Re^2: Why Scaffolding? Validation and learning.

I disagree. I think it encourages lazy evaluation -- in the coding sense -- because it defers in-depth analysis. Does it really help my evaluation to see a bunch of stub classes that subclass a parent? I suspect that framework disillusionment happens much later when discovering the holes in the framework that the scaffolding doesn't cover.

While seeing stubs doesn't immediately aid evaluation of the framework, it does shorten the learning curve, making it possible to reach the evaluation stage sooner.

I think the role of code generation is the same at every stage. It simply reduces the typing (or file copy/edit) burden on developers. This is true for seasoned developers or new comers looking to explore the framework. The fact that it also standardizes the idioms for common coding tasks is just a nice side effect.

Anything that helps me move more quickly from data model diagram to finished app is a winner.

Phil

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Re^3: Why Scaffolding? Validation and learning. by chromatic (Archbishop) on Aug 21, 2006 at 18:34 UTC
Anything that helps me move more quickly from data model diagram to finished app is a winner. What about the maintainability of that application?	[reply]
Re^4: Why Scaffolding? Validation and learning. by philcrow (Priest) on Aug 22, 2006 at 14:20 UTC
Perhaps my initial comment was a bit abbreviated. My main point is that a good generator benefits experienced users as much or more than it benefits newcomers looking for a quick peek at a framework they might want to use. My particular generator (Bigtop) spends a great deal of effort to split the code it makes into that which is likely to change and that which you modify with your own code. This aids maintenence since you can continue to regenerate to good effect even after initial production deployment. We did this recently in an ORM migration. Bigtop did about half the work in the first hour. I did the rest over the next week or so. Phil	[reply]