generators.md

Code Generators - Quick Start Guide

This library includes six production-ready code generators that translate ActorSimulation DSL into different languages and frameworks.

Single-File Script Examples

Following Fly.io's single-file Elixir pattern, you can generate complete projects with just Mix.install!

OMNeT++ (Network Simulation)

#!/usr/bin/env elixir
Mix.install([{:gen_server_virtual_time, "~> 0.2.0"}])

simulation = ActorSimulation.new()
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:sender,
      send_pattern: {:periodic, 100, :msg},
      targets: [:receiver])
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:receiver)

{:ok, files} = ActorSimulation.OMNeTPPGenerator.generate(simulation,
  network_name: "SimpleNetwork")

ActorSimulation.OMNeTPPGenerator.write_to_directory(files, "omnetpp_out/")

CAF (C++ Actor Framework)

#!/usr/bin/env elixir
Mix.install([{:gen_server_virtual_time, "~> 0.2.0"}])

simulation = ActorSimulation.new()
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:worker,
      send_pattern: {:rate, 50, :task},
      targets: [:processor])
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:processor)

{:ok, files} = ActorSimulation.CAFGenerator.generate(simulation,
  project_name: "MyActors",
  enable_callbacks: true)  # Callback interfaces!

ActorSimulation.CAFGenerator.write_to_directory(files, "caf_out/")

Pony (Capabilities-Secure)

#!/usr/bin/env elixir
Mix.install([{:gen_server_virtual_time, "~> 0.2.0"}])

simulation = ActorSimulation.new()
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:sender,
      send_pattern: {:burst, 10, 1000, :batch},
      targets: [:receiver])
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:receiver)

{:ok, files} = ActorSimulation.PonyGenerator.generate(simulation,
  project_name: "my_actors",
  enable_callbacks: true)

ActorSimulation.PonyGenerator.write_to_directory(files, "pony_out/")

Phony (Go Actors)

#!/usr/bin/env elixir
Mix.install([{:gen_server_virtual_time, "~> 0.2.0"}])

simulation = ActorSimulation.new()
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:worker,
      send_pattern: {:periodic, 100, :tick},
      targets: [:processor])
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:processor)

{:ok, files} = ActorSimulation.PhonyGenerator.generate(simulation,
  project_name: "my_actors",
  enable_callbacks: true)

ActorSimulation.PhonyGenerator.write_to_directory(files, "phony_out/")

Ractor (Rust Actors)

#!/usr/bin/env elixir
Mix.install([{:gen_server_virtual_time, "~> 0.2.0"}])

simulation = ActorSimulation.new()
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:producer,
      send_pattern: {:rate, 100, :data},
      targets: [:consumer])
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:consumer)

{:ok, files} = ActorSimulation.RactorGenerator.generate(simulation,
  project_name: "my_actors",
  enable_callbacks: true)

ActorSimulation.RactorGenerator.write_to_directory(files, "ractor_out/")

VLINGO XOOM (Java Actors)

#!/usr/bin/env elixir
Mix.install([{:gen_server_virtual_time, "~> 0.2.0"}])

simulation = ActorSimulation.new()
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:publisher,
      send_pattern: {:periodic, 100, :event},
      targets: [:subscriber])
  |> ActorSimulation.add_actor(:subscriber)

{:ok, files} = ActorSimulation.VlingoGenerator.generate(simulation,
  project_name: "my-actors",
  group_id: "com.example",
  enable_callbacks: true)

ActorSimulation.VlingoGenerator.write_to_directory(files, "vlingo_out/")

Complete Examples

See the repository's examples/ directory for complete single-file scripts:

• single_file_omnetpp.exs - OMNeT++ network simulation
• single_file_caf.exs - C++ Actor Framework
• single_file_pony.exs - Pony capabilities-secure actors
• single_file_phony.exs - Go actors with Phony
• single_file_ractor.exs - Rust actors with Ractor
• single_file_vlingo.exs - Java actors with VLINGO XOOM

Comparison

Generator	Purpose	Output	Key Feature
OMNeT++	Network simulation	NED + C++	GUI tools, INET framework
CAF	Production actors	C++ + Catch2	Callback interfaces
Pony	Safe concurrency	Type-safe actors	Data-race freedom
Phony	Go actors	Go + tests	Zero-allocation messaging
Ractor	Rust actors	Rust + Cargo	Gen_server-inspired, OTP-style supervision
VLINGO	Java actors	Java + Maven	Protocol actors, type-safe

Development Workflow

1. Prototype in Elixir (fast iteration)
2. Test with virtual time (deterministic)
3. Visualize with sequence diagrams
4. Generate to your target language
5. Deploy to production

Why Single-File Scripts?

Benefits of using Mix.install for code generation:

✅ Portable - One file, no setup required
✅ Reproducible - Same input = same output
✅ Shareable - GitHub gist, email, anywhere
✅ Isolated - No impact on your main projects
✅ Fast - Generate code in seconds

Perfect for:

• Bug reports with minimal examples
• Quick prototyping
• CI/CD pipelines
• Teaching and demos

Learn More

• OMNeT++ Generator
• CAF Generator
• Pony Generator
• Phony Generator
• Ractor Generator
• VLINGO Generator

Next Steps

1. Try a single-file example
2. Choose your target framework
3. Generate production code
4. Customize via callbacks
5. Deploy with confidence!