Task-oriented guides that show you how to accomplish specific goals with Expressir. Each guide focuses on a particular aspect or workflow.

About These Guides

The guides are organized by topic area:

• CLI - Command-line interface usage and commands

• Ruby API - Programmatic usage from Ruby code

• LER - Working with LER packages

• Manifests - Managing schema collections with manifests

• Changes - Tracking and managing schema changes

• Liquid - Template integration and documentation generation

• Deployment - Production deployment patterns

Guide Categories

CLI Guides

Learn to use Expressir’s command-line tools effectively.

Available guides:

• Formatting Schemas - Pretty-print and clean schemas

• Validating Schemas - Ensure schema correctness

• Benchmarking Performance - Measure and optimize

• Coverage Analysis - Check documentation coverage

• Managing Changes - Work with change files

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Ruby API Guides

Integrate Expressir into your Ruby applications.

Available guides:

• Parsing Files - Load EXPRESS schemas

• Working with Repository - Navigate schema collections

• Formatting Schemas - Format schemas programmatically

• Search Engine - Use the search API

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LER Guides

Work with high-performance LER packages.

Available guides:

• Creating Packages - Build LER files

• Loading Packages - Use pre-built packages

• Querying Packages - Search and filter

• Validating Packages - Ensure package integrity

• Package Formats - Choose serialization formats

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Manifest Guides

Manage schema collections with manifests for reproducible builds.

Available guides:

• Creating Manifests - Generate manifests from root schemas

• Resolving Manifests - Auto-resolve missing schema paths

• Validating Manifests - Ensure manifest completeness and integrity

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Changes Guides

Track and manage schema modifications across versions.

Available guides:

• Changes Format - Understanding the format

• Validating Changes - Verify change files

• Importing from eengine - Convert eengine XML

• Programmatic Usage - Use changes API

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Liquid Guides

Generate documentation using Liquid templates.

Available guides:

• Basic Templates - Create simple templates

• Filters and Tags - Use Liquid features

• Drops Reference - Access model data

• Documentation Generation - Generate docs

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Deployment Guides

Deploy Expressir in production environments.

Available guides:

• Integrating with Rails - Use in Rails apps

• Gem Configuration - Configure for production

• Performance Tuning - Optimize for scale

Using These Guides

Guide Format

Each guide follows a structured format:

1. Purpose - What the guide covers

2. References - Related documentation

3. Concepts - Key terminology

4. Instructions - Step-by-step procedures with examples

5. Best practices - Recommended approaches

6. Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

Finding the Right Guide

If you want to…​

• Use the command-line tools → Start with CLI Guides

• Write Ruby code → Begin with Ruby API Guides

• Work with packages → Explore LER Guides

• Manage schema collections → See Manifest Guides

• Track changes → Check Changes Guides

• Generate docs → See Liquid Guides

• Deploy to production → Review Deployment Guides

Quick Reference

For quick answers, use the References section:

• CLI Commands Reference

• Ruby API Reference

• Data Model Reference

Getting Help

If a guide doesn’t cover your specific use case:

• Check the Tutorials for learning-focused content

• Review the References for detailed specifications

• Search GitHub Issues for similar questions

• Ask in GitHub Discussions

Contributing

Help improve these guides:

• Report unclear or missing information

• Suggest new guides for common tasks

• Share your own usage patterns

• Submit pull requests with improvements

See the Contributing Guide for details.

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Table of contents

• CLI Guides