Combining feature-oriented analysis and aspect-oriented programming for product line asset development

Feature-oriented analysis (FOA) provides key information for developing reusable and adaptable product line assets. The information includes commonalities and variabilities, various dependencies between features, and their binding time information. On the other hand, aspect-oriented programming (AOP) provides effective mechanisms for encapsulating crosscutting concerns into separate entities, called aspects. By tightly coupling FOA with AOP, we can enhance reusability, adaptability, and configurability of product line assets. In this paper, we present detailed guidelines on how FOA and AOP can be combined. To validate our approach, we applied it to the engineering of an intelligent service robot product line