Code generation

(computer science) A commercially prepared software package used to create applications programs or parts of such programs.

Software that generates application programs from descriptions of the problem rather than by traditional programming. It is at a higher level and easier to use than a high-level programming language such as C/C++ or COBOL. One statement or descriptive line may generate a huge routine or an entire program. Generators used for complex program development allow if-then-else programming to be expressed along with the simpler descriptive of the inputs and required outputs.

Results Can Be Slow Running

The problem with such high-level systems is that either the resulting code is too bloated and therefore too slow, or certain functions simply cannot be performed at all. As a result, commercial programs are rarely written in these languages. Application generators are used for business information systems, but often only for creating prototypes that are later reprogrammed in a language such as C/C++ or Java.

Faster Computers Absorb the Overhead

As computers run faster, they are capable of absorbing the excess code generated by higher-level products. Although not yet achieved, it has always been expected that some day extremely high-level development tools will be used by most developers, relegating traditional programming languages to a small number of highly-skilled individuals. See CASE, application development system and foundation classes.

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Code generation may refer to:

• Code generation (compiler), a mechanism to produce computer programs in some automatic manner.
• Automatic programming (Source code generation), the act of generating source code based on an ontological model such as a template.

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