Modular Closures for Builders (FactoryBuilderSupport)

[John Dee]

The following is an attempt to modularize my DSL files because
there is a nested closure that is identically defined in
many of these DSL files.


Current (working) Non-Modular Implementation

JAVA CODE:

Binding groovyBinding = new Binding();
groovyBinding.setVariable("builder", builder);
final GroovyShell interp = new GroovyShell(groovyBinding);
PatientNode result = (PatientNode)(new GroovyShell(groovyBinding).evaluate(
	"builder." + patientStringBuilder.toString()));

patient.groovy

patient {
	demographics {
		element(dbID:'DateOfDeath', name:'DateOfDeathDocument$DateOfDeath') {
			applicable {
				allOf {
					condition {
						eq(elementOcId:'VitalStatus', value:'DECEASED')
					}
				}
			}
		//... many more elements here ...
		}
	}
	drugs() {
		drug() {
			element(dbID:'DrugName', name:'DrugNameDocument$DrugName') {}
			//... many more elements here ....
		}
	}
}

The above works, but the problem is that the entire closure drug(){...}
is used in many other DSL files.

So, what I would like to do is pull the drug(){...} closure out of patient.groovy and put it
into a new drugs.groovy. The following is what I modified the above to in order to modularize the
drug closure, but I'm not understanding part of it.



Modified (broken) Modular Implementation

Modified Java Code:

Closure drugClosure = (Closure)new GroovyShell().evaluate( "{->" + drugStringBuilder.toString() + "}" );
drugClosure.setResolveStrategy(Closure.DELEGATE_FIRST);
		
Binding groovyBinding = new Binding();
groovyBinding.setVariable("builder", builder);
groovyBinding.setVariable("drugClosure", drugClosure);
PatientNode result = (PatientNode)(new GroovyShell(groovyBinding).evaluate(
	"builder." + patientStringBuilder.toString()));

New drugs.groovy

drug() {
   element(dbID:'DrugName', name:'DrugNameDocument$DrugName') {}
   //... many more elements here ....
}

Modified patient.groovy

patient {
	demographics {
		element(dbID:'DateOfDeath', name:'DateOfDeathDocument$DateOfDeath') {
			applicable {
				allOf {
					condition {
						eq(elementOcId:'VitalStatus', value:'DECEASED')
					}
				}
			}
		//... many more elements here ...
		}
	}
	drugs() {
		drugClosure
	}
}

I think things are breaking down in the new drugs() {...} closure. drugClosure is defined in
a separate file and I'm having a heck of a time trying to find information that explains how to
include/reference/inject that into patient {...}


Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
John

[John Dee]

I found the solution:

The the builder class needs a new method I named as 'include(Closure c, Object args)' method within the builder.

BUILDER Class:

public class BlahBlahFactoryBuilder extends FactoryBuilderSupport {
	
	public BlahBlahBcrFactoryBuilder(boolean init) {
		super(init);
	}
 
	public void include(Closure closure, Object[] args) {
		Closure clone = (Closure)closure.clone();
		clone.setDelegate(this);
		clone.setResolveStrategy(Closure.DELEGATE_FIRST);
	        clone.call(args);
	}

Modified patient.groovy

drugs() {
   include drugClosure
}