Thinking in Declarative Paradigm

Before diving into Jindong's API, it helps to understand the declarative programming paradigm that shapes its design.

What is Declarative Programming?

Declarative programming focuses on what you want to achieve, not how to achieve it. Instead of writing step-by-step instructions, you describe the desired outcome.

A Common Misconception

Many developers think "declarative" just means "cleaner syntax" or "less boilerplate." But that misses the core insight.

Consider this comparison:

Imperative approach:

vibrator.vibrate(100)
Thread.sleep(50)
vibrator.vibrate(50)

Declarative approach:

Jindong(trigger) {
    Haptic(100.ms)
    Delay(50.ms)
    Haptic(50.ms)
}

The difference isn't just syntax—it's about who controls execution.

The Essence: Control Flow Abstraction

The declarative paradigm is fundamentally about abstracting control flow.

In imperative code, you control every step:

• When to vibrate
• How long to wait
• What order to execute
• How to handle platform differences

In declarative code, the framework controls execution:

• You describe the pattern
• The framework decides how to execute it
• Timing, threading, platform differences—all handled for you

Why This Matters

This abstraction enables:

1. Optimization - The framework can batch, reorder, or parallelize operations
2. Portability - Same description works across different execution environments
3. Correctness - Framework guarantees consistent behavior

The functional version still has you calling vibrate() directly. The declarative version describes a pattern that the framework interprets.

The Key Insight

Declarative programming is a contract:

Describe what, not how.

This contract is powerful because:

• You focus on intent, not implementation
• The framework can evolve without changing your code
• Platform-specific concerns stay hidden

Thinking Declaratively

When using Jindong, shift your mindset:

Summary

Declarative programming means:

1. Describe outcomes, not steps
2. Delegate control to the framework
3. Trust the abstraction to handle details

This mental model—focusing on "what" rather than "how"—is the foundation of effective Jindong usage.