Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a graphical rendering of source and target data instances enabling a user to select mappings between elements in the source data instance and elements in the target data instance. The data instances are typically input to embodiments of the invention as text files (e.g., DTD, XML, XML Schema Definition (“XSD”) files, HTML files or the like), Additionally, in some embodiments additional characteristics or functions operating on data populating the mapped structures can be provided. Upon receipt of the mapping data (and, optionally, additional characteristic or function operations) embodiments of the invention generate a list of elements mapped from the target data instance. From this list, templates or code blocks are generated by embodiments of the invention which enable a script or source code file to be generated.

Abstract: A metadata repository for use in an integrated development environment is provided. The metadata repository is layered to define levels of common behaviour useful to different types of application development tools. The most general use tools have access to metadata at the level of simple constructed types; more specialised tools have access to components that contain properties of a target language; highly specialised tools have access to composed partitionable part metadata that can be used for constructing distributed applications.