A New Software Maintenance Scenario Based on Refactoring Techniques

This research line proposes the classification of refactoring techniques according to two opposite program properties: understanding and efficiency, being the former useful for maintenance while the latter for executing. Understanding-oriented refactoring and efficiency-oriented refactoring are considered the inverses of each other. Thus, through the application of the first sort of refactoring, understanding can be improved but efficiency can be affected. On the other hand, by applying the second sort of refactoring, efficiency can be improved but understanding can be damaged. So, the challenge to be faced here is to transform a software artifact through the application of a sequence of understanding-oriented refactoring, and to execute maintenance with the most appropriate version obtained. After that, we plan to restore its original efficiency by the application of the opposite sequence of refactorings, i.e. efficiency-oriented refactoring. In this way, a new maintenance scenario is outlined. Up to now, this ongoing research is being carried out in the functional setting.