The Smalltalk Graph
=============
 
Idea: Store Smalltalk code in a Graph database to facilitate analysis and searching.
Smalltalk code consists of Methods, Selectors, Variables, Pragma?s, Classes, Packages, Package versions and Configurations.
 
Use cases
==========
- Search for Smalltalk artefacts
- View a Smalltalk artefact and navigate to related artefacts
- View changes over time of an artefact
- View Developer activity per Package/Configuration over time
- Make it possible to limit the scope of searches to a specific configuration version
- Analyse whether a configuration is valid
- Analyse the compatibility of a package with a configuration version
 
Possible future use cases:
- Perform code analysis (SmallLint) on configurations and store the results in the Graph
- The Graph database could be used as an Envy like SCM
- Add support for Google Code Search https://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=75225
 
Why useful?
============
- Provides code search facilities similar to Smalltalk image but on all versions of all (open source) Smalltalk code
- Makes analysis of possible compatibility problems much easier.
 
Validation rules for Configuration versions
- A class can only be defined once
- All superclasses of defined classes must be present
- All extended classes must be defined
- References to global values must exist (warning)
- Messages that are sent must have implementers (warning)
 
 
Technical setup
==============
- A graph database ? Neo4j server
- A Smalltalk client for this database CloudforkNeo, uses the REST interface of Neo4j
- Smalltalk functionality to import Monticello packages into the graph
- Smalltalk Web GUI to view/search/analyse the graph
- Neo4j extension plugin to add extra REST services for efficient Graph manipulation and traversing (currently written in Java)