TypeMF

EMF for TypeScript and VS Code.

Install the VS Code extension and create your first model View on GitHub

npm install @typemf/core

Model-first

Define your model once and generate your TypeScript code from it.

Real model semantics

Opposites and containment stay consistent automatically. Cross-document references resolve through the resource set.

EMF-compatible

Reads and writes Ecore models and XMI documents in EMF’s formats.

Runs everywhere

Node, the browser and VS Code.

How it works

Define a model, generate TypeScript code from it, and load and save instances as XMI.

Code showcase

Generated from an Ecore model, with EMF semantics built in:

const factory = LibraryPackageImpl.eINSTANCE.getEFactoryInstance() as LibraryFactory;

const writer = factory.createWriter();
const book = factory.createBook();

book.setAuthor(writer);
writer.getBooks().size(); // 1, the opposite was updated

const city = factory.createLibrary();
const campus = factory.createLibrary();
city.getBooks().add(book);
campus.getBooks().add(book); // moves the book
city.getBooks().size(); // 0
(book.eContainer() as Library) === campus; // true

See Getting started for the full path from .ecore file to a saved XMI document.

The Instance Editor

Edit your .ecore models and model instances in VS Code, with a tree on the left and a property editor on the right.

The TypeMF Instance Editor showing the Library model: a tree of the library package and the properties of the writers reference.

TypeMF and TMF

TypeMF builds on ideas from TMF, a lightweight TypeScript take on EMF by Tripsnek that is built for JSON-based full-stack apps. TypeMF goes the other way: it aims to be EMF-compatible, as far as TypeScript allows, with the Ecore metamodel at runtime, dynamic objects without generated code, resources with URIs and cross-document references, change notifications, and XMI that follows EMF’s conventions. If you need a small, JSON-first library, look at TMF. If you need EMF’s reflective layer in TypeScript, use TypeMF.

Roadmap and limitations

TypeMF is a preview on the way to 1.0. Known limitations today:

EMap is not supported.
An XMI document must have exactly one root object. The <xmi:XMI> wrapper for several roots is not supported.

Missing something else? Open an issue and help shape 1.0.

About

TypeMF is created by Bernhard J. Berger, Hamburg University of Technology. It is one result of a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) within the COST Action ROAR-NET (CA22137).

TypeMF is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Find the code, report issues and contribute on GitHub.