Developmental domain definition: Page not found – ACER UK

What Is Lifespan Development? – Psychology

Lifespan Development

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Define and distinguish between the three domains of development: physical, cognitive and psychosocial
• Discuss the normative approach to development
• Understand the three major issues in development: continuity and discontinuity, one common course of development or many unique courses of development, and nature versus nurture

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!

The Child is father of the Man;

I could wish my days to be

Bound each to each by natural piety. (Wordsworth, 1802)

In this poem, William Wordsworth writes, “the child is father of the man. ” What does this seemingly incongruous statement mean, and what does it have to do with lifespan development? Wordsworth might be suggesting that the person he is as an adult depends largely on the experiences he had in childhood. Consider the following questions: To what extent is the adult you are today influenced by the child you once were? To what extent is a child fundamentally different from the adult he grows up to be?

These are the types of questions developmental psychologists try to answer, by studying how humans change and grow from conception through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and death. They view development as a lifelong process that can be studied scientifically across three developmental domains—physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. Physical development involves growth and changes in the body and brain, the senses, motor skills, and health and wellness. Cognitive development involves learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity. Psychosocial development involves emotions, personality, and social relationships. We refer to these domains throughout the chapter.

Research Methods in Developmental Psychology

You’ve learned about a variety of research methods used by psychologists. Developmental psychologists use many of these approaches in order to better understand how individuals change mentally and physically over time. These methods include naturalistic observations, case studies, surveys, and experiments, among others.

Naturalistic observations involve observing behavior in its natural context. A developmental psychologist might observe how children behave on a playground, at a daycare center, or in the child’s own home. While this research approach provides a glimpse into how children behave in their natural settings, researchers have very little control over the types and/or frequencies of displayed behavior.

In a case study, developmental psychologists collect a great deal of information from one individual in order to better understand physical and psychological changes over the lifespan. This particular approach is an excellent way to better understand individuals, who are exceptional in some way, but it is especially prone to researcher bias in interpretation, and it is difficult to generalize conclusions to the larger population.

In one classic example of this research method being applied to a study of lifespan development Sigmund Freud analyzed the development of a child known as “Little Hans” (Freud, 1909/1949). Freud’s findings helped inform his theories of psychosexual development in children, which you will learn about later in this chapter. Little Genie, the subject of a case study discussed in the chapter on thinking and intelligence, provides another example of how psychologists examine developmental milestones through detailed research on a single individual. In Genie’s case, her neglectful and abusive upbringing led to her being unable to speak until, at age 13, she was removed from that harmful environment. As she learned to use language, psychologists were able to compare how her language acquisition abilities differed when occurring in her late-stage development compared to the typical acquisition of those skills during the ages of infancy through early childhood (Fromkin, Krashen, Curtiss, Rigler, & Rigler, 1974; Curtiss, 1981).

The survey method asks individuals to self-report important information about their thoughts, experiences, and beliefs. This particular method can provide large amounts of information in relatively short amounts of time; however, validity of data collected in this way relies on honest self-reporting, and the data is relatively shallow when compared to the depth of information collected in a case study.

Experiments involve significant control over extraneous variables and manipulation of the independent variable. As such, experimental research allows developmental psychologists to make causal statements about certain variables that are important for the developmental process. Because experimental research must occur in a controlled environment, researchers must be cautious about whether behaviors observed in the laboratory translate to an individual’s natural environment.

Later in this chapter, you will learn about several experiments in which toddlers and young children observe scenes or actions so that researchers can determine at what age specific cognitive abilities develop. For example, children may observe a quantity of liquid poured from a short, fat glass into a tall, skinny glass. As the experimenters question the children about what occurred, the subjects’ answers help psychologists understand at what age a child begins to comprehend that the volume of liquid remained the same although the shapes of the containers differs.

Across these three domains—physical, cognitive, and psychosocial—the normative approach to development is also discussed. This approach asks, “What is normal development?” In the early decades of the 20th century, normative psychologists studied large numbers of children at various ages to determine norms (i.e., average ages) of when most children reach specific developmental milestones in each of the three domains (Gesell, 1933, 1939, 1940; Gesell & Ilg, 1946; Hall, 1904). Although children develop at slightly different rates, we can use these age-related averages as general guidelines to compare children with same-age peers to determine the approximate ages they should reach specific normative events called developmental milestones (e. g., crawling, walking, writing, dressing, naming colors, speaking in sentences, and starting puberty).

Not all normative events are universal, meaning they are not experienced by all individuals across all cultures. Biological milestones, such as puberty, tend to be universal, but social milestones, such as the age when children begin formal schooling, are not necessarily universal; instead, they affect most individuals in a particular culture (Gesell & Ilg, 1946). For example, in developed countries children begin school around 5 or 6 years old, but in developing countries, like Nigeria, children often enter school at an advanced age, if at all (Huebler, 2005; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2013).

To better understand the normative approach, imagine two new mothers, Louisa and Kimberly, who are close friends and have children around the same age. Louisa’s daughter is 14 months old, and Kimberly’s son is 12 months old. According to the normative approach, the average age a child starts to walk is 12 months. However, at 14 months Louisa’s daughter still isn’t walking. She tells Kimberly she is worried that something might be wrong with her baby. Kimberly is surprised because her son started walking when he was only 10 months old. Should Louisa be worried? Should she be concerned if her daughter is not walking by 15 months or 18 months?

There are many different theoretical approaches regarding human development. As we evaluate them in this chapter, recall that developmental psychology focuses on how people change, and keep in mind that all the approaches that we present in this chapter address questions of change: Is the change smooth or uneven (continuous versus discontinuous)? Is this pattern of change the same for everyone, or are there many different patterns of change (one course of development versus many courses)? How do genetics and environment interact to influence development (nature versus nurture)?

Is Development Continuous or Discontinuous?

Continuous development views development as a cumulative process, gradually improving on existing skills ([link]). With this type of development, there is gradual change. Consider, for example, a child’s physical growth: adding inches to her height year by year. In contrast, theorists who view development as discontinuous believe that development takes place in unique stages: It occurs at specific times or ages. With this type of development, the change is more sudden, such as an infant’s ability to conceive object permanence.

The concept of continuous development can be visualized as a smooth slope of progression, whereas discontinuous development sees growth in more discrete stages.

Is There One Course of Development or Many?

Is development essentially the same, or universal, for all children (i.e., there is one course of development) or does development follow a different course for each child, depending on the child’s specific genetics and environment (i.e., there are many courses of development)? Do people across the world share more similarities or more differences in their development? How much do culture and genetics influence a child’s behavior?

Stage theories hold that the sequence of development is universal. For example, in cross-cultural studies of language development, children from around the world reach language milestones in a similar sequence (Gleitman & Newport, 1995). Infants in all cultures coo before they babble. They begin babbling at about the same age and utter their first word around 12 months old. Yet we live in diverse contexts that have a unique effect on each of us. For example, researchers once believed that motor development follows one course for all children regardless of culture. However, child care practices vary by culture, and different practices have been found to accelerate or inhibit achievement of developmental milestones such as sitting, crawling, and walking (Karasik, Adolph, Tamis-LeMonda, & Bornstein, 2010).

For instance, let’s look at the Aché society in Paraguay. They spend a significant amount of time foraging in forests. While foraging, Aché mothers carry their young children, rarely putting them down in order to protect them from getting hurt in the forest. Consequently, their children walk much later: They walk around 23–25 months old, in comparison to infants in Western cultures who begin to walk around 12 months old. However, as Aché children become older, they are allowed more freedom to move about, and by about age 9, their motor skills surpass those of U.S. children of the same age: Aché children are able to climb trees up to 25 feet tall and use machetes to chop their way through the forest (Kaplan & Dove, 1987). As you can see, our development is influenced by multiple contexts, so the timing of basic motor functions may vary across cultures. However, the functions themselves are present in all societies ([link]).

All children across the world love to play. Whether in (a) Florida or (b) South Africa, children enjoy exploring sand, sunshine, and the sea. (credit a: modification of work by “Visit St. Pete/Clearwater”/Flickr; credit b: modification of work by “stringer_bel”/Flickr)

How Do Nature and Nurture Influence Development?

Are we who we are because of nature (biology and genetics), or are we who we are because of nurture (our environment and culture)? This longstanding question is known in psychology as the nature versus nurture debate. It seeks to understand how our personalities and traits are the product of our genetic makeup and biological factors, and how they are shaped by our environment, including our parents, peers, and culture. For instance, why do biological children sometimes act like their parents—is it because of genetics or because of early childhood environment and what the child has learned from the parents? What about children who are adopted—are they more like their biological families or more like their adoptive families? And how can siblings from the same family be so different?

We are all born with specific genetic traits inherited from our parents, such as eye color, height, and certain personality traits. Beyond our basic genotype, however, there is a deep interaction between our genes and our environment: Our unique experiences in our environment influence whether and how particular traits are expressed, and at the same time, our genes influence how we interact with our environment (Diamond, 2009; Lobo, 2008). This chapter will show that there is a reciprocal interaction between nature and nurture as they both shape who we become, but the debate continues as to the relative contributions of each.

The Achievement Gap: How Does Socioeconomic Status Affect Development?

The achievement gap refers to the persistent difference in grades, test scores, and graduation rates that exist among students of different ethnicities, races, and—in certain subjects—sexes (Winerman, 2011). Research suggests that these achievement gaps are strongly influenced by differences in socioeconomic factors that exist among the families of these children. While the researchers acknowledge that programs aimed at reducing such socioeconomic discrepancies would likely aid in equalizing the aptitude and performance of children from different backgrounds, they recognize that such large-scale interventions would be difficult to achieve. Therefore, it is recommended that programs aimed at fostering aptitude and achievement among disadvantaged children may be the best option for dealing with issues related to academic achievement gaps (Duncan & Magnuson, 2005).

Low-income children perform significantly more poorly than their middle- and high-income peers on a number of educational variables: They have significantly lower standardized test scores, graduation rates, and college entrance rates, and they have much higher school dropout rates. There have been attempts to correct the achievement gap through state and federal legislation, but what if the problems start before the children even enter school?

Psychologists Betty Hart and Todd Risley (2006) spent their careers looking at early language ability and progression of children in various income levels. In one longitudinal study, they found that although all the parents in the study engaged and interacted with their children, middle- and high-income parents interacted with their children differently than low-income parents. After analyzing 1,300 hours of parent-child interactions, the researchers found that middle- and high-income parents talk to their children significantly more, starting when the children are infants. By 3 years old, high-income children knew almost double the number of words known by their low-income counterparts, and they had heard an estimated total of 30 million more words than the low-income counterparts (Hart & Risley, 2003). And the gaps only become more pronounced. Before entering kindergarten, high-income children score 60% higher on achievement tests than their low-income peers (Lee & Burkam, 2002).

There are solutions to this problem. At the University of Chicago, experts are working with low-income families, visiting them at their homes, and encouraging them to speak more to their children on a daily and hourly basis. Other experts are designing preschools in which students from diverse economic backgrounds are placed in the same classroom. In this research, low-income children made significant gains in their language development, likely as a result of attending the specialized preschool (Schechter & Byeb, 2007). What other methods or interventions could be used to decrease the achievement gap? What types of activities could be implemented to help the children of your community or a neighboring community?

Lifespan development explores how we change and grow from conception to death. This field of psychology is studied by developmental psychologists. They view development as a lifelong process that can be studied scientifically across three developmental domains: physical, cognitive development, and psychosocial. There are several theories of development that focus on the following issues: whether development is continuous or discontinuous, whether development follows one course or many, and the relative influence of nature versus nurture on development.

The view that development is a cumulative process, gradually adding to the same type of skills is known as ________.

1. nature
2. nurture
3. continuous development
4. discontinuous development

C

Developmental psychologists study human growth and development across three domains. Which of the following is not one of these domains?

1. cognitive
2. psychological
3. physical
4. psychosocial

B

How is lifespan development defined?

1. The study of how we grow and change from conception to death.
2. The study of how we grow and change in infancy and childhood.
3. The study of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth in children.
4. The study of emotions, personality, and social relationships.

A

Describe the nature versus nurture controversy, and give an example of a trait and how it might be influenced by each?

The nature versus nurture controversy seeks to understand whether our personalities and traits are the product of our genetic makeup and biological factors, or whether they are shaped by our environment, which includes such things as our parents, peers, and culture. Today, psychologists agree that both nature and nurture interact to shape who we become, but the debate over the relative contributions of each continues. An example would be a child learning to walk: Nature influences when the physical ability occurs, but culture can influence when a child masters this skill, as in Aché culture.

Compare and contrast continuous and discontinuous development.

Continuous development sees our development as a cumulative process: Changes are gradual. On the other hand, discontinuous development sees our development as taking place in specific steps or stages: Changes are sudden.

Why should developmental milestones only be used as a general guideline for normal child development?

Children develop at different rates. For example, some children may walk and talk as early as 8 months old, while others may not do so until well after their first birthday. Each child’s unique contexts will influence when he reaches these milestones.

How are you different today from the person you were at 6 years old? What about at 16 years old? How are you the same as the person you were at those ages?

Your 3-year-old daughter is not yet potty trained. Based on what you know about the normative approach, should you be concerned? Why or why not?

Glossary

cognitive development

domain of lifespan development that examines learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity

continuous development

view that development is a cumulative process: gradually improving on existing skills

developmental milestone

approximate ages at which children reach specific normative events

discontinuous development

view that development takes place in unique stages, which happen at specific times or ages

nature

genes and biology

normative approach

study of development using norms, or average ages, when most children reach specific developmental milestones

nurture

environment and culture

physical development

domain of lifespan development that examines growth and changes in the body and brain, the senses, motor skills, and health and wellness

psychosocial development

domain of lifespan development that examines emotions, personality, and social relationships

Physical Development: An Introduction | Virtual Lab School

Objectives

• Examine the importance of physical activity in your own life.
• Describe physical development of infants and toddlers.
• Recognize ways physical development affects other areas of development.

Learn

Know

Take a moment to think about activities you participate in regularly. Household chores? Walking? Running? Gardening? Shoveling snow? Do you consider yourself naturally active? You might think to yourself, “I’m so busy, even the thought of adding physical activity seems ridiculous!” Being physically active does not mean we have to run a marathon.

Being physically active is a process that begins by developing an awareness of your personal activity level, and then establishing behaviors that enhance your wellbeing; such as walking for 30 minutes three times a week. Recognizing your current level of physical activity is an important step that can help you better identify your health needs and develop the skills and knowledge to live a healthy lifestyle. Overall, physically active staff members tend to be healthier than those who are not active, and they miss fewer days of work due to illness. Physical activity enables staff to handle the pressures of work and family life by decreasing stress and promoting mental health, which leads to more positive interactions with children and their families. Caregivers and teachers can consider their personal level of activity or inactivity as they plan physical and motor development experiences for the infants and toddlers in their care.

Infant and Toddler Physical Growth and Development

Physical development refers to the advancements and refinements of motor skills, or, in other words, children’s abilities to use and control their bodies. Physical development is one of the many domains of infant and toddler development. It relates to the growth and skill of development in the body, including the brain, muscles, and senses. For example, babies learn about the world as they develop their physical senses of sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste. In fact, babies can even hear before they are born. Very early on newborns are interested in looking at faces, bright colors, and contrasting patterns. Within several days after birth an infant can recognize its mother’s smell and the sound of her voice. From birth, infants are aware of the world around them. Their ability to grow, develop, and learn occurs quickly as they explore the world through their senses and use motor skills.

Gross-motor skills and fine-motor skills develop during infancy and toddlerhood. Gross-motor skills involve the mastery of large muscle movements, as well as the building of strength in muscle groups like the arms, legs, and core. Examples of such skills for infants and toddlers include reaching, rolling, crawling, walking, and climbing. Fine-motor skills involve smaller, more precise movements, particularly movements of the hands and fingers, such as grasping, pointing, and clapping. As their bodies grow, infants and toddlers progressively strengthen their muscles and improve their control and coordination. Each newly-developed motor skill results from skills learned earlier and contributes to the development of future skills. Newborn infants do not have the strength to hold up their heads. However, as they learn and develop muscle control, they become better able to support their heads, and can move them side to side as they explore and observe their environment. Skill mastery and development are also the result of brain growth and development. Consider an infant who is starting to walk while holding on to couches and furniture. This child must have acquired strength in the large muscles and adequate control over their body movement. At the same time, the child also relies on vision to determine where to walk and what to hold onto. As infants and toddlers grow, their bodies and minds become more capable of simple and increasingly complex movements and experiences.

Parents, teachers, and caregivers must stimulate toddlers and infants to encourage the development of gross- and fine-motor skills. For example, you may stimulate physical development by encouraging an infant to walk back and forth alongside a couch. Eventually, the child will become accustomed to the balance and muscle movements that are required to walk and be able to do it on their own. Infants and toddlers depend on their caregivers to meet their needs for safety and security. When infants and toddlers receive consistent, responsive care and attention from nurturing adults, they’re able to establish a sense of trust in the world. This sense of trust and safety in the world is essential to promote growth in all areas of development; including physical development. When infants and toddlers feel safe and secure, they are better able to use their brains, muscles, and senses to explore the world around them.

Below you will find the typical progression of motor skills across the development from infant to toddler for gross- and fine-motor skills, respectively.

Roll ➨ Sit ➨ Crawl ➨ Walk ➨ Run ➨ Jump

Reach → Transfer → Pincer Grasp → Point → Stack → Scribble

Importance of Physical Growth and Development

Preparing infants and toddlers for school requires more than developing a set of skills; it includes physical development and health. When an infant or toddler is happy and healthy, they’re more likely to engage with their environment and surroundings. This allows infants and toddlers the ability to further their learning through exploration. Thus, physical development and health can help prepare infants and toddlers for activities that support language development, social skills, and other areas of learning, which result in later success in school.

While there isn’t a specific area of development that determines later school success, research highlights the importance of supporting a strong foundation for development to grow by promoting healthy physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. During infancy, these foundations of child development begin and continue to be built upon as other areas of development progress. For example, young children are able to develop the ability to sit, crawl, and walk from their primitive reflex responses. Once infants and toddlers are able to move on their own, they are then able to explore and expand their cognitive development through ways that were not possible before they were able to sit, crawl, and walk.

Think about what life might be like for a one-year-old who has not started crawling. While sitting on their own, they struggle to coordinate movements, such as pushing up to a crawling position and propelling themselves forward with their arms and legs. Most objects and people in their environment must be brought close to them by others in order for them to explore. How might the limitations in physical and motor development impact other areas of development for this 1-year-old?

Exploration	Limited or delayed motor development and skills can result in decreased exploration of the environment.
Cognitive Development	Limited exploration can mean limited experiences. For example, their learning about cause and effect (a contributor to cognitive development) may be limited merely because there are less opportunities to engage in “experiments” with objects in their environment.
Social Development	The one-year-old is only able to observe the play of other children within their range of sight. This may limit their ability to make eye contact with peers, talk, and play with other children or adults. All of which can negatively affect the child’s development of social skills.
Emotional development	Limited interaction and play with other children influences a child’s emotional development. It may be difficult for a child to develop self-confidence, empathy, and the ability to react and express their emotions.

Notice below some of the different ways that physical development is connected to other areas of development:

How does physical development affect other areas of development for infants and toddlers?

Physical development is connected to cognitive development (thinking skills) in infants.

Seven-month-olds are given a toy. When the infants use their motor skills to push a button, they hear an exciting sound. The infants are presented with the toy again after a period of wait time. They immediately push the button repeatedly, suggesting that they learned how to perform an action to cause a sound (Hauf & Aschersleben, 2008).

Physical development is connected to cognitive development (thinking skills) in toddlers.

Around 18 months of age, toddlers engage in play which involves imitation, such as pushing a toy truck while making engine noises or striking a ball with a bat (Laplante, et. al., 2007).

Motor development is connected to emotional development.

As children develop more motor skills they are able to interact and communicate emotions and needs with adults and peers in more ways than crying. Their growing motor development skills allow them to express their emotions through non-verbal communication like, stomping when angry, clapping when excited, smiling when happy, and pointing at objects to further express their needs.

Motor development is connected to social development.

Children use specific behaviors involving motor skills to connect with their peers. For example, when mobile infants roll a ball back and forth with their caregiver they learn how to take turns and play with others.

Additional examples include:

• As infants grasp toys with their fingers and hands, they build small-muscle (fine-motor) skills, which help them point to objects and gesture at items they wish to communicate about with others. Fine motor skills are also necessary for early literacy in turning pages and the exposure to various forms of writing utensils. (communication).
• Toddlers begin scribbling, which later leads to writing their names and other words as they get older (communication).
• As toddlers push and pull a friend in a wagon while outdoors, they learn about relationships with others and waiting for a turn (social development).

Making an effort to better understand infant and toddler physical development can open up opportunities for you to enhance the care you offer infants, toddlers and families.

See

Video not availableWatch this video to learn how physical development is linked to other areas of development.

Do

There are many things you can do to help infants and toddlers develop physically in your program:

• Support infants’ bodies and heads in an upright position when you hold them to allow better observation of their environment.
• Allow lots of close face to face time when you talk and play with them.
• Hold onto the infant’s or toddler’s feet and rotate or massage them gently as you sing songs like “The Wheels on the Bus.”
• Provide many opportunities to practice and use new skills, such as sitting up on your lap as you support an infant’s chest and back (between 4 and 6 months).
• Spend time together on the floor and provide lots of tummy time.
• Place toys and objects nearby and offer opportunities for infants to reach for them.
• Create safe areas for infants to crawl around and explore.
• Provide supportive surfaces for children to pull up to stand and walk along to reach new and interesting toys.
• Offer teething rings, sucking toys, rattles, and other objects for children to reach, grab, and bring to their mouth for exploration.
• Introduce toddlers to a variety of toys including stacking cups, connecting toys, toys with buttons and knobs, and large puzzle toys.
• Encourage toddlers to use a wheeled riding toy to move and interact with their environment.

Completing this Course

For more information on what to expect in this course, the Physical Development Competency Reflection, and a list of the accompanying Learn, Explore and Apply resources and activities offered throughout the lessons, visit the Infant & Toddler Physical Development Course Guide. 

Please note the References & Resources section at the end of each lesson outlines reference sources and resources to find additional information on the topics covered. As you complete lessons, you are not expected to review all the online references available. However, you are welcome to explore the resources further if you have interest, or at the request of your trainer, coach, or administrator.

Explore

Use the Supporting Physical Development activity below, to reflect on your experiences and the physical development of infants and toddlers. Answer the questions and then share your thoughts and responses with a trainer, coach, or administrator.

Supporting Physical Development

Reflect on the importance of physical development

Required: Complete and review this document with your trainer, supervisor, or administrator

Apply

Review the Overcoming Barriers to Being Active quiz below from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which lists reasons people give for why they do not get as much physical activity as they think they should. Read through each statement and respond to how likely you are to make these statements. Next, tally the questions to identify any key barriers to your active lifestyle. Is this what you expected? What can you do next to overcome these barriers and strengthen your physical well-being?

Glossary

Demonstrate

True or False? Infants explore the world around them through their senses.

True

False

A few families in your infant-toddler program have asked what they can do at home to support their infants’ physical development. You suggest the following:

Bring one new and interesting object to your infant each week to explore and become familiar with.

Place colorful, interesting objects nearby and offer lots of opportunities for infants to reach and move their body toward them.

Always place the infant on her back when she is awake.

Limit exploration and “experiments” with objects because this may overstimulate her.

Your co-worker, Talia, moves around the room talking and singing to the babies in her care. What do you say to her about this?

You suggest that she vary the songs she sings to the infants in her care.

You say that talking and singing to infants is so important and you enjoy listening. You tell her that when she is singing and talking with the babies, it would be great if they could also see her face.

You suggest that she stop singing; it is keeping the infants awake.

You suggest that the time Talia spends talking and singing to the infants would be better spent on sanitizing the room.

References & Resources

Hauf, P., & Aschersleben, G. (2008). Action–Effect Anticipation in Infant Action Control. Psychological Research, 72: 203–210.

Laplante, D. P., Zelazo, P. R., Brunet, A., & King, S. (2007). Functional play at 2 years of age: Effects of prenatal maternal stress. Infancy, 12, 69-93.

Lokken, G. (2000). The Playful Quality of the Toddling “Style.” Qualitative Studies in Education, 13: 531–542.

Mayes, L. C., & Zigler, E. (2006). An Observational Study of the Affective Concomitants of Mastery in Infants. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 33, 659-667.

Ward, M., Lee, S., & Lipper, E. (2000). Failure to Thrive is Associated with Disorganized Infant-Mother Attachment and Unresolved Maternal Attachment. Infant Mental Health Journal, 21(6): 428-442.

Waters, E., Weinfield, N., & Hamilton, C. (2000). The Stability of Attachment from Infancy to Adolescence and Early Adulthood: General Discussion.  Child Development, 71(3), 703-706.

Zeanah, C. (Ed.). (2000). Handbook of infant mental health (2nd ed.). New York: The Guilford Press.

Domains and Subdomains | Early Development Instrument

Domains & Subdomains		Related EDI Questions
PHYSICAL HEALTH & WELL-BEING Includes gross and fine motor skills (e.g., holding a pencil, running on the playground, motor coordination), adequate energy levels for classroom activities, independence in looking after own needs, and daily living skills.
Physical readiness for school day Children who never or almost never experienced being dressed inappropriately for school activities, coming to school tired, late or hungry.		Since the start of school in the fall, has this child sometimes (more than once) arrived : over- or underdressed for school-related activities too tired/sick to do school work late hungry
Physical independence Children who are independent in looking after their needs, have an established hand preference, are well coordinated, and do not suck a thumb/finger.		Would you say that this child: is independent in washroom habits most of the time shows an established hand preference (right vs. left or vice versa) is well coordinated (i.e., moves without running into or tripping over things) sucks a thumb/finger
Gross and fine motor skills Children who have an excellent ability to physically tackle the school day and have excellent or good gross and fine motor skills.		How would you rate this child’s: level of energy throughout the school day proficiency at holding a pen, crayons, or a brush ability to manipulate objects ability to climb stairs overall physical development
SOCIAL COMPETENCE Includes curiosity about the world, eagerness to try new experiences, knowledge of standards of acceptable public behaviour, ability to control own behaviour, appropriate respect for adult authority, cooperation with others, following rules, and ability to play and work with other children.
Overall social competence Children with excellent or good overall social development, very good ability to get along with other children and play with various children, usually cooperative and self-confident.		How would you rate this child’s: overall social/emotional development ability to get along with peers Would you say that this child: plays and works cooperatively with other children at the level appropriate for his/her age is able to play with various children shows self-confidence
Responsibility and respect Children who always or most of the time show respect for others, and other’s property, follow rules and take care of materials, accept responsibility for actions, and show self-control.		Would you say that this child: respects the property of others follows rules and instructions demonstrates self-control demonstrates respect for adults demonstrates respect for other children accepts responsibility for actions takes care of school materials shows tolerance to someone who made a mistake (e.g., when a child gives a wrong answer to a question posed by the teacher)
Approaches to learning Children who always or most of the time work neatly, independently, and solve problems, follow instructions and class routines, easily adjust to changes.		Would you say that this child: listens attentively follows directions completes work on time works independently works neatly and carefully is able to solve day-to-day problems by him/herself is able to follow one-step instructions is able to follow class routines without reminders is able to adjust to changes in routines
Readiness to explore new things Children who are curious about the surrounding world, and are eager to explore new books, toys and games.		Would you say that this child: is curious about the world is eager to play with a new toy is eager to play a new game is eager to play with/read a new book
EMOTIONAL MATURITY Includes the ability to think before acting, a balance between too fearful and too impulsive, an ability to deal with feelings at the age-appropriate level, and empathetic response to other people’s feelings.
Prosocial and helping behaviour Children who often show most of the helping behaviours: helping someone hurt, sick or upset, offering to help spontaneously, invite bystanders to join in.		Would you say that this child: will try to help someone who has been hurt volunteers to help clear up a mess someone else has made if there is a quarrel or dispute will try to stop it offers to help other children who have difficulty with a task comforts a child who is crying or upset spontaneously helps to pick up objects which another child has dropped (e. g., pencils, books) will invite bystanders to join in a game helps other children who are feeling sick
Anxious and fearful behaviour Children who rarely or never show most of the anxious behaviours; they are happy and able to enjoy school, and are comfortable being left at school by caregivers.		Would you say that this child: is upset when left by parent/guardian seems to be unhappy, sad, or depressed appears fearful or anxious appears worried cries a lot is nervous, high-strung, or tense is incapable of making decisions is shy
Aggressive behaviour Children who rarely or never show most of the aggressive behaviours; they do not use aggression as a means of solving a conflict, do not have temper tantrums, and are not mean to others.		Would you say that this child: gets into physical fights bullies or is mean to others kicks, bites, hits other children or adults takes things that do not belong to him/her laughs at other children’s discomfort is disobedient has temper tantrums
Hyperactivity and inattentive behaviour Children who never show most of the hyperactive behaviours; they are able to concentrate, settle in to chosen activities, wait their turn, and most of the time think before doing something.		Would you say that this child: can’t sit still, is restless is distractible, has trouble sticking to any activity fidgets is impulsive, acts without thinking has difficulty awaiting turn in games or groups cannot settle to anything for more than a few moments is inattentive
LANGUAGE & COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Includes reading awareness, age-appropriate reading and writing skills, age-appropriate numeracy skills, ability to understand similarities and differences, and ability to recite back specific pieces of information from memory.
Basic literacy Children who have all the basic literacy skills: know how to handle a book, can identify some letters and attach sounds to some letters, show awareness of rhyming words, know the writing directions, and are able to write their own name.		Would you say that this child: knows how to handle a book (e.g., turn a page) is able to identify at least 10 letters of the alphabet is able to attach sounds to letters is showing awareness of rhyming words is able to participate in group reading activities is experimenting with writing tools is aware of writing directions in English (left to right, top to bottom) is able to write his/her own name in English
Interest literacy/numeracy and memory Children who show an interest in books and reading, math and numbers, and have no difficulty with remembering things.		Would you say that this child: is generally interested in books (pictures and print) is interested in reading (inquisitive/curious about the meaning of printed material) is able to remember things easily is interested in mathematics is interested in games involving numbers
Advanced literacy Children who have at least half of the advanced literacy skills: reading simple, complex words or sentences, writing voluntarily, writing simple words or sentences.		Would you say that this child: is able to read simple words is able to read complex words is able to read simple sentences is able to write simple words is able to write simple sentences is interested in writing voluntarily (and not only under the teacher’s direction)
Basic numeracy Children who have all the basic numeracy skills: can count to 20 and recognize shapes and numbers, compare numbers, sort and classify, use one-to-one correspondence, and understand simple time concepts.		Would you say that this child: is able to sort and classify objects by a common characteristic (e.g., shape, colour, size) is able to use one-to-one correspondence is able to count to 20 is able to recognize numbers 1 – 10 is able to say which number is bigger of the two is able to recognize geometric shapes (e. g., triangle, circle, square) understands simple time concepts (e.g., today, summer, bedtime)
COMMUNICATION SKILLS & GENERAL KNOWLEDGE Includes skills to communicate needs and wants in socially appropriate ways, symbolic use of language, storytelling, and age-appropriate knowledge about the life and world around.
Communication and general knowledge Children who have excellent or very good communication skills; can communicate easily and effectively, can participate in story-telling or imaginative play, articulates clearly, show adequate general knowledge, and are proficient in their native language.		How would you rate this child’s: ability to listen in English ability to tell a story ability to take part in imaginative play ability to communicate own needs in a way understandable to adults and peers ability to understand on first try what is being said to him/her ability to articulate clearly, without sound substitutions ability to use language effectively in English Would you say that this child: answers questions showing knowledge about the world (e. g., leaves fall in the autumn, apple is a fruit, dogs bark)

Domain language detection – Visual Studio (Windows)

• Article
• 09/27/2022
• Reading takes 27 minutes

Applies to: Visual StudioVisual Studio for Mac Visual Studio Code

To define a domain-specific language (DSL), create a Visual Studio solution from a template. A key part of the solution is the DSL definition schema, which is stored in the DslDefinition.dsl file. The DSL definition defines the classes and shapes of the DSL. After making changes and adding elements, you can add code to customize the DSL in more detail.

If you are new to DSL, it is recommended that you work with the DSL Tools Lab found at this site: Visualization and Simulation SDK.

Selecting a solution template

The following components must be installed to determine the domain language.

• Visual Studio
• Visual Studio extension development workload (includes the Visual Studio SDK)
• Simulation SDK (Install it as a separate component in Visual Studio)

Note

The Text Template Transformation component is automatically installed as part of the Visual Studio extension development workload . It can also be installed from the Individual Components tab of the Visual Studio Installer under the SDKs, Libraries, and Frameworks category. Install component Simulation SDK from tab Individual components .

To create a new domain-specific language, create a new Visual Studio solution using the Domain-Specific language project template.

Create a DSL solution

1. Create a new language project for a specific domain .

   The language wizard for a specific domain opens and displays a list of DSL solution templates.

2. Click on each template to see its description. Choose the solution that best matches what you want to create.

   Each DSL template defines a basic working DSL. This DSL can be edited to suit your needs.

   Click on each sample for more information.

   • Select task flow to create a DSL with lanes. Tracks are vertical or horizontal sections of a circuit.

   • Select “Component models ” to create a DSL with ports. Ports are small shapes on the edge of a larger shape.

   • Select class diagram to define a DSL with section shapes. Shape fragments contain lists of elements.

   • Select minimum language in other cases or if you are unsure.

   • Select Minimal WinForm Designer or Minimal WPF Designer to create a DSL that renders on a Windows Forms or WPF workspace. You will need to write code to define the editor. See the following sections for more information:

     Create a domain language based on Windows Forms

     Creating a domain language based on WPF

3. Enter the filename extension for DSL on the appropriate wizard page. This extension will be used by files containing DSL instances.

   • Select a file name extension that is not associated with any other application on your computer or on another computer where you plan to install DSL. For example, docx and htm would be unacceptable filename extensions.

   • The wizard will warn you if the extension is already being used as a DSL. In this case, choose a different file name extension. You can also reset your Visual Studio Experimental SDK instance to remove old experimental constructors. Click Start , click All Programs , Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 SDK , Tools and then reset the experimental instance of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 to .

4. You can also change the settings on other pages or leave the default values.

5. Press button Done .

   The wizard will create a solution containing two or three projects and generate code from the DSL definition.

   The user interface will then look like this:

   This solution defines a domain language. For more information, see Domain-Specific Language Tools User Interface Overview.

Testing the solution

The solution template provides a working DSL that you can modify or use as is.

To test the solution, press F5 or press CTRL + F5. A new instance of Visual Studio opens in experimental mode.

In a new instance of Visual Studio, in Solution Explorer, open the sample file. It will open as a diagram with a panel of elements.

When you run a solution that is based on template “Minimal language “, the Visual Studio experimental environment would look something like this:

Working with tools Create elements and connect them.

Close the experimental instance of Visual Studio.

Note

Shapes will no longer appear in the Sample file after the DSL change. At the same time, the ability to create new elements will remain.

Change the DSL template

Rename and keep some or all of the domain and shape classes in the DSL definition template. New class names must be valid CLR names without spaces or punctuation.

We recommend that you keep the following classes:

• The root class appears in the upper left corner of the DSL definition schema in section “ Classes and Relationships”. Give it a different name than the DSL name. For example, a DSL named MusicLibrary might have a root class named Music .

• The schema class is displayed in the lower right corner of the DSL definition schema in column “ schema elements”. You may have to scroll to the right to see it. Usually it is called chart YourDsl .

• If you used the task flow template and want to create schemas with lanes, save and rename the Subject domain class and the ActorSwimlane shape.

  Remove or rename other classes to suit your needs.

DSL definition templates

We recommend that you develop your DSL by adding or tweaking one or two features at a time. Add a feature, run the DSL and test it, then add one or more features. Typical DSL features include the following.

• A domain class, an embedding relationship that connects an element to a model, a shape to display class elements in a diagram, and an element tool that allows users to create elements.

• Domain properties of a particular class and decorators that display them on the diagram.

• A reference relationship and a connector that displays it in a diagram, as well as a connector tool that allows users to create links.

• A setting that requires programming code, such as a constraint check or a menu command.

  The following sections describe how to build the most useful kinds of DSL functions. There are many other patterns with which a DSL can be created, but these are the most commonly used.

Note

After adding the feature, be sure to click the Convert All Templates button on the Solution Explorer toolbar before building and running the DSL.

The following figure shows the classes and relationships that are part of the DSL and are used as an example in this section.

The following figure is an example of a model for this DSL:

Note

“Model” refers to a DSL instance that is created by the user and is typically displayed as a diagram. This section covers both the DSL definition schema and the model schemas that are displayed when using the DSL.

Definition of domain classes

Domain classes are DSL concepts. Instances are elements of model . For example, in DSL MusicLibrary you might have domain classes named “Album ” and “Song “.

To create a domain class, you can drag a named domain class from the tool onto the diagram, and then rename the class.

For more information, see Domain Class Properties.

Create an injection relationship for each domain class

Each domain class other than the root must be the target of at least one injection relationship or inherit from a class that is such a target.

In the model, each element is a node in a single injection relationship tree. The source and target of an embedding relationship are often referred to as parent and child.

The choice of a parent element for a domain class depends on how the lifetime of these elements depends on other elements. If a tree node is deleted, its subtree is usually deleted along with it. The classes of an independently existing element are built directly into the root class.

Usually, if you display an element inside another element, you also show its relationship to the owner. In this case, the most appropriate parent class is the container class. An exception occurs when the element inside the container is actually a reference to an independent element. In this case, deleting the container deletes the reference, but not the object it points to.

In the DSL definition templates described in this section, we will assume that elements rendered inside a container will also be removed when the container is removed. More complex schemes are also possible, which are created by defining roles.

Display element	Parent class (embedding class)	Example in DSL solution template
Chart Track	DSL root class	Minimum language Task flow: Actor class.
Track pattern	The element domain class that is displayed as tracks.	Task flow: task class.
Item in a list in a figure that is removed when the container is removed Port at the edge of the figure	Domain class associated with container shape	Class schema: Attribute class. Component diagram: Port class.
Item in list not removed when container is removed	DSL root class Link list
Not displayed directly	The class of which it forms a part

In the Music Library example, albums (Album) are displayed as rectangles that list song titles (Song). Therefore, the Album element’s parent is the Music root class, and the Song element’s parent is the Album class.

To create a domain class and its injection at the same time, click the Relationship Injection tool, then click the parent class and click on an empty part of the diagram.

Generally, you don’t have to change the name of the deployment relationship and its roles, as they will keep track of the class names automatically.

For more information, see Domain Relationship Properties and Domain Role Properties.

Note

Implementation is not inheritance. Child elements in an embedding relationship do not inherit the properties of their parent elements.

Adding domain properties to each domain class

Domain properties store values. Examples: Name, Title, Publication date.

Click “ Domain Properties” in the class, press Enter, and type the name of the property. The default domain property type is string. If you want to change the type, select the domain property and set the type to in window Properties . If the type you want is not in the drop-down list, see Adding Property Types.

Set the Element Name property. Select a domain property that can be used to define elements in the Language Browser. For example, in the Song domain class, you can select the “Name” domain property. In window “Properties” set the property to “Item Name true “.

Deriving domain classes

If a domain class needs to have instances that inherit its properties and relationships, you can create classes that derive from it. For example, the Album class can have WMA and MP3 derived classes.

Create a derived class using the domain class tool .

Click tool inherit , click the derived class and select the base class.

Consider setting the base class inheritance modifier to the abstract . If you need instances of the base class, create separate derived classes for them.

Derived classes inherit the properties and roles of base classes.

DSL definition schema cleanup

When adding relationships, some of the classes will appear in multiple places at once. To reduce the number of external representations and make the diagram wider, right-click the target relationship class and select “Bring wood here “. For the opposite effect, right-click the target relationship class and select Split Tree . If these menu commands are not present, ensure that only the domain class is selected.

To move domain and shape classes, use the keyboard shortcuts CTRL+Up Arrow and CTRL+Down Arrow.

Testing domain classes

To test new domain classes, do the following.

1. Click the Convert All Templates button on the Solution Explorer toolbar to generate the DSL designer code. This step can be automated. For more information, see Automating the Conversion of All Templates.

2. Build and run DSL. Press F5 or CTRL+F5 to start a new instance of Visual Studio in experimental mode. In an experimental instance of Visual Studio, open or create a file with a .dsl filename extension.

3. Open your browser. On the side of the schema is a language browser window, commonly called YourLanguage Browser . If you don’t see this window, it might be on a tab under Solution Explorer. If you can’t find it, on the View menu hover over other windows and select Browser YourLanguage .

   The tree view of the model is displayed in the browser.

4. Create new elements. Right-click the root node at the top and select “Add new class “.

   A new instance of the class appears in the Language Browser.

5. When creating new instances, ensure that all instances are given a different name. This only happens if the domain property has the Is Element Name flag set.

6. Check domain properties. Using an instance of the selected class, check the Properties window. It should show the domain properties that you have defined for the given domain class.

7. Save the file, close it and open it again . All created instances should show up in the browser when you expand the nodes.

Defining Shapes in a Diagram

You can define classes of elements that are displayed in a diagram as rectangles, ellipses, or labels.

Define a class of elements that appear as shapes in a diagram

1. Define and test a domain class as described in Section “ Domain Class Definitions”.

   • The parent class must be the root class. This means that an injection relationship must exist between the root class and the new domain class.

   • If there are tracks in the schema, then the parent can be the domain class associated with the track. Before continuing with this procedure, review the definition of a floating track DSL.

2. Add the shape class to represent elements on the model diagram. Drag one of the following tools onto the DSL definition diagram.

   • Geometry provides a box or ellipsis.

   • Image figure displays the provided image.

   • Section shape is a rectangle containing one or more item lists.

     Rename the shape class that appears on the right side of the DSL definition diagram below shapes and connectors.

3. Define an image if you created an image shape .

   1. Create an image file of any size. BMP, JPEG, GIF and EMF formats are supported.

   2. In Solution Explorer, add the file to the Dsl\Resources solution directory.

   3. Return to the DSL definition schema and select a new image shape class.

   4. In the properties window, click the property Image .

   5. In the Select Image dialog box, click the drop-down menu under File Name and select an image.

4. Add text decorators to the shape to display domain properties.

   At least one decorator is required to display the name or title of a model element.

   Right-click the shape class header, hover over “Add ” and select “Text Decorator “. Set the name of the decorator and in the properties window set its position to .

5. Connect each shape with a chart element mapping to the domain class it should display .

   Click the map tool on chart element and then select the domain class and then the shape class.

6. Map properties to text decorators.

   1. Select the gray line between the domain class and the shape class that represents the schematic element map.

   2. In the DSL details window , click the Decorator Cards tab. If the dsL details window is not displayed, in menu View hover over other windows and select DSL Details . Often you need to raise the top of a window to see all of its contents.

   3. Select a decorator name. In section “Display Property” , select the domain class property name. Repeat these steps for each decorator.

      If you want to display a property of a related element, click the drop-down tree navigator in the Path section to display property .

   4. Each decorator name must have a check mark next to it.

7. Create a toolbox item to create domain class items.

   1. In the DSL Browser , expand the Editor node and all of its sub-nodes.

   2. Right-click a node in the toolbox tabs with the same name as dsL, such as MusicLibrary. Press button “Add element”

      Note

      If you right-click node “Service” , you won’t see the item adder . Instead, you must click the node one level up.

   3. In the properties window with the new element tool selected , set to the domain class that you recently added.

   4. Set header and hint .

   5. Set the toolbox icon to the icon that appears in the toolbox. You can select a new icon or an icon that is already in use for another tool.

      To create an icon, open dsl\Resources in Solution Explorer . Copy and paste one of the existing item tool .bmp files. Rename the pasted copy and then double-click to open it for editing.

      Return to the DSL definition schema, select the tool, and in the properties window, click […] on the Toolbox icon . In the Bitmap Selection dialog box, select the .BMP file from the drop-down menu.

   For more information, see Geometric Shape Properties and Image Shape Properties.

Testing Shapes

1. Click the Convert All Templates button on the Solution Explorer toolbar to generate the DSL designer code.

2. Build and run DSL. Press F5 or CTRL+F5 to start a new instance of Visual Studio in experimental mode. In an experimental instance of Visual Studio, open or create a file with a .dsl filename extension.

3. Verify that the element tools appear in the element panel.

4. Create shapes by dragging from the tool onto the model diagram.

5. Make sure each text decorator is displayed and that:

   1. This can be changed unless you have configured the UI flag Read Only in the domain property.

   2. If a property is changed in the Properties window or decorator, the other view is updated.

   After testing the shape for the first time, you can adjust some properties and add advanced properties. See Customizing and Extending the Domain-Specific Language for more information.

Defining referencing relationships

You can define a referencing relationship between any source domain class and a target domain class. Link relationships are typically displayed in a diagram as connectors—lines between shapes.

For example, if Music Albums (Album) and Artists (Artist) appear as shapes in the diagram, you can define a relationship called ArtistsAppearedOnAlbums that links the artists and the albums they belong to. See example in the figure.

Reference relationships can also link elements of the same type. For example, in a DSL that is a family tree, the relationship between parent and child elements is a referential relationship between persons.

Defining a reference relation

Click the reference relation tool, then the relation’s source domain class, and finally the target domain class. The target class can be the same as the source class.

Each relationship has two roles, represented by a line on each side of the relationship window. You can select each role and set its properties in the Properties window.

Consider renaming roles . For example, in a relationship between persons, you can change the default names to “Parents” and “Children”, “Manager” and “Subordinates”, “Teacher” and “Student”, etc.

If necessary, set the multiplicity of each role . If each person should have no more than one Manager, specify the value “0..1” for the multiplicity parameter under the “Manager” label in the schema.

Add domain properties to the relation. In the figure, the relationship between artist and album has a role property.

Set the “Allow Duplicates” property of the link if multiple links of the same class can exist between the same pair of model elements. For example, you can allow the Teacher to teach the same Student in several Disciplines.

For more information, see Domain Relationship Properties and Domain Role Properties.

Defining a connector to display a relationship

A connector displays a line between two shapes in a model diagram.

Drag connector tool onto the DSL definition schema.

Add text decorators if you want to display labels on the connector. Set their location. To allow the user to move the text decorator, set its property to Is Moveable .

Use the Chart Element Mapper to associate a connector with a reference relationship.

With the schematic element map selected, open the DSL details window and open the Decorator Maps tab.

Select each decorator and set the Display property to the correct domain property.

Make sure there is a checkbox next to each item in the decorators list .

Definition of the Connection Builder Tool

In the window of the DSL Browser , expand the node of the editor and all of its children.

Right-click the node with the same name as dsL and select “Add New Connector “.

With the new tool selected, in the Properties window:

• Set the title to and the tip to .

• Click connection builder and select the appropriate builder for the new connection.

• Assign toolbar icon to the icon you want to appear on the toolbar. You can select a new icon or an icon that is already in use for another tool.

  To create an icon, open dsl\Resources in Solution Explorer . Copy and paste one of the existing item tool .bmp files. Rename the pasted copy and then double-click to open it for editing.

  Return to the DSL definition schema, select the tool, and in the properties window, click […] on the Toolbox icon . In the Bitmap Selection dialog box, select the .BMP file from the drop-down menu.

Testing the reference relationship and connector

1. Click the Convert All Templates button on the Solution Explorer toolbar to generate the DSL designer code.

2. Build and run DSL. Press F5 or CTRL+F5 to start a new instance of Visual Studio in experimental mode. In an experimental instance of Visual Studio, open or create a file with a .dsl filename extension.

3. Verify that the connection tools appear in the Toolbox.

4. Create shapes by dragging from the tool onto the model diagram.

5. Create connections between shapes. Select a connector, click a shape, and then select another shape.

6. Make sure you cannot create connections between inappropriate classes. For example, if you have established a relationship between Albums and Artists, make sure you cannot link Artists to Artists.

7. Check if the multiplicity is set correctly. For example, make sure that a Person cannot be paired with more than one Executive.

8. Make sure each text decorator is displayed and that:

   1. This can be changed unless you have configured the UI flag Read Only in the domain property.

   2. If a property is changed in the Properties window or decorator, the other view is updated.

   After testing the connector for the first time, you can adjust some properties and add extended properties. See Customizing and Extending the Domain-Specific Language for more information.

Definition of shapes containing lists: section shapes

A section shape contains one or more lists of items. For example, in the DSL Music Library, you can use a section shape to represent Music Albums. Each Album has a list of Songs.

The easiest way to achieve this effect in a DSL definition is to define one domain class per container and one domain class per list. The container class is mapped to the section shape.

For more information, see Section Shape Properties.

Section shape definition

1. Create a container domain class . Click the link injection tool , click the model root class, and click the empty part of the DSL definition schema. This will create a domain class called Album in the example image.

   Alternatively, instead of embedding in the root class, you can embed the container in the domain class associated with the path.

   Add a domain property such as Name to the class and set the Is Element Name flag to the property window.

2. Create a list item domain class . Click the Link Embedder tool , select the container class (Album) and click on an empty part of the schema. This will create a domain class called Song in the example figure.

   Add a domain property such as Title to the class and set its flag Is Element Name .

   Add more domain properties.

   Add a domain class for each item list that you want to display.

3. To mix multiple item types in a list, create classes that inherit from the list class. Make the list class abstract by setting the inheritance modifier to .

   For example, if you want classical music to be sorted by composer instead of artist, you can create two subclasses in the Song class: ClassicalSong and NonClassicalSong.

4. Create section shape . Drag from tool Section Shape to the DSL definition diagram.

   Add a text decorator and give it a name.

   Add a section and give it a name.

5. To allow the user to hide list sections, right-click the section shape class, hover over “Add ” and select “Expand or Collapse Decorator “. In the Properties window, set the location of the decorator.

6. Click the map tool on chart element , select the container domain class, and click the section shape.

7. Select the schema element map relationship between the domain class and the shape. In the DSL details window :

   1. Click the Decorators tab. Click the decorator name and select the appropriate item in section “Display Property “. Make sure there is a check mark next to the name of each decorator.

   2. Switch to tab Section Maps .

      Select a section name.

      In section “Path to collection of display items “, navigate to the list item class (Song). Click the drop-down arrow to use the navigation tool.

      In the Display Property section, select the property you want to display in the list. In this example, that property is Title.

Note

Using the “Path” fields in the decorator map and the fields in the section map, establish a more complex relationship between the domain classes and the section shape.

Shape tool definition

1. Create a toolbox item to create domain class items.

2. In the DSL Browser , expand the Editor node and all of its sub-nodes.

3. Right-click a node in the toolbox tabs with the same name as dsL, such as MusicLibrary. Press button “Add element”

   Note

   If you right-click the node “Service” , you will not see the item add tool . Instead, you must click the node one level up.

4. In the properties window with the tool selected, the new element set to of the domain class you recently added.

5. Set header and hint .

6. Set the toolbox icon to the icon that appears in the toolbox. You can select a new icon or an icon that is already in use for another tool.

   To create an icon, open dsl\Resources in Solution Explorer . Copy and paste one of the existing item tool .bmp files. Rename the pasted copy and then double-click to open it for editing.

   Return to the DSL definition schema, select the tool, and in the properties window, click [. ..] on the Toolbox icon . In the Bitmap Selection dialog box, select the BMP file from the drop-down menu.

Testing the segment shape

1. Click the Convert All Templates button on the Solution Explorer toolbar to generate the DSL designer code.

2. Build and run DSL. Press F5 or CTRL+F5 to start a new instance of Visual Studio in experimental mode. In an experimental instance of Visual Studio, open or create a file with a .dsl filename extension.

3. Make sure that the tool appears in the Toolbox.

4. Drag the tool into the model diagram. A new shape will be created.

   Verify that the element name is displayed and is automatically set to the default value.

5. Right-click the title of the new shape and select Add List Item. The example uses the Add Song command.

   Verify that the item appears in the list with the new name.

6. Click one of the list items and check the Properties window. The properties of the list items should appear in it.

7. Open Language Browser. Make sure the container nodes contain list item nodes.

   After testing the section shape for the first time, you can adjust some properties and add extended properties. See Customizing and Extending the Domain-Specific Language for more information.

Displaying a link in a section

Typically, an element that is displayed in a section is a child of an element that is represented by a slice shape. However, in some cases it is possible to display an element that is linked to it by a reference relationship.

For example, you could add a second section to an AlbumShape element that displays a list of Artists that are associated with an Album.

In this case, the section should display the link instead of the element it refers to. This is because when the user selects an item in the section and presses the DELETE key, the link should be deleted, not the item that was linked to.

However, it is possible to have the name of the linked element displayed in the section.

The following procedure assumes that you have already created the domain class, reference relation, section shape, and schematic element map as described earlier in this section.

Show reference relationship in section

1. Add a section to section shape . In the DSL definition diagram, right-click the section shape class, hover over “Add ” and select “Sections “.

2. Set the path to the collection of display elements to navigate to the link instead of the target element. Open the drop-down menu and select the link relationship instead of the target in the tree view. In this example, the association is ArtistAppearedOnAlbums .

3. Set the display property to the path to follow the link to the target element. In the example, this is artist .

4. Set the display property to the corresponding target element property, for example Name .

5. Convert all templates, create and run DSL and open test model.

6. In the model diagram, create the appropriate shape classes, name them, and link them. The names of the related elements should appear in the section shape.

7. Select a link or element in the section shape. The link and element should disappear.

Definition of ports on the border of another figure

A port is a shape that is on the border with another shape.

Ports can also be used to provide a fixed connection point to another shape for which the user can draw connectors. In this case, the port shape can be made transparent.

To see an example of how to use ports, select the component diagram template when creating a new DSL solution. This example shows the main points that can be used when defining ports.

• The domain class that represents the ports container ( Component ).

• Domain class that represents ports. In our example, this is ComponentPort .

• An injection relationship between a container domain class and a port domain class. For more information, see “Defining Domain Classes”.

• If you need to mix different types of ports in the same container, you can subclass the port domain class. In this example InPort and OutPort inherit from ComponentPort .

• A container domain class can be mapped to any kind of shape. This example uses ComponentShape . For more information, see the “Defining Shapes” section.

• Port domain classes mapped to port shapes. You can map either derived classes to individual port shape classes, or a base class to a single port shape class.

  In other respects, port shapes behave as described in the “Defining Shapes” section.

  For more information, see Port Shape Properties.

Tracked DSL definition

Tracks are vertical or horizontal divisions of a circuit. Each track corresponds to an element of the model. The DSL definition requires one domain class for track elements.

The best way to create a DSL with lanes is to create a new DSL solution and select the Task Flow solution template. In the DSL definition, the subject class is the domain class associated with the track. Rename it and other classes according to your project.

To add a class that will appear as a shape inside a track, create an embedding relationship between the track class and the new class. Users will be able to drag and drop items from one track to another, but each item will always be inside a specific track. In the Task Flow solution template, FlowElement is a child class of the track class.

To add a class that will be displayed as a track-independent shape, create an embedding relationship between the root and the new class. Users will be able to place these shapes anywhere in the diagram, including at the borders and outside of the tracks. In the Taskflow solution template, Comment is a child class of the track class.

See Track Properties for more information.

Adding property types

Domain enums and literals

A domain enum is a type with multiple literal values.

To add a domain enumeration, right-click the model root in the DSL Browser and select “Add new domain enumeration”. The item will appear in DSL Browser under node “Domain Types “. This element does not appear in the schema.

To add enum literals to the domain enum, right-click the domain enum in the DSL Browser and select “Add new enum literal “.

Default property that has an enum type, can only have one enum value at a time If you want users and programmers to be able to set any combination of values ​​- a bit field, set property IsFlags enums.

External types

If you specify a domain property type, if you don’t find the type you want in the Type drop-down list, you can add an external type. For example, you can add type System.Drawing.Color to the list.

To add a type, right-click the model root in DSL Browser and select Add New External Type . In the properties window, set name to color and namespace to System.Drawing . This type is now displayed in DSL Browser under section “ Domain Types”. and will be available for selection when setting the domain property type.

Configuring a DSL

Using the techniques described in this section, you can quickly create a DSL with a schematic representation, a readable XML form, and the basic tools needed to generate code or other artifacts.

There are two methods for extending a DSL definition.

1. Fine-tune DSL using multiple DSL detection functions. For example, you can make a single connector capable of creating multiple types of connectors, and set up rules where deleting one element results in deleting related elements. Most of these techniques require you to set values ​​in the DSL definition, and some require you to write multiple lines of code.

   For more information, see Customizing and Extending the Domain-Specific Language.

2. Enhance modeling tools with code to achieve more complex effects. For example, you can create menu commands that can change the model, as well as tools that combine two or more DSLs. The VMSDK is specifically designed to make it easy to integrate extensions with code that is generated from a DSL definition. For more information, see “Writing Code to Customize the Domain-Specific Language”.

DSL 9 definition change0055

When you create any element in a DSL definition, many values ​​are automatically set. The set values ​​can be changed. This simplifies DSL development while allowing significant customization.

For example, when a shape is matched to an element, the path of the parent element of the match is automatically set according to the embedding relationship of the corresponding domain class. If the embedding relationship is subsequently adjusted, the path of the parent element is not automatically changed.

Therefore, be aware that if you change some of the relationships in a DSL definition, it is not unusual for error messages to be thrown if you save the definition or transform all templates. Most of these mistakes are easy to fix. Open the error message by double-clicking to find the location of the error.

See also how-to guide. Changing the namespace of the Domain-Specific language.

Troubleshooting

The following table lists most of the common DSL development problems and suggestions for solving them. More tips are available on the renderers extensibility forum.

Problem	Offer
Changes made to the DSL definition file do not work.	Click Convert All Templates in the toolbar above Solution Explorer, and then rebuild the solution.
Shapes show decorator name instead of property value.	Customize the decorator mapping. In the DSL definition schema, click the schema element map – this is the gray line between the domain class and the shape class. Open DSL details window . If you don’t see it, on the View menu, hover over other windows and select DSL Details . Go to tab “ Decorator Cards”. Choose a decorator name. Make sure the box next to it is checked. Section “Display Property” select the domain property name. See the “Shapes” section of the diagram for more information.
DSL Explorer cannot add collection. For example, right-clicking on Tools on the menu does not display the Add Tool command. The DSL Browser cannot add an item to the list.	Right-click the element above the node of interest. If you want to add an item to the list, look for the “Add” command not in the list node, but in the owner.
I created a domain class, but I can’t instantiate it in the Language Browser.	Every domain class other than the root must be the target of an injection relationship.
DSL Explorer displays elements with their type names only.	In the DSL definition, select the domain property of the class, and in the properties window, set the parameter Is Element Name to true.
The DSL always opens in the XML editor.	This is due to a file read error. Even if you fix this bug, you will need to specifically reset the editor so that it no longer acts as a DSL constructor. Right-click the project element, select “Open With With” and select YourLanguage constructor (default).
Toolbox in DSL does not appear after changing assembly names.	Check and update DslPackage\GeneratedCode\Package.tt For more information, see How To: Change the Domain-Specific Language Namespace.
Toolbox in DSL does not appear even though the assembly name has not changed. Either a message appears that the extension cannot be loaded.	Reset the experimental instance and rebuild the solution. 1. From the Windows Start menu, under “ All Programs “, expand the Visual Studio SDK, and then “Service ” and click the button “Reset experimental instance of Microsoft Visual Studio “. 2. On menu Build , click Rebuild Solution .

See also

• Getting Started with Domain Languages ​​
• Create a domain language based on Windows Forms
• Creating a domain language based on WPF

Site domain – what is it and how to choose it

Anna Kuznetsova

Updated by January 19, 2022

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Contents :
What is a domain?
Why is a domain name so important?
How to choose a domain name for a blog?
Check domain availability
Where to buy a domain?
How to register a domain?

If you are just starting out with your online business, you may come across a lot of complicated technical terms. Despite the abundance of information, finding clear interpretations of such terms is not so easy. Professionals who write technical articles often don’t take the time to explain basic concepts.

However, we are ready to help you in this matter. Although you don’t need an in-depth understanding of specific terms to successfully launch a website, a general understanding of the various IT entities won’t hurt and will give you confidence.

But before you dive into this extensive list, we want to draw your attention to one important point: if you do not yet have a logo, favicon for the site or other corporate style elements, then we highly recommend you an online logo generator called Logaster. Learn how to create a logo for a website here.

You don’t need any technical skills to create a logo with this tool. See for yourself by following the link.

What is a domain?

To get to your site, the user must enter his domain name in the address bar. When communicating with each other, computers use IP addresses. The IP address looks like this: 123.457.69.043. If you enter the IP address associated with your domain name, you will also be taken to your site.

Since it is quite difficult to remember a long IP address, simpler and shorter domain names are widely used to access sites.

A domain name consists of two parts: first, the direct name of the resource, and then the top-level domain (TDL).

For example, in the domain name logaster.com, the .com component would be the TLD. When choosing a URL, you will see that there is a wide variety of top-level domains. Each extension carries certain connotations, so it’s important to make the right choice.

Why is a domain name so important?

Registering your own domain name has a number of advantages.

Permanent Web Address

A domain name is the permanent “residence” of your online business. No matter how your company changes over time – whether it’s moving to a new web host, updating your corporate style, rethinking your business model – your domain name will remain the same. And this means that customers will always know where to find you.

Increasing brand awareness

Without a branded domain name, it will be much more difficult to stand out from the competition. If you do not have your own web address, then the brand that provided you with its domain (for example, mybrand. myshopify.com) will attract the attention of users. This makes it harder for web browsers to remember your URL and brand.

Trust and Reliability

By noticing that you have spent money on registering your domain name, visitors will be able to verify that you are doing business in accordance with the law. This will not only build trust between the brand and potential customers, but will also give you credibility in the eyes of other companies and media representatives.

Moreover, having your own domain name has a positive effect on SEO performance. While it’s not necessary to pick an exact matched keyword (EMD) domain name these days, keywords in your web address can boost your search engine rankings.

These are just a few of the arguments that prove how important it is to have your own URL.

How to choose the right domain name? It is this topic that our article is devoted to.

How to choose a domain name for a blog

A quality domain name for a blog/website should be chosen, if only because it will be associated with your resource for many years. You can always change your web hosting provider, but the domain name will stay with you forever.

In theory, you can change your domain name, but you basically have to develop your blog/website from scratch. If you already have a proven resource with a constant flow of traffic, you are unlikely to want to move to a new address. If you change your address, all your search ranking efforts will go down the drain. This applies not only to rankings in Google, but also in Alexa, Yandex and other systems. Thus, you need to find such a domain name so that later there is no desire to change it. But how to do that? There are no hard and fast rules regarding the choice of a domain name, so we will limit ourselves to useful recommendations:

Use keywords : Whenever possible, use keywords in your web address that describe your site. A domain name should communicate to potential customers what products or services you offer. Looking at your URL, the user should immediately understand what the resource is about. For example, if you’re an antique dealer or an art collector, you might choose www.antiques.com or www.collectibles.com.

Create an easy-to-remember name : The domain name should be easy to remember so that users can find your resource from memory. If users can’t remember your web address, you risk losing a significant amount of traffic. Moreover, if the domain name is capacious and resonant, people will often be able to mention and recommend it in conversations with friends and colleagues.

Create a short name . The length of the domain name must not exceed 10 characters. Moreover, a short web address is easier to remember (see previous point). Unfortunately, now there are practically no concise web addresses left. However, long names should be avoided at all costs, such as www. which is a very bad example of a .com domain name. Entering a cumbersome domain name into the address bar, the user can make a mistake and end up on another site or non-existent page.

Length of domain names of popular sites

Average number of characters in a domain name

Most popular sites (the lower the number, the better)

Among the top 100 sites, the longest web address is 17 characters long.

This data once again proves that a short, sonorous domain name is the key to the success of your resource.

Target between 6 and 14 characters. The shorter the web address, the better. But the problem is that most short domain names have long been taken and sold for tens of thousands of dollars. So if you can’t find a short web address, bet on creating a brand name.

Use hyphens if necessary: ​​ If necessary, use hyphens (-) to separate words in a web address. If the www.domainname.com option is taken, try the www.domainname.com option. Sometimes the use of hyphens improves the readability and visual perception of the address. Moreover, it can positively affect your search rankings.

Create an easy-to-spel name: Users should have no problem entering your domain name into the address bar. Moreover, easy-to-speak names are the key to brand recognition.

Indicate your geographic location: If your company operates in a certain region, try to express your geographic location (city, region, region) in the URL (for example, buybook.ru, buybook.ua, buybook.kz).

Choose a popular extension: Try to pick a top-level domain (i.e. with a .com extension). This is the most popular and widely used extension. When thinking about a website, users automatically think of its address as “domainname.com”. If the .com extension is already taken, feel free to use other common options (.net or .org).

Experiment: Most one-word domains are already taken. So get ready to use all your creative abilities to invent a new word. Try joining two words (YouTube), using an entire phrase (Six Apart), combining parts of two words (Microsoft), changing a word (Flickr), adding a prefix or suffix (Shopify), or creating an entirely new word (Odeo).

Services to help you find great ideas

Logaster Business Name Generator – Create a name for your brand for free with the Logaster Business Name Generator!
Business Name Generator – A free tool from Shopify that generates business names
GoSpaces – A free tool that helps you come up with a business name. Fast and easy!
NameStation – Offers lists of free domains based on the entered keyword.
Domaintyper – Instantly checks a domain name for availability.
Domainr – Enter a keyword and the platform will show you busy and free options.

Once you’ve picked a domain, the next step is to check the domain for availability!

Check domain availability

If you find a suitable domain name, don’t waste time and immediately check if pages with that name are available on social networks. You should also check if another trademark is registered under that name.

If you want to create a strong, recognizable brand, your domain name must match the names of your corporate social media pages. Firstly, it increases brand awareness and memorability. Secondly, this way it will be easier for users to find a brand on different online platforms.

To avoid litigation, it is best to stay away from names that are already occupied by other trademarks.

How can I quickly check if the web address you have chosen is free?

We recommend using the Knowem tool for this. Enter your domain name and the service will show you which of the 25 popular social networks it’s still free on. You will also find out if any trademark is registered under that name.

If it turns out that your name is already taken, experiment and try to create a new name from it.

Popular domain registrars or where to buy a domain?

Undoubtedly the largest domain name registrar is GoDaddy , with over 14 million users already registered over 63 million web addresses.

What’s more, GoDaddy offers web hosting services. To get a free domain name from GoDaddy, use our promo code!

You should also pay attention to the NameCheap registrar.

This is a convenient service that provides services for registering and transferring domain names, as well as ensuring the confidentiality of information about their owners.

How to register a domain

Have you decided on a web address for your resource? Now you need to buy the chosen domain and register it.

Step 1: Choose a registrar

The choice of domain name registrars today is huge. Ask friends and colleagues for help. Perhaps they will recommend you a service that they are satisfied with. Avoid rookie registrars and always choose companies that have established themselves in the market.

Step 2: Enter your personal information

When registering a domain name, you need to provide some information about yourself (name, phone number and address). Please note that this information will be made public. Fortunately, for a fee, this can be avoided. Some services hide your personal information for free, but in this case, your website will look less reliable in the eyes of both visitors and search engines.

If you do not wish to share personal information, simply provide your business name and corporate contact details.

Step 3: Choose Your Hosting

Registering a URL is only half the battle. Now you need to create your website and find the right hosting provider.

Here is a list of sites where you can host:
– Namecheap.com

– Bluehost.com

– Reg.ru

Conclusion

Taking your first steps as a blogger? Then we advise you to read our comprehensive guide on how to start blogging on WordPress. There you will find a detailed description of each stage of creating a beautiful and user-friendly blog!
Also try to create a logo and favicon for your future site! Five minutes and the design is ready!

That’s all. We hope this article will help you choose an effective URL for your blog or corporate website.

Updated by January 19, 2022

Posted inHow To

Ways to find out the date of domain registration and site creation on 2DOMAINS.

RU ✔️

• Why find out when the site was created
• 1 way. Check site
• 2 way. View through the Whois service
• 3 way. Use site analysis services

In this article, we will tell you how to see the date of site creation.

Why find out when a website was created

There may be several main reasons to check the date of creation of a site:

• competitor analysis for advertising and SEO.
• site analysis for the purpose of buying : launching a project on a site “with age” is easier, since search engines prefer such sites.
• personal goals .

There are three ways to find out when the site was created, but none of them can guarantee 100% accuracy of the information. Therefore, we recommend trying all the methods one by one:

• check on the website,
• look through Whois,
• use site analysis services.

Let’s consider each method in more detail.

1 way. Check on site

One of the easiest ways to find out the age of a site is to look at the site itself. Sometimes , the year the site was started, , is listed at the very end of the site page:

Ozon online store site

However, this method will not work if you need to know the exact date of creation. The fact is that the company can specify the date at its discretion. For example, in this place the end date of working with the site can be indicated.

2 way. View through the Whois service

Using Whois, you can find out the date of registration of the site’s domain name, as well as information about the domain administrator and hosting where the site is located. Since most often domains are registered in order to create sites on them, the date of creation of the site may be close to the date of registration of the domain.

To check the registration date, enter the domain name in the Whois service field and click Check . The required information will be indicated in the “Date of registration” field:

The registration date of the 2domains.ru domain is April 19, 2008

When checking, consider the following:

1. A domain might not have a website for a long time. For example, this happens with beautiful, sonorous names – they are bought in advance by web studios that create websites to order.

2. The age of the domain can be significantly greater or less than the age of the site. For example, the domain could be resold or leased to another administrator. Also, the site could be transferred to a new domain.

3 way. Use site analysis services

There are 2 types of services with which you can find out the date of creation of the site:

web archives.

Online services

Site activity can be determined by a number of parameters collected by online services: indexing in search engines, placed links and key phrases, etc. We recommend using services such as: XTOOL, PR-CY or SeoLik.

To start the analysis using the selected service, specify the domain in the input field and start the scan. The results of the issuance will indicate the age of the site that the service identified when analyzing the parameters:

xTool

PR-CY

Seolik

in the Weights of various vehicles is from the moment of their creation (provided that the site does not prohibit the creation of pictures). One of the most popular archives is archive.org.

Let’s show how to find out when the site was created, using the 2domains.ru domain as an example:

1. Enter the domain name in the search box. Check the box “Search archived web sites” and click Go :

2. At the top of the screen you can see a line with the dates of the site snapshots. To view them, select the period you are interested in.

The program has been taking screenshots from the 2domains.