Valter Vieira de Camargo

UML-AOF: a profile for modeling aspect-oriented frameworks

The design model of an application that was developed with support of frameworks involves both the framework and the application design. This results in complex architectures represented by design models that are difficult to understand; because there are many framework characteristics which are not evident when plain UML is used. The same problem occurs with Aspect-Oriented Frameworks (AOF). In AOF-based development there are units which deserve attention from different developers -- application engineers and framework engineers. Besides, there are a number of architectural characteristics in AOFs which do not appear in Object-Oriented Frameworks. So, in order to make these specific characteristics clearer in the models we propose UML-AOF, an UML profile for designing AOFs. UML-AOF was created based on an existing UML profile for aspect-oriented programming and takes into consideration some AspectJ idioms, patterns and also stereotypes from a profile for object-oriented frameworks called UML-F. UML-AOF was evaluated by means of its application in the design of a persistence and security AOF. We observe that UML-AOF makes some specific AOF architectural characteristics clearer in design models, improving the understandability of the architecture as well as the behavior.

A pattern to design crosscutting frameworks

A pattern that can be used to design Aspect-Oriented Frameworks that require data from a base code is presented. The framework design is explicitly separated into two parts when this pattern is used: one dealing with the composition mechanisms and another dealing with the functional variabilities. Regarding the composition part, there are several com alternatives facilitating the coupling to an existing base code as well as increasing the reuse levels. The functional part can be designed using classical object oriented patterns. The reuse process of the framework is also facilitated because the application and domain engineer can deal with both composition and functional parts separately.

An overview and an empirical evaluation of UML-AOF: an UML profile for aspect-oriented frameworks

In this paper we present UML-AOF and an empirical evaluation about it. UML-AOF is a profile that aims to make the design characteristics of aspect-oriented frameworks (AOFs) more evident in models than standard profiles for aspect-oriented programming (AOP). UML-AOF gathers several stereotypes and tagged values which represent design and architectural details commonly found in AOFs, such as some idioms, patterns and extension mechanisms. In order to evaluate the applicability of this profile, an empirical study was conducted to analyze the number of errors and the time spent by software engineers using both UML-AOF and a conventional profile for AOP. Based on the collected data, we have observed that the number of errors as well the time spent analyzing the models were significantly better than using the conventional profile.

A combined approach for concern identification in KDM models

BackgroundSystems are considered legacy when their maintenance costs raise to unmanageable levels, but they still deliver valuable benefits for companies. One intrinsic problem of this kind of system is the presence of crosscutting concerns in their architecture, hindering its comprehension and evolution. Architecture-driven modernization (ADM) is the new generation of reengineering in which models are used as main artifacts during the whole process. Using ADM, it is possible to modernize legacy systems by remodularizing their concerns in a more modular shape. In this sense, the first step is the identification of source code elements that contribute to the implementation of those concerns, a process known as concern mining. Although there exist a number of concern mining approaches in the literature, none of them are devoted to ADM, leading individual groups to create their own ad hoc proprietary solutions. In this paper, we propose an approach called crosscutting-concern knowledge discovery meta-model (CCKDM) whose goal is to mine crosscutting concerns in ADM context. Our approach employs a combination of a concern library and a K-means clustering algorithm.MethodsWe have conducted an experimental study composed of two analyses. The first one aimed to identify the most suitable levenshtein values to apply the clustering algorithm. The second one aimed to check the recall and precision of our approach when compared to oracles and also to two other existing mining techniques (XScan and Timna) found in literature.ResultsThe main result of this work is a combined mining approach for KDM that enables a concern-oriented modernization to be performed. As a secondary and more general result, this work shows that it is possible to adapt existing concern mining code-level approaches for being used in ADM processes and maintain the same level of precision and recall.ConclusionsBy using the approach herein presented, it was possible to conclude the following: (i) it is possible to automate the identification of crosscutting concerns in KDM models and (ii) the results are similar or equal to other approaches.

An approach to design crosscutting framework families

Crosscutting Frameworks are the most common type of aspect-oriented frameworks. They encapsulate only one crosscutting concern, such as persistence, distribution or synchronization. This kind of framework has been successfully used as infrastructure software providing services to higher level applications. However, as any common framework, when crosscutting frameworks are used for developing an application, usually all of their features and variabilities remain in the final architecture, even if only a subset of them was needed. This leads to a poor design with several pieces of death code, making the maintenance activities difficult. In this paper we present an approach to design a set of modules, called features, creating a family of Crosscutting Frameworks. So, during the developing of an application, just the features needed by the application are used, resulting in a clearer design, propitiating higher levels of maintainability and reusability. The approach is exemplified by means of a Family of Persistence Crosscutting Framework.

Characterisation of Challenges for Testing of Adaptive Systems

Context: Exercising the implementation of an adaptive system (AS) effectively, in order to detect faults, is not a trivial task. This is due to characteristics of this type of systems, such as the high number of configurations and runtime adaptations. In this context, the characterisation of challenges for testing ASs may support the definition of suitable testing strategies. However, such characterisation is currently spread over several studies in the literature. Objective: analysing testing-related challenges for ASs which are described in the literature, and establishing a generic classification. Method: we extended a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of studies that address challenges for AS testing. By analysing the combined results (original and extended), we mapped descriptions found in individual studies, based on their similarities, in order to create a list of generic challenges. Results: a list of 12 generic challenges based on 34 specific ones described by several authors. Additionally, we analysed the relationship between the challenges and inherent properties of ASs. Conclusion: different terminology, varied levels of details and particular contexts (e.g. specific AS implementations) are recurring problems related to the characterisation of challenges for testing ASs. Generalisations such as the one proposed in this work may help researchers and practitioners do devise customised testing strategies that focus in recurring, inherent properties of ASs.

A systematic review on mining techniques for crosscutting concerns

<u>Background:</u> The several maintenance tasks a system is submitted during its life usually cause its architecture deviates from the original conceivable design, ending up with scattered and tangled concerns across the software. The research area named concern mining attempts to identify such scattered and tangled concerns to support maintenance and reverse-engineering. <u>Objectives:</u> The aim of this paper is threefold: (i) identifying techniques employed in this research area, (ii) extending a taxonomy available on the literature and (iii) recommending an initial combination of some techniques. <u>Results:</u> We selected 62 papers by their mining technique. Among these papers, we identified 18 mining techniques for crosscutting concern. Based on these techniques, we have extended a taxonomy available in the literature, which can be used to position each new technique, and to compare it with the existing ones along relevant dimensions. As consequence, we present some combinations of these techniques taking into account high values of precision and recall that could improve the identification of both Persistence and Observer concerns. The combination that we recommend may serve as a roadmap to potential users of mining techniques for crosscutting concerns.

The AOSD Research Community in Brazil and Its Crosscutting Impact

In this paper, we present the birth, growth, and maturation of Aspect-Oriented Software Development (AOSD) research over the last years, with emphasis on the Brazilian AOSD community and its research contributions. These research contributions are illustrated from different perspectives: (i) an overview of the research work developed by our community in several prominent software engineering areas; (ii) a historical chronology of the community; and (iii) the growth, impact and quality of research outcomes.

A mapping study on architecture-driven modernization

Background: Perhaps the most common of all software engineering activities is the modernization of software. Unfortunately, during such modernization often leaves behind artifacts that are difficult to understand for those other than its author. Thus, the Object Management Group (OMG) has defined standards in the modernization process, by creating the concept of Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM). Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, there is no a systematic mapping study providing an overview of how researchers have been employing ADM. Thus, we assert that there is a need for a more systematic investigation of the topics encompassed by this research area. Objective: To describe a systematic mapping study on ADM, highlighting the main research thrusts in this field. Method: We undertook a systematic mapping study, emphasizing the most important electronic databases. Results: We identified 30 primary studies, which were classified by their contribution type, focus area, and research type. Conclusion: This systematic mapping can be seen as a valuable initial foray into ADM for those interested in doing research in this field. More specifically, our paper provides an overview of the current state of the art and future trends in software modernization area, which may serve as a road-map for researchers interested in coming up with new tools and processes to support the modernization of legacy systems.

A process for aspect-oriented platform-specific profile checking

Several modeling profiles for aspect-oriented software have been proposed in the literature; however, many of them lack important concepts or have deficiencies when used for code generation. These problems indicate a disparity between the required basic concepts of the paradigm and the concepts provided by the notation. In this paper we propose a process to evaluate UML profiles in order to allow the detection of inconsistencies between what is provided by the profile and what is required by the paradigm. As a result, we found several inconsistencies after applying our process to evaluate a real aspect-oriented profile; these detections are beneficial to attain correct profiles allowing complete use of concepts and correct code generation