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A formal model of use-cases and its application in generating a hierarchical class-structure

Authors:
Sukhamay Kundu
Arnab Ganguly

Keywords: Augmented finite-state model, class hierarchy, object-oriented design, refactoring, use-case model

Abstract:
Creating an object-oriented design from user requirements, given as a set of use-cases, means deriving a detailed class structure that can support an implementation of those requirements. We introduce here the Augmented Finite-State (AFS) model for a set of use-cases. An AFS model of a single use-case U incorporates the inputs, outputs, and operations for each interaction in U, including the "internal" dataflows among those interactions. The AFS model for a set of use-cases combines the AFS models of individual use-cases U_j to account for common interactions among them and the control-flows among U_j's. After we decompose the combined model into a unique set of disjoint Maximal Linear Segments (MLSs), we derive one class from each MLS and finally create the class-hierarchy based on the next-relationship among the MLSs. One advantage of our approach over those based on the concept-analysis is that the AFS model gives a simple controller for the call-sequences of the class-methods corresponding to each U_j.

Pages: 551 to 558

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2014

Publication date: October 12, 2014

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4235

ISBN: 978-1-61208-367-4

Location: Nice, France

Dates: from October 12, 2014 to October 16, 2014