Integrating coarse-grained and fine-grained tool integration

The problem of integrating separately written tools so that they work cooperatively, a key issue in computer-aided software engineering (CASE) frameworks, is addressed. An extended object-oriented approach to tool integration that integrates coarse-grained and fine-grained approaches is described. The advantages of both the approaches are discussed, and the techniques by which integration is achieved are described. The approach described addresses both the data and control aspects of tool integration. The keys to the integration are the uniform use of operations and events applied to objects, irrespective of granularity, and the decentralized description of the behavior of classes, permitting independently developed tools to provide separate functionalities for the same objects