Integration of data validation and user interface concerns in a DSL for web applications

Abstract

Data validation rules constitute the constraints that data input and processing must adhere to in addition to the structural constraints imposed by a data model. Web modeling tools do not make all types of data validation explicit in their models, hampering full code generation and model expressivity. Web application frameworks do not offer a consistent interface for data validation. In this paper, we present a solution for the integration of declarative data validation rules with user interface models in the domain of web applications, unifying syntax, mechanisms for error handling, and semantics of validation checks, and covering value well-formedness, data invariants, input assertions, and action assertions. We have implemented the approach in WebDSL, a domain-specific language for the definition of web applications. © 2010 The Author(s).