Giving Precise Semantics to Reuse and Evolution in UML
Tom Mens, Patrick Steyaert, Carine Lucas · 1999
. In UML there is little support for reusing specifications and designs. To deal with this problem, we enhance UML with support for definition, reuse and evolution of reusable components. This is not a trivial task, since some language concepts lack a precise semantics, while the interpretation of others is simply "beyond the scope of UML". By providing our own definitions in these cases, and by making use of packages, refinements, and the built-in extension mechanisms, a precise semantics is given to reuse of UML models. Among others, this precise semantics allows us to detect reuse conflicts automatically. Key Words. UML, reuse, precise semantics, reuse contracts, incremental modification. 1. Introduction The Unified Modelling Language version 1.1 [Rational97] has been accepted by the OMG as an industry standard for object-oriented analysis and design notation. It features a unified notation of widely accepted models such as class diagrams, use case diagrams, statecharts, se...