On the Use of C# Partial Classes for the Implementation of Software Product Lines

摘要

Nowadays, many software companies have a flagship product that is sold to several customers, but customized to the particular requirements of each one of them. In these cases, Software Product Line Engineering (SPL), whose goal is the effective engineering of software products families, can be helpful. In the last years, several methodologies, techniques, languages and tools for SPL engineering have been released. They aim to improve state-of-the-art technologies, such as object-oriented technologies, regarding SPL engineering. Some years ago, a new programming concept, called partial class, was added to the C# programming language. This concept was considered by some authors as helpful for SPL implementation. Nevertheless, this idea has not been seriously explored until now. In order to fill this gap, this article firstly explores whether C# partial classes are suitable for SPL implementation. Since several pitfalls were found, a solution to overcome them is proposed. This solution is based on a design technique that have been named as the Slicer pattern. Finally, whether this technique provides benefits as compared to current practices are analysed.