A Refactoring-Based Approach to Support Binary Backward-Compatible Framework Upgrades

• Main Author: Savga, Ilie
• Other Authors: Technische Universität Dresden, Fakultät Informatik
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden 2010
• Subjects: Software Framework; Software Upgrade; Refactoring; Adaptation; Design Pattern; Adaption; Entwurfsmuster; ddc:004; rvk:ST 280; rvk:ST 230
• Online Access: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-38533; http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-38533; http://www.qucosa.de/fileadmin/data/qucosa/documents/3853/is-thesis.pdf

Evolutionary changes applied to a framework API may invalidate existing framework-based applications. While manually adapting applications is expensive and error-prone, automatic adaptation demands cumbersome specifications, which the developers are reluctant to write and maintain. Considering structural changes (so-called refactorings) of framework APIs, our adaptation technology supports backward-compatible framework upgrade. The technology is rigorous defining precisely the structure and automatic derivation of compensating adapters. It is also practical compensating for most application-breaking API changes automatically, while requiring neither manual adaptation nor recompilation of existing application code.