Examining a Layered Approach to Function and Design Representation for Reusable Software Components
Abstract
This effort examined ways to improve the effectiveness of reusable software libraries. The main area of investigation was in improving the user interface by finding better ways to present the software components to potential re-users. The first aspect which was considered was finding an effective representation for reusable software components. A set of criteria was developed for evaluating the effectiveness of software representations. The criteria consisted of generality, expressiveness, understandability, consistency, and resolution. The second aspect which was considered was how to present the software component information to the user to facilitate finding the appropriate component for reuse. A representation framework was examined which advocated presenting reuse information in four layers: component functionality, design information, quality metrics, and source code. Several current representations for software function and design were evaluated using the criteria listed above. The highest rated representations were then incorporated into a prototype library interface for examination by a group of software engineers. Feedback was collected and summarized in a set of recommendations and conclusions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA258920
Entities
People
- Paul D. Siebels
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology