Eiffel CodeDom Provider Manager

The Eiffel Codedom Provider Manager allows graphical configuration of the Eiffel CodeDom Provider. There can be multiple configurations, each of them being associated with at least one application.

Note: The Eiffel for ASP.NET installation program will add a shortcut in the start menu to the Eiffel CodeDom Provider Manager.

The main dialog of the Eiffel CodeDom Provider Manager is divided into two vertical panes. The left pane contains a list of available configurations while the right pane contains the settings corresponding to the currently selected configuration. Initially the only available configuration is the default configuration which applies to all applications. The configurable settings are listed below.

General Settings

• Fail on error: Checking this box will force the Eiffel Codedom Provider to fail when an error occurs. By default the provider rescues the failure and logs an error but it might be easier for debugging to have the Eiffel CodeDom Provider stop and raise an exception.
• Log server: Server where events should be logged. By default events are logged on the machine running the CodeDom Provider, the corresponding value is a dot ("."). Consult the Logging section for additional information on logging.
• Log level: By default only errors are written to the log. It might be useful for debugging purposes to log additional information and/or warnings. This setting also allows to disable logging in case it is not required. Consult the Logging section for additional information on logging.

Compiler Settings

• Default root class: In the event where the CodeDom tree does not define an entry point, there still needs to be a root class for the Eiffel system to compile properly. If there is an entry point defined in the Codedom tree then this setting is ignored.
• Precompile ace file: This setting, if set, gives the path to the ACE file of the precompile that the CodeDom compiler should use when compiling systems with this configuration. The CodeDom compiler will first check whether the precompile for that ACE file already exists in the precompile cache (See Precompile cache below). If it finds one then it will check whether the ACE file was modified since the precompile was created. If there isn't a corresponding precompile or if the ACE file was modified then the CodeDom compiler will create a new precompile in the precompile cache using the specified ace file. It will then compile the system using the precompile in the cache corresponding to the specified ACE file.

Note: If for any reason the precompilation fails then the CodeDom compiler will still compile the system but without using any precompile.

• Metadata cache: Both the Eiffel CodeDom Provider and the Eiffel compiler require reading from and writing to an Eiffel Metadata Cache. These caches contain information about mapping the .NET types and members names to valid Eiffel identifiers. Because read and write access are required, the application that uses the CodeDom Provider must have write access rights to the Eiffel Metadata Cache folder.

Note: The Eiffel for ASP.NET installation program will grant write access rights to the Eiffel Metadata Cache folder to the ASPNET user and IIS_WPG group if they exist. ASPNET is the default user account used by the ASP.NET process (aspnet_wp.exe) under Windows XP while IIS_WPG is the default user account used by the ASP.NET process (w3wp.exe) under Windows 2003 Server.

Warning: Changing the Eiffel Metadata Cache folder path will force the Eiffel CodeDom Provider to regenerate the cache content during the next code generation or compilation. This process can take a long time and in particular can take more time than the default timeout for an ASP.NET page. If the Eiffel CodeDom Provider is used together with ASP.NET and if the Eiffel Metadata Cache path has been modified, it is recommended to change the default timeout for the first ASP.NET page containing Eiffel code to be loaded (this can be done by setting the HttpServerUtility.ScriptTimeout property).

• Compiler metadata cache: This cache is used by the Eiffel Codedom Provider Compiler to map .NET types and members names to valid Eiffel identifiers. Please consult Metadata cache for additional information (the same note and warning apply).
• Precompile cache: If the configuration defines a precompile ace file then the Eiffel CodeDom Provider will create the precompile in the directory specified in this setting. Changing this value will force the Eiffel CodeDom Provider compiler to recreate the precompile in the new directory.

Assembly Prefixes

This list associates .NET assemblies with the prefix that will be used for Eiffel class names corresponding to .NET types belonging to the assembly. For example the prefix for the assembly System.Xml.dll is XML_, this means that the Eiffel class names of all the types in the assembly System.Xml.dll will all begin with XML_. This is necessary because Eiffel doesn't have a notion of namespace. The default assembly prefixes cannot be modified but new assembly/prefix pairs can be added if necessary.

Applications

This last setting will only appear for configurations other than the default configuration. It lists the applications that will use the configuration when they load the Eiffel CodeDom Provider assembly. If an application is not listed in any configuration then it will use the default configuration.

Note: For a change in an existing configuration to take effect, the process that uses the modified configuration must be restarted.

New Configuration

New configurations may be created by clicking the New button or the New entry in the File menu. The New Configuration dialog box asks for the name and the path of the configuration. It will create a file with the extension .ecd (Eiffel CodeDom) with the specified name in the directory located at the specified path. Whenever one of the applications listed at the bottom of the New Configuration dialog loads the Eiffel CodeDom Provider, it will use this new configuration.

Configuration Properties

Double clicking on the configuration name in the configurations list, clicking the Properties button or choosing the Properties menu entry in the File menu will open the Configuration Properties dialog. This dialog gives the dates of creation and last modification of the configuration as well as the list of applications that use it if it's not the default configuration.

See Also: Configuration, Logging