A Formal Approach to Analyzing Interference Problems in Aspect-Oriented Designs

摘要

Interference problems in aspect-oriented designs refer to the unde-sired interference between aspects and base programs that can lead to the emergence of unexpected behaviors, which do harm to the correctness of the entire system. We present a rigorous approach to analyzing the interference problems in aspect-oriented designs. Formal representations of classes and aspects are defined in terms of designs in UTP, while the weaving techniques in AOP are interpreted as the compositions of corresponding formal models. Conflicts between an aspect and base programs as well as between two aspects can be detected by calculating the weakest preconditions. Furthermore, the calculation also provides informative guidelines on how to solve the conflicts it found. Early detecting and removing conflicts in aspect-oriented design models can improve their qualities and save plenty of costs.