Prelude to a Theory of Void

A set of rules to ascertain that in calls of the form x.f (...) there will always be an object attached to x. 1 PURPOSE The theory developed in this article investigates void calls, a dangerous source of bugs in object-oriented computation, and ways to avoid them. About the scope of this article The article was initially written as a short note presenting the results of sections 3 to 5, but it turned out that a proper exposition requires some background elements (section 2). Since one may want to prove many properties of object-oriented software besides avoidance of void calls, there is room for a series of follow-up articles focusing on proofs of specific properties. Such eventual articles will not need to repeat the background elements, which define a general scheme for the theory of object-oriented computation. It is indeed part of the aim of this exposition to set a framework for other theories of specific aspects of object-oriented computation, the accumulation of which might ...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 1998
• Where: JOOP
• Authors: Bertrand Meyer
• Keywords: Background Elements, JOOP 1998, Object-oriented Computation, Void Calls