Tool-supported refactoring of aspect-oriented programs

Aspect-oriented programming languages provide new composition mechanisms for improving the modularity of crosscutting concerns. Implementations of such language support use advanced proresentations, like abstract syntax trees or stack traces, to enable an indirect specification (pointcut) of executions of program elements at which aspect code (advice) is invoked. During the evolution of a program, this representations will change and, hence, advice may not be executed as intended by the developer. In this paper we present a tool-supported refactoring approach that addresses this evolution problem by automating the detection of change effects on pointcuts and the generation of pointcut updates. A new model for decomposing pointcuts into simpler expressions is used as the base for deriving the change impact on pointcuts. Based on this model, we show how program analysis can detect affected or even broken pointcuts, how suitable pointcut adjustments can be derived, and when developer fee...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: AOSD
• Authors: Jan Wloka, Robert Hirschfeld, Joachim Hänsel
• Keywords: AOSD 2008, Aspect-oriented Programming, Aspect-oriented Programming Languages, Change Impact, Software Engineering