52,183 research outputs found
UML-F: A Modeling Language for Object-Oriented Frameworks
The paper presents the essential features of a new member of the UML language
family that supports working with object-oriented frameworks. This UML
extension, called UML-F, allows the explicit representation of framework
variation points. The paper discusses some of the relevant aspects of UML-F,
which is based on standard UML extension mechanisms. A case study shows how it
can be used to assist framework development. A discussion of additional tools
for automating framework implementation and instantiation rounds out the paper.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figure
Ontological Representations of Software Patterns
This paper is based on and advocates the trend in software engineering of
extending the use of software patterns as means of structuring solutions to
software development problems (be they motivated by best practice or by company
interests and policies). The paper argues that, on the one hand, this
development requires tools for automatic organisation, retrieval and
explanation of software patterns. On the other hand, that the existence of such
tools itself will facilitate the further development and employment of patterns
in the software development process. The paper analyses existing pattern
representations and concludes that they are inadequate for the kind of
automation intended here. Adopting a standpoint similar to that taken in the
semantic web, the paper proposes that feasible solutions can be built on the
basis of ontological representations.Comment: 7 page
Open Programming Language Interpreters
Context: This paper presents the concept of open programming language
interpreters and the implementation of a framework-level metaobject protocol
(MOP) to support them. Inquiry: We address the problem of dynamic interpreter
adaptation to tailor the interpreter's behavior on the task to be solved and to
introduce new features to fulfill unforeseen requirements. Many languages
provide a MOP that to some degree supports reflection. However, MOPs are
typically language-specific, their reflective functionality is often
restricted, and the adaptation and application logic are often mixed which
hardens the understanding and maintenance of the source code. Our system
overcomes these limitations. Approach: We designed and implemented a system to
support open programming language interpreters. The prototype implementation is
integrated in the Neverlang framework. The system exposes the structure,
behavior and the runtime state of any Neverlang-based interpreter with the
ability to modify it. Knowledge: Our system provides a complete control over
interpreter's structure, behavior and its runtime state. The approach is
applicable to every Neverlang-based interpreter. Adaptation code can
potentially be reused across different language implementations. Grounding:
Having a prototype implementation we focused on feasibility evaluation. The
paper shows that our approach well addresses problems commonly found in the
research literature. We have a demonstrative video and examples that illustrate
our approach on dynamic software adaptation, aspect-oriented programming,
debugging and context-aware interpreters. Importance: To our knowledge, our
paper presents the first reflective approach targeting a general framework for
language development. Our system provides full reflective support for free to
any Neverlang-based interpreter. We are not aware of any prior application of
open implementations to programming language interpreters in the sense defined
in this paper. Rather than substituting other approaches, we believe our system
can be used as a complementary technique in situations where other approaches
present serious limitations
Panel discussion: Proposals for improving OCL
During the panel session at the OCL workshop, the OCL community discussed, stimulated by short presentations by OCL experts, potential future extensions and improvements of the OCL. As such, this panel discussion continued the discussion that started at the OCL meeting in Aachen in 2013 and on which we reported in the proceedings of the last year's OCL workshop. This collaborative paper, to which each OCL expert contributed one section, summarises the panel discussion as well as describes the suggestions for further improvements in more detail.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
- …