A framework for component-based construction

We present an overview of results developed mainly at Verimag, by the author and his colleagues, on a framework for component-based construction, characterized by the following: the behavior of atomic components is represented by transition systems; components are built from a set of atomic components by using "glue" operators; for each component, it is possible to separate its behavior from its structure, due to specific properties of glue operators. We show an instance of this framework, which combines two independent classes of glue operators, interaction models and priorities. The combination of interaction models and priorities is expressive enough to encompass heterogeneous interaction and execution. We show that separation between behavior and structure is instrumental for correctness-by-construction. Finally, we discuss new research problems related to a structure-dependent notion of expressiveness.