Technical Terms

(In Plain English)

Declarative

means that the user first "declares," or describes, what he wishes to create, using the GDL core language, and the system then "generates" the object that has been described. For example, if a programmer wants to design a steering column, using GDL code he/she states (declares) in a concise manner that what he/she wants to generate has a cylindrical column, 4 wheels, the column attaching to the left or right front wheel, and a steering wheel. The GDL system, with its embedded geometry and algorithms "generates" a steering column.

Thereafter, many refinements and changes may be made incrementally and "on the fly," meaning that a change may be inserted into the object's description or its specifications, and the system will update the existing model throughout so as to be consistent with the change, without re-starting everything from scratch.