the DSL project, create a class that is derived from ElementNameProvider. Then in DSL Explorer, right-click the root of the DSL, and click Add External Type. Enter the name of your class. Select this ___domain property again, and select the name of the class in the drop-down list. |
<none> |
Getter Access Modifier |
The level of access of the ___domain class (public or internal). This controls the scope in which program code can access the property. |
public |
Help Keyword |
The optional keyword that is used to index F1 help for this ___domain property. |
<none> |
Is Browsable |
If True, the ___domain property is displayed to the user in the properties window when models of this DSL are open. If False, the ___domain property is hidden in the UI. If you want to make the ___domain property visible but read-only, set Is UI Read Only. |
True |
Is Element Name |
If True, this ___domain property will be displayed as the name of its model element in DSL Explorer. New model elements will receive a unique default value for this property. If you want to control how these values are generated, set Element Name Provider. |
False |
Is UI Read Only |
If True, the value of the ___domain property cannot be changed by using the UI. It can still be set by programs, and will be visible in the Properties window. If you want to hide the ___domain property from the user, set Is Browsable. If you want to control access by programs, set Setter Access Modifier. |
False |
Kind |
The kind of ___domain property (Normal, Calculated, or CustomStorage). For more information, see Calculated and Custom Storage Properties. |
Normal |
Name |
The name of this ___domain property. It must be a valid identifier, for example SongTitle. |
<none> |
Notes |
Informal notes that are associated with this ___domain property. |
<none> |
Setter Access Modifier |
The access modifier for the setter. This controls the scope in which program code can set the property. |
public |
Type |
The type of property. To add to the list of available types, right-click the root of the DSL in DSL explorer, and click Add External Type. |
String |