sysl

README

Sysl

Sysl (pronounced "sizzle") is a system specification language. Using Sysl, you can specify systems, endpoints, endpoint behaviour, data models and data transformations. The Sysl compiler automatically generates sequence diagrams, integrations, and other views. It also offers a range of code generation options, all from one common Sysl specification.

The set of outputs is open-ended and allows for your own extensions. Sysl has been created with extensibility in mind and it will grow to support other representations over time.

Installation

Sysl depends upon PlantUML for diagram generation. Some of the automated tests require a PlantUML dependency. Provide PlantUML access either via local installation or URL to remote service. Warning, for sensitive data the public service at www.plantuml.com is not suitable. You can use one of the following options to set up your environment:

• execute SYSL_PLANTUML=http://www.plantuml.com/plantuml
• add export SYSL_PLANTUML=http://www.plantuml.com/plantuml to your .bashrc or similar
• install PlantUML locally and run on port 8080 or you can refer to the plantuml server guide

Test and lint the source code and your changes with

Consider using virtualenv and virtualenvwrapper to isolate your development environment.

For Java tests, install Java 8 and gradle and run

> gradle test -b test/java/build.gradle

If your corporate environment restricts access to jcenter our environment guide might hold the answer for you. It also includes tips on using virtualenv with gradle test.

We encourage contributions to this project! Please have a look at the contributing guide for more information.

If you need to create a release follow the release documentation.

Local Travis CI builds (experimental)

./run-travis.sh runs a local Travis CI build. This is intended primarily to test Travis builds offline.

Extending Sysl

In order to easily reuse and extend Sysl across systems, the Sysl compiler translates Sysl files into an intermediate representation expressed as protocol buffer messages. These protobuf messages can be consumed in your favorite programming language and transformed to your desired output. In this way you are creating your own Sysl exporter.

Using the protoc compiler you can translate the definition file of the intermediate representation pkg/proto/sysl.proto into your preferred programming language in a one-off step or on every build. You can then easily consume Sysl models in your programming language of choice in a typesafe way without having to write a ton of mapping boilerplate. With that you can create your own tailored output diagrams, source code, views, integrations or other desired outputs.

Status

Sysl is currently targeted at early adopters. The current focus is to improve documentation and usability, especially error messages and warnings.