Enabling modeling workflows for your DSLs: Introducing the Langium Serializer

This talk, presented by Johannes Meier and Steven Smyth from TypeFox, introduces the Langium Serializer, which focuses on generating textual representations from abstract syntax trees to facilitate workflows for domain-specific languages (DSLs). The session examines the complexities of serialization in converting structured models back into grammar-compliant text, addressing challenges such as ordering, formatting, and ambiguity resolution in grammar design. A generator-based approach is discussed, where grammar analysis creates specialized serialization code that efficiently traverses the AST, allowing for customizations and enhancing maintainability across language engineering pipelines. The Langium Serializer supports common use cases while enabling developers to override specific serialization logic to meet domain-specific requirements.