Object Oriented Design Expertise Reuse: An Approach Based on Heuristics, Design Patterns and Anti-patterns

Abstract

Abstract. Object Oriented (OO) languages do not guarantee that a system is flexible enough to absorb future requirements, nor that its components can be reused in other contexts. This paper presents an approach to OO design expertise reuse, which is able to detect certain constructions that compromise future expansion or modification of OO systems, and suggest their replacement by more adequate ones. Both reengineering legacy systems, and systems that are still under development are considered by the approach. A tool (OOPDTool) was developed to support the approach, comprising a knowledge base of good design constructions, that correspond to heuristics and design patterns, as well as problematic constructions (i.e., anti-patterns).

Measuring design testability of a UML class diagram

“…We call these weaknesses testability antipatterns. An anti-pattern describes a solution to a recurrent problem that generates negative consequences to a project [20]. As design patterns, anti-patterns can be described with the following general format: the main causes of its occurrence, the symptoms describing ways to recognize its presence, the consequences that may result from this bad solution, and what should be done to transform it into a better solution.…”

Domain Networks in the Software Development Process

“…OOPDTool [7] is a tool designed to support design expertise reuse by detecting good (Design Patterns) and bad (anti-patterns) OO design constructions and suggesting some hints for a better solution. This tool uses deductive databases to store Design Patterns, Heuristics and Anti-Patterns, as well the facts extracted from a design model recovered from OO source code.…”

Measuring and improving design patterns testability

“…We call these weaknesses testability antipatterns. An anti-pattern describes a solution to a recurrent problem that generates negative consequences to a project [11]. As design patterns, anti-patterns can be described with the following general format: the main causes of its occurrence, the symptoms describing ways to recognize its presence, the consequences that may results from this bad solution, and what should be done to transform it into a better solution.…”