Getting Started with Epsilon¶
Epsilon offers a wide range of tools so your starting point can differ depending on what you are trying to achieve.
Online Playground
If you prefer not to download/install anything just quite yet, you can fiddle with EMF models and metamodels, and with some of the Epsilon languages in the online Epsilon Playground.
- In most cases, your first step should be to download and install Epsilon as shown here.
- If you are a complete newcomer to model-based software engineering and the Eclipse modelling ecosystem, you should start by watching this series of lectures.
- If you are interested in ways to create graphical editors or views for your EMF-based models, you can have a look at Picto and Eugenia.
- If you are looking for a generic textual (XML/YAML-based) syntax to create/edit EMF-based models, you should look at Flexmi.
- If you are interested in automating model management activities such as code generation, you should have a look at the languages that Epsilon offers for model-to-text transformation, model-to-model transformation and model validation (all of which extend the same core language).
- To find out more about how you can run Epsilon programs within Eclipse, have a look at our screencasts on YouTube.
- To understand how you can run Epsilon programs from your Java application, have a look at this article.
- To find out how you can run Epsilon programs from ANT, Maven and Gradle build scripts, this article should be a good starting point.
- Epsilon and the broader Eclipse modelling ecosystem can appear intimidating at first but if you stick around long enough, it will all make sense and you will add a very powerful and versatile set of technologies to your tool belt.