Scaling step-wise refinement

Author

Batory, Don ; Sarvela, Jacob Neal ; Rauschmayer, Axel

Author_Institution

Dept. of Comput. Sci., Texas Univ., Austin, TX, USA

Volume

30

Issue

6

fYear

2004

fDate

6/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

355

Lastpage

371

Abstract

Step-wise refinement is a powerful paradigm for developing a complex program from a simple program by adding features incrementally. We present the AHEAD (algebraic hierarchical equations for application design) model that shows how step-wise refinement scales to synthesize multiple programs and multiple noncode representations. AHEAD shows that software can have an elegant, hierarchical mathematical structure that is expressible as nested sets of equations. We review a tool set that supports AHEAD. As a demonstration of its viability, we have bootstrapped AHEAD tools from equational specifications, refining Java and nonJava artifacts automatically; a task that was accomplished only by ad hoc means previously.

Keywords

Java; algebraic specification; data structures; specification languages; Java; algebraic hierarchical equation; application design; data abstraction; design notation; feature-oriented programming; hierarchical mathematical structure; multiple noncode representation; program synthesis; step-wise refinement; Application software; Collaboration; Design methodology; Documentation; Equations; Jacobian matrices; Java; Packaging; Refining; Unified modeling language; 65; Specification; data abstraction; design concepts; design notations and documentation; extensible languages; feature-oriented programming; methodologies; program synthesis; refinement.; representation;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Software Engineering, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0098-5589

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TSE.2004.23

Filename

1321059