AOP for software evolution: a design oriented approach

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we have briefly explored the aspect-oriented approach as a tool for supporting the software evolution. The aim of this analysis is to highlight the potentiality and the limits of the aspect-oriented development for software evolution. From our analysis follows that in general (and in particular for AspectJ) the approach to join points, pointcuts and advices definition are not enough intuitive, abstract and expressive to support all the requirements for carrying out the software evolution. We have also examined how a mechanism for specifying pointcuts and advices based on design information, in particular on the use of UML diagrams, can better support the software evolution through aspect oriented programming. Our analysis and proposal are presented through an example.

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INDEX TERMS

Keywords:
AOP, SW evolution, UML, design information, join point model