MoTxT User Manual

What MoTxT Does

MoTxT generates code from UML class diagrams. Currently supported frameworks include:

• Django
• FastAPI
• FastAPI with React

Requirements

• Java installed and available on PATH.
• bigUML extension for creating diagrams inside VS Code.

Generate Code

MoTxT provides a sidebar in VS Code for easy code generation from your UML class diagrams.

Using the MoTxT Sidebar

1. Open the MoTxT Sidebar

   • Click the MoTxT icon in the VS Code Activity Bar (left side).
   • The sidebar shows the MoTxT panel with code generation controls.

2. Select Your Class Diagram

   • Click the dropdown or Browse button next to "Class diagram (.uml)".
   • The dropdown shows all .uml files found in your workspace.
   • If you don't see your file, click Browse to manually select it.
   • To create a new diagram, click Create UML Class Diagram (requires bigUML extension).

3. Choose a Framework

   • Click the Framework dropdown.
   • Select one of the supported frameworks:
     • Django — Python web framework with built-in admin
     • FastAPI — Modern Python API framework
     • FastAPI-React — FastAPI backend + React frontend

4. Select Target Folder

   • Click Browse next to "Target folder".
   • Choose where the generated code will be saved.
   • MoTxT creates a subfolder named after your framework (e.g., Django/, FastAPI/).

5. Generate

   • Click the Generate button.
   • MoTxT runs the code generator using Java and Acceleo.
   • A progress indicator shows while generation is running.
   • When complete, you'll see "Code Generation Completed!" notification.

6. Open Generated Code

   • After successful generation, click Open Target Folder to view the output.
   • The generated project includes:
     • Source code files
     • Configuration files
     • requirements.txt (Python projects)
     • run.bat / run.sh scripts to start the application

Quick Start Example

1. Open a workspace in VS Code.
2. Click the MoTxT icon in the Activity Bar.
3. If you don't have a .uml file, click Create UML Class Diagram.
4. Draw your class diagram using bigUML (see Drawing a Class Diagram).
5. In the MoTxT sidebar:
   • Select your .uml file from the dropdown
   • Choose FastAPI-React as the framework
   • Click Browse and select an output folder
   • Click Generate
6. Wait for "Code Generation Completed!" message.
7. Click Open Target Folder to see your generated project.

Running Generated Code

Django Projects

cd Django/YourProject
./run.sh          # Linux/Mac
run.bat           # Windows

The script creates a virtual environment, installs dependencies, and starts the Django development server on port 8000.

FastAPI Projects

cd FastAPI/YourProject
./run.sh          # Linux/Mac
run.bat           # Windows

The script creates a virtual environment, installs dependencies, and starts the FastAPI server on port 8000. Visit http://localhost:8000/docs for the interactive API documentation.

FastAPI-React Projects

Backend:

cd FastAPI-React/YourProject/backend-fastapi
./run.sh          # Linux/Mac
run.bat           # Windows

Frontend (in a separate terminal):

cd FastAPI-React/YourProject/frontend-react
./run.sh          # Linux/Mac
run.bat           # Windows

The backend runs on port 8000, and the frontend runs on port 5173 (or next available port). Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser.

Automatic Features in Generated Code

All generated projects include:

• Database Models — One model per class in your diagram
• CRUD Operations — Create, Read, Update, Delete for each model
• Relationships — Associations, aggregations, and compositions from your diagram
• Inheritance — Generalization relationships using framework-specific patterns
• API Endpoints (FastAPI) — RESTful endpoints for each model
• Admin Interface (Django) — Pre-configured admin panel
• React UI (FastAPI-React) — Full CRUD interface with forms and tables

Regenerating Code

To regenerate code after modifying your diagram:

1. Save your changes in the bigUML editor.
2. In the MoTxT sidebar, click Generate again.
3. Choose the same target folder — MoTxT will overwrite the generated files.

Warning: Regeneration overwrites all generated files. If you've manually edited generated code, back it up first or use a different target folder.

How File Selection Works

• If no workspace is open, MoTxT will prompt you to create a class diagram with bigUML.
• If exactly one .uml file exists, MoTxT uses it automatically.
• If multiple .uml files exist, MoTxT asks you to choose one from the dropdown.

Troubleshooting

"Please install bigUML extension"

Install the bigUML extension if you want to create diagrams inside VS Code. You can still use MoTxT with .uml files created elsewhere.

No output generated

• Verify Java is installed: run java -version in a terminal
• Check that your .uml file is valid (open it in bigUML to verify)
• Look at the VS Code Output panel (View → Output → MoTxT) for error details

Port already in use

If you see "Port 8000 is already in use" when running generated code:

• Stop any other servers running on that port
• Or edit the run.sh / run.bat script to use a different port

Generated code has errors

• Ensure all classes have valid names (no spaces or special characters)
• Check that all properties have types assigned
• Verify relationships are properly connected in the diagram

Tips

• Keep your .uml files inside the workspace to simplify selection.
• Use short target paths to avoid long path issues on Windows.
• Save your diagram before generating to ensure latest changes are included.
• Use the Reload button in the sidebar if your .uml file list doesn't update.
• For FastAPI-React projects, start the backend before the frontend.