FlexibleBindingTime < SPG

SPG Web>SoftwareProductivityGroup>GenteAreaProjects>FlexibleBindingTime (2013-11-20, RodrigoAndrade)

Flexible feature binding with AspectJ-based idioms

In Software Product Lines (SPL), we can bind reusable features to compose a product at different times, which in general are static or dynamic. The former allows customizability without any overhead at runtime. On the other hand, the latter allows feature activation or deactivation while running the application with the cost of performance and memory consumption. To implement features, we might use aspect-oriented programming (AOP), in which aspects enable a clear separation between base code and variable code. In this context, recent work provides AspectJ-based idioms to implement flexible feature binding. However, we identified some design deficiencies. Thus, to solve the issues of these idioms, we incrementally create three new AspectJ-based idioms. Moreover, to evaluate our new idioms, we quantitatively analyze them with respect to code cloning, scattering, tangling, and size by means of software metrics. Besides that, we qualitatively discuss our new idioms in terms of code reusability, changeability, instrumentation overhead, and behavior.

Procedures

First, to create the product lines from the original code of these case studies, we assigned the code of their features by using the prune dependency rules, which state that "a program element is relevant to a feature if it should be removed, or otherwise altered, when the feature is pruned from the application". By following these rules, we could identify all the code related to the features. We choose this rule to reduce introducing bias while identifying feature code.

Second, we extracted part of this code into AspectJ aspects. We say part because some feature code do not need to be extracted into aspects. The code within some classes is not extracted into aspects because the whole class is only relevant to the feature, so it should not exist in the base code by following the prune dependency rules. Additionally, there are references to the elements of these classes only within the feature code. Each feature code is localized in a different and unique package, which contains aspects and, possibly, classes.

Third, to evaluate our three new idioms and Layered Aspects, we applied each one of our three new idioms plus Layered Aspects to implement flexible binding for the 16 features of the five case studies.

Fourth, we collect the number of lines of code (LOC) of relevant components, such as feature or driver code, to provide as input to compute the metrics. We use the Google CodePro AnalytiX to obtain the LOC and we use sheets to auxiliary the computation of the metrics.

Tools and source code necessary to replicate our study

Here, we provide all the tools and source code necessary to replicate our study.

Source code - Git repositories

101Companies SPL

This is the 101Companies SPL project with Total and Cut features implemented with aspects.

101Companies SPL

101Companies SPL with Layered Aspects

This is the 101Companies SPL with flexible binding applied to Total and Cut features by means of Layered Aspects

101Companies SPL with Layered Aspects

101Companies SPL with First increment

This is the 101Companies SPL with flexible binding applied to Total and Cut features by means of First increment

101Companies SPL with First increment

101Companies SPL with Second increment

This is the 101Companies SPL with flexible binding applied to Total and Cut features by means of Second increment

101Companies SPL with Second increment

101Companies SPL with AroundClosure

This is the 101Companies SPL with flexible binding applied to Total and Cut features by means of AroundClosure

101Companies SPL with AroundClosure

BerkeleyDB SPL

This is the BerkeleyDB SPL project with its nine features implemented with aspects.

BerkeleyDB SPL

BerkeleyDB SPL with Layered Aspects

This is the BerkeleyDB SPL with flexible binding applied to its nine features by means of Layered Aspects

BerkeleyDB SPL with Layered Aspects

BerkeleyDB SPL with First increment

This is the BerkeleyDB SPL with flexible binding applied to its nine features by means of First increment

BerkeleyDB SPL with First increment

BerkeleyDB SPL with Second increment

This is the BerkeleyDB SPL with flexible binding applied to its nine features by means of Second increment

BerkeleyDB SPL with Second increment

BerkeleyDB SPL with AroundClosure

This is the BerkeleyDB SPL with flexible binding applied to its nine features by means of AroundClosure

BerkeleyDB SPL with AroundClosure

Freemind SPL

This is the Freemind SPL project with its two features implemented with aspects.

Freemind SPL

Freemind SPL with Layered Aspects

This is the Freemind SPL with flexible binding applied to its two features by means of Layered Aspects

Freemind SPL with Layered Aspects

Freemind SPL with First increment

This is the Freemind SPL with flexible binding applied to its two features by means of First increment

Freemind SPL with First increment

Freemind SPL with Second increment

This is the Freemind SPL with flexible binding applied to its two features by means of Second increment

Freemind SPL with Second increment

Freemind SPL with AroundClosure

This is the Freemind SPL with flexible binding applied to its two features by means of AroundClosure

Freemind SPL with AroundClosure

In order to run the ArgoUML, these three projects must be included in the workspace: tools, model, and infra.

ArgoUML SPL

This is the ArgoUML SPL project with its feature implemented with aspects.

ArgoUML SPL

ArgoUML SPL with Layered Aspects

This is the Freemind SPL with flexible binding applied to its feature by means of Layered Aspects

ArgoUML SPL with Layered Aspects

ArgoUML SPL with First increment

This is the Freemind SPL with flexible binding applied to its two features by means of First increment

ArgoUML SPL with First increment

ArgoUML SPL with Second increment

This is the Freemind SPL with flexible binding applied to its two features by means of Second increment

ArgoUML SPL with Second increment

ArgoUML SPL with AroundClosure

This is the Freemind SPL with flexible binding applied to its two features by means of AroundClosure

ArgoUML SPL with AroundClosure

Sudoku with Layered Aspects

This is the Sudoku with flexible binding applied to its feature by means of Layered Aspects

Sudoku with Layered Aspects

Sudoku with First increment

This is the Sudoku with flexible binding applied to its feature by means of First increment

Sudoku with First increment

Sudoku with Second increment

TThis is the Sudoku with flexible binding applied to its feature by means of Second increment

Sudoku with Second increment

Sudoku with AroundClosure

This is the Sudoku with flexible binding applied to its feature by means of AroundClosure

Sudoku with AroundClosure

In the following links, we provide extra source code we used to test and develop our idioms. This consists of a simple project with the quote feature, which adds a quote to a string.

Toyexample SPL with Layered Aspects

This is the Toyexample SPL with flexible binding applied to quote feature by means of Layered Aspects

Toyexample SPL with Layered Aspects

Toyexample SPL with First increment

This is the Toyexample SPL with flexible binding applied to quote feature by means of First increment

Toyexample SPL with First increment

Toyexample SPL with Second increment

This is the Toyexample SPL with flexible binding applied to quote feature by means of Second increment

Toyexample SPL with Second increment

Toyexample SPL with AroundClosure

This is the Toyexample SPL with flexible binding applied to quote feature by means of AroundClosure

Toyexample SPL with AroundClosure

Sheets

In both sheets, we provide the formula of all the selected metrics. Additionally, they contain all the data we collected from the source code.

First Sheet

Second Sheet

Third Sheet

Tools

The following list contains the tools we used to perform our work:

Members

CIn-UFPE

IC-UFAL

Márcio Ribeiro

Attachments

Topic attachments
I	Attachment	Action	Size	Date	Who
xlsx	Saferefactor.xlsx	manage	9.6 K	2013-11-20 - 16:53	RodrigoAndrade
xlsx	SoC.xlsx	manage	164.4 K	2013-11-20 - 14:37	RodrigoAndrade
xlsx	SocOperations.xlsx	manage	186.5 K	2013-11-19 - 22:11	RodrigoAndrade

Topic revision: r13 - 2013-11-20 - RodrigoAndrade