Life-Cycle Inheritance: A Petri-Net-Based Approach

Abstract. Inheritance is one of the key issues of object-orientation. The inheritance mechanism allows for the definition of a subclass which inherits the features of a specific superclass.This means that methods and attributes definedfor the superclassare also available for of the subclass. Existing methods for object-oriented modeling and design abstract from the dynamic behavior of objects when defining inheritance. Nevertheless, it would be useful to have a mechanism which allows for the inheritance of dynamic behavior. This paper describes a Petri-net-based approach to the formal specification and verification of this type of inheritance. We use Petri nets to specify the dynamics of an object class. The Petrinet formalism allows for a graphical representation of the life cycle of objects which belong to a specific object class. Four possible inheritance relations are defined. These inheritance relations can be verified automatically. Moreover, four powerful transformation...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1997
• Where: APN
• Authors: Wil M. P. van der Aalst, Twan Basten
• Keywords: APN 1997, Artificial Intelligence, Dynamic Behavior, Inheritance Mechanism, Inheritance Relations