A RAP-inspired VS-code environment for Ampersand users

[stefjoosten]

Problem

The RAP application can be seen as an IDE for Ampersand. Today, more and more users work with VS-code as a general purpose IDE. So why not for Ampersand?

From a user perspective, we want more than just the option to work with VS-code. The Ampersand-IDE must be open for users to add their own functionality. RAP does not offer such openness, but VS-code does. That is the user-driven reason why we want to do this. Needless to say that Ampersand users should get at least the same functionality as they got in RAP.

There is also a more selfish reason to want this. We spend a lot of effort to maintain RAP. If the Ampersand-IDE is strong enough to replace RAP, we will most likely do that to eliminate the maintenance effort on RAP. Strong enough means: better functionality and less maintenance work than RAP.

Analysis

By the looks of it, the functionality of RAP can be realised within VS-code. By wrapping it in a dev-container, we can ship it as a simple-to-install IDE for Ampersand. This analysis is yet to be done.

Proposal

We propose to make a dev-container for VS-code with the following features:

1. editing of Ampersand scripts
2. language-specific support, such as syntax colouring.
3. on-the-fly errors (Ampersand daemon)
4. generate a functional specification
5. deploy a prototype (sandbox)
6. generate an atlas.

[hanjoosten]

The following components are likely to help with this endevour:

• vscode. This is an instance of vscode that is run in a browser.
• vscode remote development. I think that this will allow us to define a docker image that has all required features on board
• The ampersand CLI. The ampersand CLI tool can be run as a daemon. As such, it can validate ADL scripts. Also other Ampersand functionality can be invoked by means of this executable.
• The Ampersand (ADL) language support plugin. This plugin offers ADL specific code validation.
• Even more goodies?

[stefjoosten]

High-level requirements:

• As a user, I want to use Ampersand in the cloud, without any footprint on my laptop so that I can try things out spontaneously.

• As a user, I want to use Ampersand on my laptop to try things out without an internet connection.

• As a user, I want to make Ampersand prototypes, for demonstration purposes.

• As a user, I want to make functional specifications as a document, to kick-start the design of an information system.

• As a user, I want to analyze my Ampersand script in an atlas, to enhance my understanding.

• As a user, I want to generate data models, to complement my conceptual analysis with a helpful asset.

• As a user, I want to deploy my prototype in the cloud, to facilitate design workshops with users.

• As an Ampersand developer, I want to replace RAP with an industry-standard IDE to decrease the amount of maintenance effort in the Ampersand team and benefit maximally from future enhancements by the community.

• As an Ampersand developer, I want to have a highly maintainable and reproducible IDE for Ampersand so that we can focus on Ampersand itself.

[stefjoosten]

To-do list

• Change the Ampersand compiler to generate a stand-alone atlas so that the IDE can make a command-line call to the Ampersand compiler.
• Update the syntax-dependent coloring to the most recent syntax, to realize a more professional look and feel.
• Realize a publishable docker image that lets users run Ampersand from their laptops.
• Organize hosting so users can run Ampersand on the internet.
• Let the Ampersand compiler run alongside the editing process so that a user can correct mistakes on the fly.
• Realize a button in VScode to generate a running prototype from a compilation result so that a user can try out how the prototype behaves.
• Realize a button in VScode to generate a deployable image from a compilation result so that a user can deploy the image elsewhere.
• Realize a button in VScode to generate a functional specification document from a compilation result so that the user can contribute to a design team.
• Realize a button in VScode to generate an atlas so that the user can analyze the script.
• Study the architecture of VScode and draw the architecture of the Ampersand-IDE in VScode.
• Provide the user with an initial project (ampersand init), like it is done in AmpersandTarski/project-template.