Export the model to DSL or JSON format

[BartDubois]

Description

Once it could be useful to use the code to create model I would like to have the way to export is as the DSL or at last the JSON format so it could be used in other places as references.

Priority

Low

Resolution

I have no budget, please add this feature for free

More information

No response

[simonbrowndotje]

An export to DSL isn't supported, but JSON is; for example:

• https://github.com/structurizr/cli/blob/master/docs/export.md
• https://github.com/structurizr/java/blob/master/structurizr-client/src/com/structurizr/util/WorkspaceUtils.java#L39

[BartDubois]

Thank you. I will give the json a try.

To give you some big picture what I try to achive, mayby you could share some tops for that.

I would like to create documentation for the architecture and deployment. I have some core services and fiew markwts that base on the core as well as adding some additional one. I will add also deployment model.

I started with DSL and extends workspace capabilities, but managing the dependencies started to be nightmare. Big files for core and markets is not managable. Started to split it and use some imports move me into imports hell.

Now I would like to move into code (kotlin) to define the model. While some of the data could be generated from live system it is good step.

On top of current model I need to create solution proposals for new features. I do not see pros to use code for that. Here the extend functionality of dsl should be suficient. Whiel I can ref elements it is ok. Refs to relations could be the issue (hide it, mark as changed) i do not find the way for that in json linked to dsl jet.

[BartDubois]

I found the issue when using workspace json file as the base for other workspace.

I created two files, first is the base workspace base.dsl,

workspace {
  model {
    baseSystem = softwareSystem "Base System"
  }
  views {
  }
}

and the extended workspace extends.dsl

workspace extends ./base.dsl {
  model {
    test1 = softwareSystem "Test 1"
    test2 = softwareSystem "Test 2"

    test1 -> test2
    baseSystem -> test1
  }
  views {
  }
}

When I generate diagrams or json from extends.dsl with CLI all works fine.

As I mentioned I would like to use json files as it can use models generated form the java code. For that I perform simple test and use base.dsl and CLI to generate base.json. Then in extends.dsl I change the first line to

workspace extends ./base.dls {
...

When try to generate json or diagrams now the fallowing error occures

com.structurizr.dsl.StructurizrDslParserException: The source element "baseSystem" does not exist at line 6: baseSystem -> test1
        at com.structurizr.dsl.StructurizrDslParser.parse(StructurizrDslParser.java:901)
        at com.structurizr.dsl.StructurizrDslParser.parse(StructurizrDslParser.java:128)
        at com.structurizr.cli.export.ExportCommand.run(ExportCommand.java:131)
        at com.structurizr.cli.StructurizrCliApplication.run(StructurizrCliApplication.java:77)
        at com.structurizr.cli.StructurizrCliApplication.main(StructurizrCliApplication.java:112)

I found in json the structurizr.dsl.identifier property which should hold the names of variables in DSL. Unfortunately it looks like they are skipped when the base workspace is loaded. The !ref with identifiers is not working as well. The DSL language reference tells When extending a DSL-based workspace, all of the identifiers defined in that workspace are available to use in the extended workspace., so I can assume it is by design. Is it possible to change that and use structurizr.dsl.identifier from json as well?

[BartDubois]

I investigate a bit in https://github.com/structurizr/dsl and it looks that identifier will also not work for relationships. While I always can refer to element using canonical name, form DSL code, I can't use it for relationship.

While the java code will be used for generating workspace as json and DSL to show the changes in the architecture I need to find a way to mark relationships as deleted or changed.

[BartDubois]

There was also a question about exporting to DSL here structurizr/java#210.