PackageDescription: GemKitForStore(Bundle)


Gem Kit For Store

Last published: January 18, 2008 by 'seanw'


GemKitForStore is the overarching bundle for the VisualWorks 7 implementation of a source code management system for GemStone code. GemKit, as it is usually called, leverages the [persistent] source code management implementation of the native environment to model equivalent structures for GemStone objects. Where GemStone as a database saves and stores the code loaded into its repository, no configuration history information is maintained with it. GemKit uses the VisualWorks native capability, Store, to extend name space and browser capabilities to recognize GemStone language variant implementations. These are not in any way intended to be executed in the VisualWorks environment, but do serve to provide equivalent source code management functions for historical preservation.

While the GemKit package is designed to support GemStone source code management, it is possible to abstract this into a more generic or brokered implementation. Almost all interaction with the database is performed in a few methods under the "gemstone" protocol. These could defer to a configurable broker which would provide a consistent interface while supporting alternative implementations. Thus, it might be possible to manage tables and stored procedures (in their native SQL) for relational databases, although that would admittedly take more work since the behavior is not "class"-oriented.