Configuration language overview

A Lavoisier configuration is composed of data views and post-processors sections.

Each data view is described by a chain of adaptors executed in a predefined order:

1. The connector (1): deals with data source technologies. It retrieves data from an external or an internal data source.
2. The serializer (0-1): deals with input data format. It transforms a stream of bytes into a stream of XML events.
3. The validator (0-1): deals with input data format. It validates the serialized XML stream (for example against a schema or a set of rules).
4. The processors (0-many): deals with data processing. It transforms a stream of XML events into a new stream of XML events.
5. The cache (0-1): deals with performance. It saves the generated stream of XML events in order to improve latency and/or availability. Data views are generated asynchronously when cache refresh is triggered, while user reads saved data views from cache. Cache refresh is triggered by a special kind of adaptor: The triggers (0-many).
6. The post-processors (0-many): this attribute references a post-processors section. A post-processors section can be shared by several data views.
7. The pre-renderers (0-1) IS NOT AN ADAPTOR: this section describes how to convert the data view into a two-dimensional representation, for renderers that need such a representation.
8. The renderers (0-many): deals with output data format. It transforms a stream of XML events into a stream of bytes. On the contrary of other adaptors, configuring a renderer has no impact on the decision of using it or not. The renderer added to the chain of adaptors will always be the one that correspond to the MIME type accepted by user.

Each adaptor is configured with parameters (0-many). A parameter must have:

• A name: the list of parameter names is available in Adaptors reference guide or in auto-completion of your IDE if configured.
• A value:
  • If set in the text node of parameter, then the value is fixed.
  • If set in the attribute @eval of parameter, then the value is dynamically evaluated as an XPath expression.
  • When the parameter type is a list or a map, then its entries can be set by using child elements <entry>.

The XML stream is transformed using XML templates:

• XML Template language
• XML Template language schema
• XML Template examples

Reference guides:

• Language reference guide
• Adaptors reference guide
• Configuration files reference guide

Other documentation about configuration:

• Setup your editor
• Setup recommended editor (IntelliJ IDEA)
• Setting parameters with XPath
• HTML Template Language
• Other attributes of a data view
• Library of reusable views
• Configuring security
• Configuration example
• Tools for debugging configuration

Documentation about other subjects:

• Overview of features
• How to query data